Population
Shelby
21,868
Morganton
17,541
Median Income
Shelby
$50,705
Morganton
$49,434
Home Value
Shelby
$185,400
Morganton
$208,300
Rent
Shelby
$899
Morganton
$909
Crime Rate
Shelby
10.44
Morganton
4.16
Cost of Living
Shelby
88.4
Morganton
89.8
Avg Temp
Shelby
N/A
Morganton
N/A
Unemployment
Shelby
3.6%
Morganton
3.6%
How Similar Are Shelby & Morganton?
Morganton is Shelby's #25 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Shelby
21,868
Morganton
17,541
Shelby has a 20% larger population than Morganton.
Violent Crime
Shelby
10.44
Morganton
4.16
Shelby's violent crime is significantly higher than Morganton's — 60% difference.
Property Crime
Shelby
24.33
Morganton
33.24
Morganton has a 27% higher property crime than Shelby.
Political Leaning
Shelby
67.2%
Morganton
70.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 4% difference.
Unemployment
Shelby
3.6%
Morganton
3.6%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 0% difference.
Median Income
Shelby
$50,705
Morganton
$49,434
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Shelby
$185,400
Morganton
$208,300
Morganton has a 11% higher home values than Shelby.
Education
Shelby
18.4%
Morganton
15.3%
Shelby has a 17% higher education than Morganton.
Demographics
Shelby
55.3%
Morganton
59.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Shelby
88.4
Morganton
89.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Shelby and Morganton share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Shelby
0
Morganton
Shelby leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Shelby leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDShelby has a fair market rent (1br) of $763 vs $908 in Morganton (16% lower). Shelby has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $1,095 in Morganton (16% lower). Shelby scores 95.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 100.5 in Morganton.
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 — Shelby leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMorganton has a vacancy rate of 8.8% compared to 15.1% in Shelby. Shelby has a single-family homes of 71.6% compared to 62.0% in Morganton. Shelby has a owner-occupied of 59.1% compared to 51.8% in Morganton.
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 6.8% in Morganton. Shelby has a poverty rate of 18.2% compared to 29.9% in Morganton. Shelby: 9,810 vs Morganton: 7,629 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Morganton leads
Source: FBI UCRMorganton has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.28 compared to 0.77 in Shelby. Morganton has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.30 compared to 8.94 in Shelby. Morganton has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 4.16 compared to 10.44 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 high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 32.2% in Morganton. Shelby has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 15.3% in Morganton.
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 1.2x the size of Morganton (17,541). Morganton skews younger with a median age of 38.5 vs 41.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Shelby
Morganton
Healthcare — Shelby leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareShelby: 3.0 vs Morganton: 2.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Shelby: 5 vs Morganton: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Shelby leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 6.8% in Morganton. Shelby has a drive alone of 79.3% compared to 75.9% in Morganton.
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.