Population
Shelby
21,868
Pearl
27,458
Median Income
Shelby
$50,705
Pearl
$54,643
Home Value
Shelby
$185,400
Pearl
$170,900
Rent
Shelby
$899
Pearl
$1,152
Crime Rate
Shelby
10.44
Pearl
N/A
Cost of Living
Shelby
88.4
Pearl
97.1
Avg Temp
Shelby
N/A
Pearl
N/A
Unemployment
Shelby
3.6%
Pearl
5.6%
How Similar Are Shelby & Pearl?
Pearl is Shelby's #2 most similar city
6 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Shelby
21,868
Pearl
27,458
Pearl has a 20% larger population than Shelby.
Political Leaning
Shelby
67.2%
Pearl
73.0%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 8% difference.
Unemployment
Shelby
3.6%
Pearl
5.6%
Pearl has a 36% higher unemployment than Shelby.
Median Income
Shelby
$50,705
Pearl
$54,643
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Shelby
$185,400
Pearl
$170,900
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Shelby
18.4%
Pearl
18.7%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Shelby
55.3%
Pearl
60.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.
Cost of Living
Shelby
88.4
Pearl
97.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
6 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Shelby and Pearl share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Shelby
0
Pearl
Shelby leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Shelby leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDShelby has a fair market rent (1br) of $763 vs $1,097 in Pearl (30% lower). Shelby has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $1,288 in Pearl (28% lower). Shelby scores 77.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 96.1 in Pearl.
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 ACSPearl has a vacancy rate of 7.0% compared to 15.1% in Shelby. Pearl has a median property tax of $1,140 vs $1,613 in Shelby (41% lower). Shelby has a median rent of $899 vs $1,152 in Pearl (22% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Pearl leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 6.2% in Pearl. Pearl has a poverty rate of 12.6% compared to 18.2% in Shelby. Pearl: 15,538 vs Shelby: 9,810 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
Source: FBI UCRViolent 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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauShelby has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 37.3% in Pearl. Pearl has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.7% compared to 18.4% in Shelby.
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 ACSPearl has a population of 27,458, about 1.3x the size of Shelby (21,868). Pearl skews younger with a median age of 36.6 vs 41.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Shelby
Pearl
Healthcare — Shelby leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareShelby: 3.0 vs Pearl: 1.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Shelby: 5 vs Pearl: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Pearl leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPearl has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Shelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 6.2% in Pearl. Pearl has a drive alone of 81.6% compared to 79.3% in Shelby.
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.