Map the Block › Places › Tennessee › Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee in numbers: crime, income, hazards
FBI reports put Shelby County at 17.1 violent crimes per 1,000 people a year over 2021-2025, about 2.8 times the rate for Tennessee (6.1). Households here have a median income of $63,767 and the unemployment rate was 5.0% in August 2026. It is home to roughly 919,173 residents.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Shelby County?
Over 2021-2025, the county's police agencies sent the FBI reports of about 15,701 violent and 45,897 property crimes per year. That is 17.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, about 2.8 times the Tennessee rate (6.1), and about 4.6 times the U.S. rate (3.7). For property crime the county rate is 50.0 per 1,000 (Tennessee: 21.3; U.S.: 18.1). Aggravated assaults make up 81% of the violent total. CDC death records show about 264 homicide deaths a year in the county (28.3 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Shelby County | Per 1,000 | Tennessee per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 15,701 | 17.1 | 6.1 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 282 | 0.31 | 0.09 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 484 | 0.53 | 0.40 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 2,229 | 2.4 | 0.62 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 12,706 | 13.8 | 5.0 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 45,897 | 50.0 | 21.3 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 6,239 | 6.8 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 29,460 | 32.1 | 15.1 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 10,198 | 11.1 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (6 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Shelby County?
Half of households in Shelby County make more than $63,767 and half make less; across Tennessee the midpoint is $69,595. Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $249,100, and the median rent is $1,232 a month. 15.5% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 10.8%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 5.0% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 21,425 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Shelby County | Tennessee | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 919,173 | 7,066,383 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $63,767 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $249,100 | $286,700 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,232 | $1,189 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 7.2% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 17.8% | 13.8% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 15.5% | 10.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 34.3% | 31.1% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 54.1% | 66.9% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 35.9 | 38.9 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 89.6% | 89.2% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 12.0% | 10.0% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Shelby County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Shelby County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively High”. Of the seven hazards on our map, FEMA rates these highest: tornadoes (Very High), river flooding (Relatively High), heat waves (Relatively High) and earthquakes (Relatively High). The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
7 Superfund sites are on or proposed for EPA's National Priorities List in Shelby County: Memphis Defense Depot (Dla), Carrier Air Conditioning Co., Arlington Blending & Packaging, Former Custom Cleaners, Smalley-Piper, Walker Machine Products, Inc., plus 1 more. 1 other site has finished cleanup and been taken off the list. A listing means EPA is managing a long-term cleanup; it does not by itself mean anyone is exposed today.
High-hazard dams
Shelby County has 16 dams classed as high hazard in the National Inventory of Dams. None is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory; 15 are rated Satisfactory or Fair. The two tallest are Lakeland Dam (68 ft) and Windemere Dam (32 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
80 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 4,886,985 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Shelby County was covered by 7 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Severe Storm 5, Winter Storm 1, Severe Ice Storm 1), not counting COVID-19. EPA air monitors logged 9 days in 2024 when the air quality index reached “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse. Of 6 community water systems, none had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 3 (low). NHTSA counted 218 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 48 pedestrians.
Is there road construction in Shelby County?
Shelby County had 13 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (all active that day). Listed roads include I-40, State Route 1 and I-55. 9 are on interstates. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Shelby County?
Federal school lists show 280 public and 56 private schools in the county. 25 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 82 fire or EMS stations and 18 police or sheriff stations. 1 state park or recreation area: TO Fuller State Park.
What tribal lands and sacred sites are in Shelby County?
1 ancient or sacred site is on the map here: Chucalissa. Many are sacred to living communities, so visit respectfully and follow posted rules.
See them on the map: sacred sites →
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Shelby County
Gun shops
35 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Shelby County (34 from the ATF licensee list, 1 from OpenStreetMap), plus 39 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). 14 of them are pawnshops licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Academy Sports + Outdoors #181 (Bartlett), Academy Sports + Outdoors #186 (Collierville), Academy Sports + Outdoors #410 (Millington), Accent Guns And Loans (Memphis), Advantage Pawn (Memphis), American Loan Co (Memphis), Arms-Fair (Cordova), Army Surplus Collierville (Collierville) and 26 more.
Liquor stores
119 liquor stores are on the map in Shelby County: 901 Wine & Spirits Market (Memphis), Alex's Discount Liquor (Memphis), Arlington Liquors (Arlington), Azor's Liquor (Memphis), B F Kaufman's Wines and Liquor (Memphis), Bartlett Wine & Spirits (Memphis), Brown Jug Liquor Store (Memphis), Bud & Hal's Liquors (Memphis) and 111 more. Tennessee has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
2 Planned Parenthood health centers are on the map in Shelby County: Memphis Regional Planned Parenthood (Memphis) and Planned Parenthood (Memphis).
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores · Planned Parenthood →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Shelby County?
Shelby County averaged 15,701 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 17.1 per 1,000 residents, about 2.8 times the Tennessee rate (6.1). The property-crime rate was 50.0 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Shelby County?
$63,767 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $69,595 for Tennessee and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Shelby County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 5.0% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 21,425 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Shelby County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Shelby County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively High”. Of the seven hazards on our map, FEMA rates these highest: tornadoes (Very High), river flooding (Relatively High), heat waves (Relatively High) and earthquakes (Relatively High).
Are there Superfund sites in Shelby County?
7 Superfund sites are on or proposed for EPA's National Priorities List in Shelby County: Memphis Defense Depot (Dla), Carrier Air Conditioning Co., Arlington Blending & Packaging, Former Custom Cleaners, Smalley-Piper, Walker Machine Products, Inc., plus 1 more. 1 other site has finished cleanup and been taken off the list.
Is there road construction in Shelby County right now?
Shelby County had 13 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (all active that day). Listed roads include I-40, State Route 1 and I-55. 9 are on interstates.
How many nursing homes are in Shelby County?
25 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Shelby County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crittenden County, AR | 47,266 | 17.3 | $55,358 |
| DeSoto County, MS | 191,301 | 1.8 | $85,297 |
| Fayette County | 43,267 | 2.8 | $88,456 |
| Marshall County, MS | 33,979 | – | $53,458 |
| Mississippi County, AR | 39,126 | 9.3 | $52,548 |
| Tipton County | 61,553 | 4.1 | $74,127 |
Cities in Shelby County with their own page: Memphis, Bartlett, Collierville.
More: Tennessee statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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