Population

Shelby

21,868

Salisbury

35,730

Median Income

Shelby

$50,705

Salisbury

$51,058

Home Value

Shelby

$185,400

Salisbury

$215,200

Rent

Shelby

$899

Salisbury

$1,030

Crime Rate

Shelby

10.44

Salisbury

9.60

Cost of Living

Shelby

88.4

Salisbury

94.9

Avg Temp

Shelby

N/A

Salisbury

N/A

Unemployment

Shelby

3.6%

Salisbury

7.5%

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How Similar Are Shelby & Salisbury?

Salisbury is Shelby's #9 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Shelby

21,868

vs

Salisbury

35,730

Different · 39% difference

Salisbury has a 39% larger population than Shelby.

Violent Crime

Shelby

10.44

vs

Salisbury

9.60

Match · 8% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 8% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Shelby

24.33

vs

Salisbury

39.88

Different · 39% difference

Salisbury has a 39% higher property crime than Shelby.

Political Leaning

Shelby

67.2%

vs

Salisbury

67.5%

Match · 1% difference
🗳️

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

Unemployment

💼

Shelby

3.6%

vs

Salisbury

7.5%

Different · 52% difference

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

Median Income

Shelby

$50,705

vs

Salisbury

$51,058

Match · 1% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Shelby

$185,400

vs

Salisbury

$215,200

Different · 14% difference

Salisbury has a 14% higher home values than Shelby.

Education

Shelby

18.4%

vs

Salisbury

17.7%

Match · 3% difference
🎓

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

Demographics

🌍

Shelby

55.3%

vs

Salisbury

51.8%

Match · 6% difference

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

Cost of Living

Shelby

88.4

vs

Salisbury

94.9

Match · 7% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.

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

At a Glance

0

Shelby

vsof 8

0

Salisbury

Shelby leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Shelby leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Shelby has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $1,196 in Salisbury (23% lower). Shelby has a fair market rent (1br) of $763 vs $958 in Salisbury (20% lower). Shelby scores 95.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 110.6 in Salisbury.

Overall Cost Index

Shelby88.4
Salisbury94.9

Housing Index

Shelby95.8
Salisbury110.6

Food Index

Shelby88.8
Salisbury89.0

Transportation Index

Shelby77.5
Salisbury83.1

Healthcare Index

Shelby91.0
Salisbury91.2

Utilities Index

Shelby92.4
Salisbury95.5

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Shelby$38,910
Salisbury$41,762

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Shelby$91,968
Salisbury$98,711

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Shelby$763
Salisbury$958

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Shelby$925
Salisbury$1,196

Housing Market — Shelby leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Salisbury has a vacancy rate of 12.4% compared to 15.1% in Shelby. Shelby has a owner-occupied of 59.1% compared to 49.7% in Salisbury. Shelby has a median property tax of $1,613 vs $1,923 in Salisbury (16% lower).

Median Home Value

Shelby$185,400
Salisbury$215,200

Median Rent

Shelby$899
Salisbury$1,030

Median Property Tax

Shelby$1,613
Salisbury$1,923

Owner-Occupied

Shelby59.1%
Salisbury49.7%

Vacancy Rate

Shelby15.1%
Salisbury12.4%

Single-Family Homes

Shelby71.6%
Salisbury62.4%

Jobs & Economy — Salisbury leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Shelby has a unemployment rate of 3.6% compared to 7.5% in Salisbury. Salisbury: 16,220 vs Shelby: 9,810 for labor force. Shelby has a poverty rate of 18.2% compared to 24.3% in Salisbury.

Median Household Income

Shelby$50,705
Salisbury$51,058

Per Capita Income

Shelby$30,663
Salisbury$30,932

Poverty Rate

Shelby18.2%
Salisbury24.3%

Unemployment Rate

Shelby3.6%
Salisbury7.5%

Labor Force

Shelby9,810
Salisbury16,220

Mean Commute

ShelbyN/A
Salisbury19 min

Work from Home

Shelby9.7%
Salisbury7.8%

Private Sector

Shelby80.2%
Salisbury85.3%

Government Sector

Shelby38.9%
Salisbury41.0%

Crime & Safety — Shelby leads

Source: FBI UCR

Shelby has a violent crime clearance of 43.0% compared to 27.1% in Salisbury. Shelby has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.77 compared to 1.45 in Salisbury. Shelby has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 24.33 compared to 39.88 in Salisbury.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Shelby10.44
Salisbury9.60

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Shelby24.33
Salisbury39.88

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Shelby0.23
Salisbury0.30

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Shelby0.77
Salisbury1.45

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Shelby8.94
Salisbury7.27

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Shelby4.86
Salisbury4.02

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Shelby17.16
Salisbury27.62

Violent Crime Clearance

Shelby43.0%
Salisbury27.1%

Property Crime Clearance

Shelby26.7%
Salisbury23.7%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ShelbyN/A
SalisburyN/A

Avg Annual High

ShelbyN/A
SalisburyN/A

Avg Annual Low

ShelbyN/A
SalisburyN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ShelbyN/A
SalisburyN/A

Annual Rainfall

ShelbyN/A
SalisburyN/A

Annual Snowfall

ShelbyN/A
SalisburyN/A

Avg Humidity

ShelbyN/A
SalisburyN/A

Schools & Education — Shelby leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Shelby has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 35.8% in Salisbury. Shelby has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 17.7% in Salisbury.

Public Schools

Shelby0
Salisbury0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ShelbyN/A
SalisburyN/A

Colleges & Universities

Shelby0
Salisbury0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Shelby18.4%
Salisbury17.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

Shelby39.5%
Salisbury35.8%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Salisbury has a population of 35,730, about 1.6x the size of Shelby (21,868). Salisbury skews younger with a median age of 36.5 vs 41.2.

Population

Shelby21,868
Salisbury35,730

Median Age

Shelby41
Salisbury37

Avg Household Size

Shelby2.3
Salisbury2.4

Married Population

Shelby37.4%
Salisbury34.4%

Foreign Born

Shelby2.9%
Salisbury6.3%

White

Shelby55.3%
Salisbury51.8%

Black

Shelby32.4%
Salisbury35.9%

Hispanic

Shelby4.7%
Salisbury12.1%

Asian

Shelby0.8%
Salisbury1.4%

Shelby

Salisbury

Healthcare — Shelby leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Shelby: 3.0 vs Salisbury: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Shelby5
Salisbury5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Shelby3.0
Salisbury2.8

With Emergency Services

Shelby5
Salisbury5

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Salisbury has a public transit of 0.8% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Salisbury has a bicycle of 0.7% compared to 0.0% in Shelby. Shelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 7.8% in Salisbury.

Mean Commute Time

ShelbyN/A
Salisbury19 min

Drive Alone

Shelby79.3%
Salisbury74.0%

Public Transit

Shelby0.0%
Salisbury0.8%

Bicycle

Shelby0.0%
Salisbury0.7%

Work from Home

Shelby9.7%
Salisbury7.8%

Airports

Shelby0
Salisbury0

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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