IntelliMoveTake the quiz →
Small city

Living in Shelby, NC

Shelby is a small city of 22,100 people in Cleveland County, North Carolina. It's about 32 miles from Spartanburg, SC and 41 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 91°F and winter highs 53°F, with about 4 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $197k and rent runs about $945 a month.

22,100people
$197kTypical home
$945/moRent
91° / 53°Summer / winter
4"Snow
244Sunny days
115Rain/snow days

Is Shelby right for you?

Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.

Take the quiz →Open in the app

Size & setting

  • Small city of 22,100
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 989 people per sq mi
  • 41 mi to Charlotte, NC
  • 32 mi to Spartanburg, SC
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $197k (≈$1,244/mo)
  • Median rent $945/mo
  • Median household income $48k
  • Property tax about 0.8% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 91°F
  • Winter highs around 53°F
  • Muggy summers (dew point 66°F)
  • 244 sunny days a year (101 totally clear)
  • 121 cloudy days a year
  • 36 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 115 days a year with rain or snow
  • 4" of snow a year
  • 1 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 2 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • High violent crime (836 per 100k)
  • Above-average property crime (2,340 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 39
  • 28% of households have kids
  • 21% are 65 or older
  • 27% have a college degree
  • Very diverse community
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 22 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 34 mi to CLT airport
  • 34 mi to CLT (major hub)
  • 32 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 72% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1970
  • 85% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 853 ft
  • 185 mi to the ocean
  • 81 mi to a big lake
  • 12 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 56 mi to the nearest ski area
  • Campground in town
  • 17 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 286 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 3 bars within 25 mi
  • 37 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 19 museums within 25 mi
  • 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 47% of North Carolina districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 4 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 18 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 20 mi to the nearest vet
  • 10 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 16 congregations per 10k people
  • 8 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Cleveland County: R+35 in 2024
  • North Carolina: R+3 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Low hurricane risk
  • Moderate tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Moderate drought risk
  • Low winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Shelby

More places in North Carolina →