Population
Shelby
21,868
Ada
16,536
Median Income
Shelby
$50,705
Ada
$51,792
Home Value
Shelby
$185,400
Ada
$169,300
Rent
Shelby
$899
Ada
$888
Crime Rate
Shelby
10.44
Ada
N/A
Cost of Living
Shelby
88.4
Ada
87.1
Avg Temp
Shelby
N/A
Ada
N/A
Unemployment
Shelby
3.6%
Ada
3.9%
How Similar Are Shelby & Ada?
Ada is Shelby's #1 most similar city
7 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Shelby
21,868
Ada
16,536
Shelby has a 24% larger population than Ada.
Political Leaning
Shelby
67.2%
Ada
72.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 7% difference.
Unemployment
Shelby
3.6%
Ada
3.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Shelby
$50,705
Ada
$51,792
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Shelby
$185,400
Ada
$169,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Shelby
18.4%
Ada
18.8%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Shelby
55.3%
Ada
61.2%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 10% difference.
Cost of Living
Shelby
88.4
Ada
87.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
7 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Shelby and Ada are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Shelby
0
Ada
Ada leads in 2 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Ada leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDShelby has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $994 in Ada (7% lower). Ada scores 90.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 95.8 in Shelby. Shelby scores 77.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 79.2 in Ada.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAda has a median property tax of $1,202 vs $1,613 in Shelby (34% lower). Shelby has a owner-occupied of 59.1% compared to 45.0% in Ada. Shelby has a vacancy rate of 15.1% compared to 16.9% in Ada.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Shelby leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 4.2% in Ada. Shelby: 9,810 vs Ada: 7,978 for labor force. Ada has a poverty rate of 16.1% compared to 18.2% in Shelby.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRShelby has a property crime clearance of 26.7% compared to 9.0% in Ada. Ada has a violent crime clearance of 46.1% compared to 43.0% in Shelby.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauShelby has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 37.0% in Ada. Ada has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.8% compared to 18.4% in Shelby.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShelby has a population of 21,868, about 1.3x the size of Ada (16,536). Ada skews younger with a median age of 32.7 vs 41.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Shelby
Ada
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAda: 4.5 vs Shelby: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Shelby: 5 vs Ada: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Ada leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 4.2% in Ada. Ada has a public transit of 0.2% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Ada has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.0% in Shelby.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Shelby, NC
Compare Shelby against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.