Population

Shelby

21,868

Elkhart

53,726

Median Income

Shelby

$50,705

Elkhart

$47,885

Home Value

Shelby

$185,400

Elkhart

$126,900

Rent

Shelby

$899

Elkhart

$981

Crime Rate

Shelby

10.44

Elkhart

9.97

Cost of Living

Shelby

88.4

Elkhart

84.5

Avg Temp

Shelby

N/A

Elkhart

N/A

Unemployment

Shelby

3.6%

Elkhart

3.5%

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How Similar Are Shelby & Elkhart?

Elkhart is Shelby's #8 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Shelby

21,868

vs

Elkhart

53,726

Different · 59% difference

Elkhart (53,726) is about 2.5x larger than Shelby (21,868).

Violent Crime

Shelby

10.44

vs

Elkhart

9.97

Match · 5% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Shelby

24.33

vs

Elkhart

25.99

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.

Political Leaning

Shelby

67.2%

vs

Elkhart

65.5%

Match · 2% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 2% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Shelby

3.6%

vs

Elkhart

3.5%

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.

Median Income

Shelby

$50,705

vs

Elkhart

$47,885

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Shelby

$185,400

vs

Elkhart

$126,900

Different · 32% difference

Shelby has a 32% higher home values than Elkhart.

Education

Shelby

18.4%

vs

Elkhart

11.2%

Different · 39% difference
🎓

Shelby has a 39% higher education than Elkhart.

Demographics

🌍

Shelby

55.3%

vs

Elkhart

62.5%

Different · 12% difference

Elkhart has a 12% higher demographics than Shelby.

Cost of Living

Shelby

88.4

vs

Elkhart

84.5

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Shelby and Elkhart share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Shelby

vsof 8

0

Elkhart

Shelby leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Elkhart leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Shelby has a fair market rent (1br) of $763 vs $992 in Elkhart (23% lower). Shelby has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $1,183 in Elkhart (22% lower). Elkhart scores 88.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 95.8 in Shelby.

Overall Cost Index

Shelby88.4
Elkhart84.5

Housing Index

Shelby95.8
Elkhart88.8

Food Index

Shelby88.8
Elkhart86.6

Transportation Index

Shelby77.5
Elkhart76.8

Healthcare Index

Shelby91.0
Elkhart89.3

Utilities Index

Shelby92.4
Elkhart89.7

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Shelby$38,910
Elkhart$37,175

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Shelby$91,968
Elkhart$87,867

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Shelby$763
Elkhart$992

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Shelby$925
Elkhart$1,183

Housing Market — Shelby leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Shelby has a median home value of $185,400 vs $126,900 in Elkhart (46% higher). Elkhart has a median property tax of $1,159 vs $1,613 in Shelby (39% lower). Shelby has a single-family homes of 71.6% compared to 54.8% in Elkhart.

Median Home Value

Shelby$185,400
Elkhart$126,900

Median Rent

Shelby$899
Elkhart$981

Median Property Tax

Shelby$1,613
Elkhart$1,159

Owner-Occupied

Shelby59.1%
Elkhart52.7%

Vacancy Rate

Shelby15.1%
Elkhart14.1%

Single-Family Homes

Shelby71.6%
Elkhart54.8%

Jobs & Economy — Shelby leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Shelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 2.6% in Elkhart. Elkhart: 25,730 vs Shelby: 9,810 for labor force. Elkhart has a government sector of 48.5% compared to 38.9% in Shelby.

Median Household Income

Shelby$50,705
Elkhart$47,885

Per Capita Income

Shelby$30,663
Elkhart$26,902

Poverty Rate

Shelby18.2%
Elkhart18.8%

Unemployment Rate

Shelby3.6%
Elkhart3.5%

Labor Force

Shelby9,810
Elkhart25,730

Mean Commute

ShelbyN/A
Elkhart18 min

Work from Home

Shelby9.7%
Elkhart2.6%

Private Sector

Shelby80.2%
ElkhartN/A

Government Sector

Shelby38.9%
Elkhart48.5%

Crime & Safety — Elkhart leads

Source: FBI UCR

Elkhart has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.23 in Shelby. Shelby has a property crime clearance of 26.7% compared to 11.0% in Elkhart. Elkhart has a violent crime clearance of 53.4% compared to 43.0% in Shelby.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Shelby10.44
Elkhart9.97

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Shelby24.33
Elkhart25.99

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Shelby0.23
Elkhart0.02

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Shelby0.77
Elkhart0.73

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Shelby8.94
Elkhart8.36

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Shelby4.86
Elkhart5.92

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Shelby17.16
Elkhart17.20

Violent Crime Clearance

Shelby43.0%
Elkhart53.4%

Property Crime Clearance

Shelby26.7%
Elkhart11.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ShelbyN/A
ElkhartN/A

Avg Annual High

ShelbyN/A
ElkhartN/A

Avg Annual Low

ShelbyN/A
ElkhartN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ShelbyN/A
ElkhartN/A

Annual Rainfall

ShelbyN/A
ElkhartN/A

Annual Snowfall

ShelbyN/A
ElkhartN/A

Avg Humidity

ShelbyN/A
ElkhartN/A

Schools & Education — Shelby leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Shelby has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 11.2% in Elkhart. Shelby has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 35.9% in Elkhart.

Public Schools

Shelby0
Elkhart0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ShelbyN/A
ElkhartN/A

Colleges & Universities

Shelby0
Elkhart0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Shelby18.4%
Elkhart11.2%

High School Diploma or Higher

Shelby39.5%
Elkhart35.9%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Elkhart has a population of 53,726, about 2.5x the size of Shelby (21,868). Elkhart skews younger with a median age of 35.2 vs 41.2.

Population

Shelby21,868
Elkhart53,726

Median Age

Shelby41
Elkhart35

Avg Household Size

Shelby2.3
Elkhart2.4

Married Population

Shelby37.4%
Elkhart30.6%

Foreign Born

Shelby2.9%
Elkhart14.5%

White

Shelby55.3%
Elkhart62.5%

Black

Shelby32.4%
Elkhart12.3%

Hispanic

Shelby4.7%
Elkhart27.4%

Asian

Shelby0.8%
Elkhart0.6%

Shelby

Elkhart

Healthcare — Shelby leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Shelby: 5 vs Elkhart: 3 for with emergency services. Shelby: 3.0 vs Elkhart: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Shelby5
Elkhart5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Shelby3.0
Elkhart2.7

With Emergency Services

Shelby5
Elkhart3

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Shelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 2.6% in Elkhart. Elkhart has a public transit of 0.8% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Elkhart has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.0% in Shelby.

Mean Commute Time

ShelbyN/A
Elkhart18 min

Drive Alone

Shelby79.3%
Elkhart75.9%

Public Transit

Shelby0.0%
Elkhart0.8%

Bicycle

Shelby0.0%
Elkhart0.3%

Work from Home

Shelby9.7%
Elkhart2.6%

Airports

Shelby0
Elkhart0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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