Population
Shelby
21,868
Ashland
21,405
Median Income
Shelby
$50,705
Ashland
$52,199
Home Value
Shelby
$185,400
Ashland
$125,300
Rent
Shelby
$899
Ashland
$859
Crime Rate
Shelby
10.44
Ashland
2.00
Cost of Living
Shelby
88.4
Ashland
84.7
Avg Temp
Shelby
N/A
Ashland
N/A
Unemployment
Shelby
3.6%
Ashland
8.4%
How Similar Are Shelby & Ashland?
Ashland is Shelby's #18 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Shelby
21,868
Ashland
21,405
Both cities have similar populations — Shelby at 21,868 and Ashland at 21,405.
Violent Crime
Shelby
10.44
Ashland
2.00
Shelby's violent crime is significantly higher than Ashland's — 81% difference.
Property Crime
Shelby
24.33
Ashland
25.03
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 3% difference.
Political Leaning
Shelby
67.2%
Ashland
68.6%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 2% difference.
Unemployment
Shelby
3.6%
Ashland
8.4%
Ashland's unemployment is significantly higher than Shelby's — 57% difference.
Median Income
Shelby
$50,705
Ashland
$52,199
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Shelby
$185,400
Ashland
$125,300
Shelby has a 32% higher home values than Ashland.
Education
Shelby
18.4%
Ashland
17.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Shelby
55.3%
Ashland
92.0%
Ashland has a 40% higher demographics than Shelby.
Cost of Living
Shelby
88.4
Ashland
84.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Shelby and Ashland share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Shelby
0
Ashland
Shelby leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAshland scores 81.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 95.8 in Shelby. Shelby has a fair market rent (1br) of $763 vs $853 in Ashland (11% lower). Shelby scores 77.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 84.1 in Ashland.
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 — Ashland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShelby has a median home value of $185,400 vs $125,300 in Ashland (48% higher). Ashland has a median property tax of $1,194 vs $1,613 in Shelby (35% lower). Ashland has a vacancy rate of 13.2% compared to 15.1% in Shelby.
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 unemployment rate of 3.6% compared to 8.4% in Ashland. Shelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 7.0% in Ashland. Shelby has a poverty rate of 18.2% compared to 22.8% in Ashland.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Ashland leads
Source: FBI UCRAshland has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.09 compared to 8.94 in Shelby. Ashland has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.00 compared to 10.44 in Shelby. Ashland has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.19 compared to 0.77 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 — Shelby leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauShelby has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 17.2% in Ashland. Shelby has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 37.9% in Ashland.
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 1x the size of Ashland (21,405).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Shelby
Ashland
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareShelby: 5 vs Ashland: 3 for with emergency services. Ashland: 3.3 vs Shelby: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Shelby leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAshland has a public transit of 0.3% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Shelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 7.0% in Ashland. Shelby has a drive alone of 79.3% compared to 74.2% in Ashland.
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.