Shelby County, Alabama: commercial real estate data.
Shelby County, Alabama has a population of 230,211 across 785 square miles, up 5.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $17.33 bn in 2024, 5,610 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 220 7(a) approvals worth $148.7 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Shelby County
How many people live in Shelby County
- Population230,211
- Households86,866
- Average household size2.65
- Median household income$97,961
- Median age40.3
- Median gross rent$1,401 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$326,100
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher46.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree16.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over158,564
- Population under 1852,379
- Share under 1822.8 percent
- Population 65 and over38,766
- Share 65 and over16.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64139,066
- Civilian labor force121,815
- Unemployment rate2.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over68.5 percent
- Rank by population among Alabama counties6th of 67
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents308th
Shelby County is the 6th largest of 67 Alabama counties by population. A median home costs 3.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.8 percent against 16.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Shelby County
Is Shelby County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.80 percent
- Census 2020 base population223,024
- Births, 20242,469
- Deaths, 20241,766
- Natural change, 2024703
- Net domestic migration, 2024720
- Net international migration, 2024953
- Total net migration, 20241,673
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20247,834
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents435th
The county has grown 5.80 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Shelby County
Where people moving to Shelby County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving7,109
- People arriving, from those returns13,080
- Adjusted gross income arriving$642.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$90,316
- Largest single originShelby County Non-migrants (77,250 households)
- Largest single destination (77,250 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County Non-migrants | 77,250 | 169,617 | $9.25 bn |
| Jefferson County | 3,163 | 5,836 | $317.5 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,799 | 3,459 | $171.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 1,164 | 2,220 | $101.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 279 | 452 | $16.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 271 | 531 | $31.1 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 233 | 470 | $25.5 m |
| Tuscaloosa County | 214 | 345 | $13.5 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Shelby County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Shelby County
What the Shelby County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$17.33 bn
- County GDP, 2023$16.74 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.6 percent
- GDP change over five years32.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Alabama counties5th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents292nd
- GDP per resident$75,291
Output grew 3.6 percent in the latest year and 32.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Shelby County
Who employs people in Shelby County
- Covered employment, annual average85,169
- Establishments reporting7,251
- Average annual pay$66,772
- Average weekly wage$1,284
- Sector 44-45, employment10,760
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$40,210
- Sector 62, employment8,588
- Sector 62, average annual pay$58,230
- Sector 52, employment8,330
- Sector 52, average annual pay$100,297
- Sector 72, employment7,809
- Sector 72, average annual pay$24,962
- Sector 54, employment6,310
- Sector 23, employment5,582
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 10,760 | 758 | $40,210 |
| Sector 62 | 8,588 | 817 | $58,230 |
| Sector 52 | 8,330 | 502 | $100,297 |
| Sector 72 | 7,809 | 471 | $24,962 |
| Sector 54 | 6,310 | 1,017 | $89,434 |
| Sector 23 | 5,582 | 688 | $74,973 |
| Sector 56 | 5,496 | 461 | $52,307 |
| Sector 31-33 | 5,373 | 272 | $79,000 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 10,760 jobs, 12.6 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Shelby County
What businesses operate in Shelby County
- Establishments, all industries5,610
- Employment at those establishments87,718
- Annual payroll$5.49 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Shelby County
What is being built in Shelby County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024990
- Declared construction value permitted$267.8 m
- Single family units authorised990
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$270,519
- Units authorised per 1,000 households11.4
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Shelby County
How much SBA lending happens in Shelby County
- 7(a) approvals recorded220
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$148.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$675,793
- Median 7(a) approval$270,000
- 10th percentile approval$53,500
- 90th percentile approval$2,060,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,326
- Jobs per approval10.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active61
- Distinct industries receiving approvals117
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer12.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms28
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter167
- Franchise loans45
- Franchise share of approvals20.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLandscaping Services (10)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (18)
- 504 approvals recorded80
- 504 gross approval dollars$53.4 m
- Average 504 approval$667,288
- Median 504 approval$477,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval9.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.8
- Most active CDCBirmingham Citywide Local Development Company (35)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals73.3 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$202.1 m
The average approval of $675,793 sits well above the median of $270,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 12.7 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Shelby County
Do SBA loans in Shelby County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded27
- Paid in full25
- Charged off2
- Charge off rate on resolved loans7.4 percent
- Status: Paid in full25
- Status: Exempt from disclosure153
- Status: Cancelled34
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed6
Of the 27 loans that have reached a final outcome, 7.4 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Shelby County
Which parts of Shelby County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending18
- BIRMINGHAM, approvals55
- PELHAM, approvals53
- Alabaster, approvals27
- HELENA, approvals25
- HOOVER, approvals21
- CHELSEA, approvals10
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| BIRMINGHAM | 55 | $53,102,700 |
| PELHAM | 53 | $29,687,800 |
| Alabaster | 27 | $18,660,900 |
| HELENA | 25 | $14,330,300 |
| HOOVER | 21 | $10,765,900 |
| CHELSEA | 10 | $9,167,500 |
| Calera | 6 | $3,185,300 |
| WILSONVILLE | 5 | $782,600 |
BIRMINGHAM accounts for 55 approvals against 53 in PELHAM. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Shelby County
How big is Shelby County
- Land area785 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Alabama counties21st of 67
- Width, east to west38.7 mi
- Height, north to south36.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land293
- Establishments per square mile7.15
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Shelby County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Shelby County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population230,211
- Households86,866
- Average household size2.65
- Median household income$97,961
- Median age40.3
Common questions
Shelby County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Shelby County, Alabama?
230,211, in 86,866 households, ranking 6th of 67 Alabama counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Shelby County growing?
The population has grown 5.80 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 2,469 births against 1,766 deaths, with net migration of 1,673. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Shelby County?
$97,961. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $326,100, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,401 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Shelby County?
5,610 establishments, employing 87,718 people with an annual payroll of $5.49 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Shelby County?
Average annual pay is $66,772, or $1,284 a week, across 85,169 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Shelby County?
220 7(a) approvals totalling $148.7 m since FY2020, across 61 lenders, with a median approval of $270,000, plus 80 504 approvals worth $53.4 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Shelby County get paid back?
Of the 27 loans that have reached a final outcome, 25 were paid in full and 2 charged off, a charge off rate of 7.4 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Shelby County?
990 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $267.8 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Shelby County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Shelby County come from?
The largest single origin is Shelby County Non-migrants, with 77,250 households. Arriving households report an average income of $90,316 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Shelby County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Shelby County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.