Population

Shelby

21,868

Fergus Falls

14,138

Median Income

Shelby

$50,705

Fergus Falls

$50,865

Home Value

Shelby

$185,400

Fergus Falls

$173,300

Rent

Shelby

$899

Fergus Falls

$839

Crime Rate

Shelby

10.44

Fergus Falls

2.04

Cost of Living

Shelby

88.4

Fergus Falls

84.1

Avg Temp

Shelby

N/A

Fergus Falls

N/A

Unemployment

Shelby

3.6%

Fergus Falls

7.4%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Shelby & Fergus Falls?

Fergus Falls is Shelby's #17 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Shelby

21,868

vs

Fergus Falls

14,138

Different · 35% difference

Shelby has a 35% larger population than Fergus Falls.

Violent Crime

Shelby

10.44

vs

Fergus Falls

2.04

Different · 81% difference
🚨

Shelby's violent crime is significantly higher than Fergus Falls's — 81% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Shelby

24.33

vs

Fergus Falls

23.66

Match · 3% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 3% difference.

Political Leaning

Shelby

67.2%

vs

Fergus Falls

66.3%

Match · 1% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 1% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Shelby

3.6%

vs

Fergus Falls

7.4%

Different · 52% difference

Fergus Falls's unemployment is significantly higher than Shelby's — 52% difference.

Median Income

Shelby

$50,705

vs

Fergus Falls

$50,865

Match · 0% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 0% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Shelby

$185,400

vs

Fergus Falls

$173,300

Match · 7% difference

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

Education

Shelby

18.4%

vs

Fergus Falls

19.6%

Match · 6% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Shelby

55.3%

vs

Fergus Falls

91.1%

Different · 39% difference

Fergus Falls has a 39% higher demographics than Shelby.

Cost of Living

Shelby

88.4

vs

Fergus Falls

84.1

Match · 5% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.

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

At a Glance

0

Shelby

vsof 8

0

Fergus Falls

Fergus Falls leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Fergus Falls leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Fergus Falls scores 62.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 77.5 in Shelby. Fergus Falls scores 90.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 95.8 in Shelby. Shelby has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $983 in Fergus Falls (6% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Shelby88.4
Fergus Falls84.1

Housing Index

Shelby95.8
Fergus Falls90.2

Food Index

Shelby88.8
Fergus Falls88.9

Transportation Index

Shelby77.5
Fergus Falls62.2

Healthcare Index

Shelby91.0
Fergus Falls91.1

Utilities Index

Shelby92.4
Fergus Falls91.4

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Shelby$38,910
Fergus Falls$37,014

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Shelby$91,968
Fergus Falls$87,487

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Shelby$763
Fergus Falls$749

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Shelby$925
Fergus Falls$983

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Fergus Falls has a vacancy rate of 8.4% compared to 15.1% in Shelby. Fergus Falls has a median rent of $839 vs $899 in Shelby (7% lower). Shelby has a median home value of $185,400 vs $173,300 in Fergus Falls (7% higher).

Median Home Value

Shelby$185,400
Fergus Falls$173,300

Median Rent

Shelby$899
Fergus Falls$839

Median Property Tax

Shelby$1,613
Fergus Falls$1,639

Owner-Occupied

Shelby59.1%
Fergus Falls63.5%

Vacancy Rate

Shelby15.1%
Fergus Falls8.4%

Single-Family Homes

Shelby71.6%
Fergus Falls67.8%

Jobs & Economy — Fergus Falls leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Fergus Falls has a poverty rate of 10.7% compared to 18.2% in Shelby. Shelby has a unemployment rate of 3.6% compared to 7.4% in Fergus Falls. Shelby: 9,810 vs Fergus Falls: 7,015 for labor force.

Median Household Income

Shelby$50,705
Fergus Falls$50,865

Per Capita Income

Shelby$30,663
Fergus Falls$33,280

Poverty Rate

Shelby18.2%
Fergus Falls10.7%

Unemployment Rate

Shelby3.6%
Fergus Falls7.4%

Labor Force

Shelby9,810
Fergus Falls7,015

Mean Commute

ShelbyN/A
Fergus Falls12 min

Work from Home

Shelby9.7%
Fergus Falls10.2%

Private Sector

Shelby80.2%
Fergus Falls81.6%

Government Sector

Shelby38.9%
Fergus Falls39.1%

Crime & Safety — Fergus Falls leads

Source: FBI UCR

Fergus Falls has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.77 in Shelby. Fergus Falls has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.04 compared to 10.44 in Shelby. Fergus Falls has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.90 compared to 8.94 in Shelby.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Shelby10.44
Fergus Falls2.04

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Shelby24.33
Fergus Falls23.66

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Shelby0.23
Fergus Falls0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Shelby0.77
Fergus Falls0.07

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Shelby8.94
Fergus Falls1.90

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Shelby4.86
Fergus Falls2.11

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Shelby17.16
Fergus Falls20.57

Violent Crime Clearance

Shelby43.0%
Fergus Falls44.8%

Property Crime Clearance

Shelby26.7%
Fergus Falls22.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ShelbyN/A
Fergus FallsN/A

Avg Annual High

ShelbyN/A
Fergus FallsN/A

Avg Annual Low

ShelbyN/A
Fergus FallsN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ShelbyN/A
Fergus FallsN/A

Annual Rainfall

ShelbyN/A
Fergus FallsN/A

Annual Snowfall

ShelbyN/A
Fergus FallsN/A

Avg Humidity

ShelbyN/A
Fergus FallsN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Fergus Falls has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.6% compared to 18.4% in Shelby. Shelby has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 38.0% in Fergus Falls.

Public Schools

Shelby0
Fergus Falls0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ShelbyN/A
Fergus FallsN/A

Colleges & Universities

Shelby0
Fergus Falls0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Shelby18.4%
Fergus Falls19.6%

High School Diploma or Higher

Shelby39.5%
Fergus Falls38.0%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Shelby has a population of 21,868, about 1.5x the size of Fergus Falls (14,138).

Population

Shelby21,868
Fergus Falls14,138

Median Age

Shelby41
Fergus Falls42

Avg Household Size

Shelby2.3
Fergus Falls2.1

Married Population

Shelby37.4%
Fergus Falls36.6%

Foreign Born

Shelby2.9%
Fergus Falls1.5%

White

Shelby55.3%
Fergus Falls91.1%

Black

Shelby32.4%
Fergus Falls1.2%

Hispanic

Shelby4.7%
Fergus Falls1.2%

Asian

Shelby0.8%
Fergus Falls1.9%

Shelby

Fergus Falls

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Fergus Falls: 5.0 vs Shelby: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Shelby: 5 vs Fergus Falls: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Shelby5
Fergus Falls5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Shelby3.0
Fergus Falls5.0

With Emergency Services

Shelby5
Fergus Falls4

Transportation & Commute — Fergus Falls leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Fergus Falls has a public transit of 2.1% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Fergus Falls has a bicycle of 1.9% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Shelby has a drive alone of 79.3% compared to 69.7% in Fergus Falls.

Mean Commute Time

ShelbyN/A
Fergus Falls12 min

Drive Alone

Shelby79.3%
Fergus Falls69.7%

Public Transit

Shelby0.0%
Fergus Falls2.1%

Bicycle

Shelby0.0%
Fergus Falls1.9%

Work from Home

Shelby9.7%
Fergus Falls10.2%

Airports

Shelby0
Fergus Falls0

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

Explore These Cities

Compare Different Cities