Population

Shelby

21,868

Ensley

23,036

Median Income

Shelby

$50,705

Ensley

$58,264

Home Value

Shelby

$185,400

Ensley

$198,700

Rent

Shelby

$899

Ensley

$1,361

Crime Rate

Shelby

10.44

Ensley

N/A

Cost of Living

Shelby

88.4

Ensley

104.2

Avg Temp

Shelby

N/A

Ensley

N/A

Unemployment

Shelby

3.6%

Ensley

6.8%

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How Similar Are Shelby & Ensley?

Ensley is Shelby's #21 most similar city

4/8

4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Shelby

21,868

vs

Ensley

23,036

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Shelby at 21,868 and Ensley at 23,036.

Political Leaning

Shelby

67.2%

vs

Ensley

59.2%

Different · 12% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican, but Shelby has a stronger Republican lean (12% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Shelby

3.6%

vs

Ensley

6.8%

Different · 47% difference

Ensley has a 47% higher unemployment than Shelby.

Median Income

Shelby

$50,705

vs

Ensley

$58,264

Different · 13% difference
💰

Ensley has a 13% higher median income than Shelby.

Home Values

🏠

Shelby

$185,400

vs

Ensley

$198,700

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 7% difference.

Education

Shelby

18.4%

vs

Ensley

16.7%

Match · 9% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 9% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Shelby

55.3%

vs

Ensley

56.9%

Match · 3% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.

Cost of Living

Shelby

88.4

vs

Ensley

104.2

Different · 15% difference
💵

Ensley has a 15% higher cost of living than Shelby.

4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Shelby and Ensley share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Shelby

vsof 8

0

Ensley

Ensley leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Shelby leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Shelby has a fair market rent (1br) of $763 vs $1,257 in Ensley (39% lower). Shelby has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $1,471 in Ensley (37% lower). Shelby scores 95.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 124.5 in Ensley.

Overall Cost Index

Shelby88.4
Ensley104.2

Housing Index

Shelby95.8
Ensley124.5

Food Index

Shelby88.8
Ensley94.5

Transportation Index

Shelby77.5
Ensley89.1

Healthcare Index

Shelby91.0
Ensley95.6

Utilities Index

Shelby92.4
Ensley101.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Shelby$38,910
Ensley$45,841

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Shelby$91,968
Ensley$108,352

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Shelby$763
Ensley$1,257

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Shelby$925
Ensley$1,471

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Ensley has a vacancy rate of 9.6% compared to 15.1% in Shelby. Ensley has a median property tax of $1,141 vs $1,613 in Shelby (41% lower). Shelby has a median rent of $899 vs $1,361 in Ensley (34% lower).

Median Home Value

Shelby$185,400
Ensley$198,700

Median Rent

Shelby$899
Ensley$1,361

Median Property Tax

Shelby$1,613
Ensley$1,141

Owner-Occupied

Shelby59.1%
Ensley56.7%

Vacancy Rate

Shelby15.1%
Ensley9.6%

Single-Family Homes

Shelby71.6%
Ensley61.7%

Jobs & Economy — Ensley leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Shelby has a unemployment rate of 3.6% compared to 6.8% in Ensley. Ensley has a work from home of 16.9% compared to 9.7% in Shelby. Ensley: 12,183 vs Shelby: 9,810 for labor force.

Median Household Income

Shelby$50,705
Ensley$58,264

Per Capita Income

Shelby$30,663
Ensley$32,361

Poverty Rate

Shelby18.2%
Ensley17.5%

Unemployment Rate

Shelby3.6%
Ensley6.8%

Labor Force

Shelby9,810
Ensley12,183

Mean Commute

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Work from Home

Shelby9.7%
Ensley16.9%

Private Sector

Shelby80.2%
Ensley95.3%

Government Sector

Shelby38.9%
Ensley44.5%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Shelby10.44
EnsleyN/A

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Shelby24.33
EnsleyN/A

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Shelby0.23
EnsleyN/A

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Shelby0.77
EnsleyN/A

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Shelby8.94
EnsleyN/A

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Shelby4.86
EnsleyN/A

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Shelby17.16
EnsleyN/A

Violent Crime Clearance

Shelby43.0%
EnsleyN/A

Property Crime Clearance

Shelby26.7%
EnsleyN/A

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Avg Annual High

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Avg Annual Low

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Annual Rainfall

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Annual Snowfall

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Avg Humidity

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Schools & Education — Shelby leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Shelby has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 16.7% in Ensley. Shelby has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 38.3% in Ensley.

Public Schools

Shelby0
Ensley0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Colleges & Universities

Shelby0
Ensley0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Shelby18.4%
Ensley16.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

Shelby39.5%
Ensley38.3%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Ensley has a population of 23,036, about 1.1x the size of Shelby (21,868). Ensley skews younger with a median age of 38.3 vs 41.2.

Population

Shelby21,868
Ensley23,036

Median Age

Shelby41
Ensley38

Avg Household Size

Shelby2.3
Ensley2.2

Married Population

Shelby37.4%
Ensley38.0%

Foreign Born

Shelby2.9%
Ensley8.3%

White

Shelby55.3%
Ensley56.9%

Black

Shelby32.4%
Ensley27.9%

Hispanic

Shelby4.7%
Ensley7.9%

Asian

Shelby0.8%
Ensley4.2%

Shelby

Ensley

Healthcare — Ensley leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Ensley: 3.6 vs Shelby: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Shelby5
Ensley5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Shelby3.0
Ensley3.6

With Emergency Services

Shelby5
Ensley5

Transportation & Commute — Ensley leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Ensley has a public transit of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Ensley has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Ensley has a work from home of 16.9% compared to 9.7% in Shelby.

Mean Commute Time

ShelbyN/A
EnsleyN/A

Drive Alone

Shelby79.3%
Ensley69.0%

Public Transit

Shelby0.0%
Ensley0.1%

Bicycle

Shelby0.0%
Ensley0.4%

Work from Home

Shelby9.7%
Ensley16.9%

Airports

Shelby0
Ensley0

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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