About one in 15 people in Shelby County, Alabama, lives below the poverty line
In Shelby County, 6.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Shelby County's score
In Shelby County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 63.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Shelby County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Shelby County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (284.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.7% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people284.5 · 202589th percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.6% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 37.6 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.1% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.0% · fiscal year 20277th percentile
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- 13.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.8% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.4% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$102,861 · 20244th percentile
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- 9.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20263rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.0% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Shelby County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Shelby County, 16.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Shelby County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Shelby County had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2004 to 11.5% in 2009.
In Shelby County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 14.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Shelby County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Shelby County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.9% in 2011 to 5.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Shelby County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 3.3% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Shelby County, Alabama.
How Shelby County has changed
Shelby County's population had its largest rise, from 165,757 in 2004 to 192,708 in 2009.
Shelby County's population grew to about seven times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 235,969, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 75,959. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Shelby County, Alabama.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Shelby County tripled to 84,778, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 60,629. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Shelby County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 2.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.7% | 2024 6.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $36,980 | 2024 $102,861 |
The table uses 2.2% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Shelby County's history
1818
Established on February 7, 1818. Wikipedia
1964
A tornado in January 1964 killed 10 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1973
A tornado in May 1973 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in January 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 223,024, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in October 2021 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Shelby County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Shelby County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Shelby County score higher than it does. Of the group, Shelby County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Coosa County gets the largest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bibb County, AL | 93 | 21.6% | 31.8% |
| Talladega County, AL | 89 | 19.0% | 33.2% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 82 | 14.2% | 17.6% |
| Coosa County, AL | 77 | 19.1% | 36.0% |
| Chilton County, AL | 72 | 15.4% | 27.5% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 48 | 9.7% | 25.8% |
| Shelby County, AL | 21 | 6.8% | 14.2% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Shelby County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Shelby County's poverty rate was 6.8% in 2024, the lowest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Shelby County ranks 67th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Shelby County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
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Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Lawyer referral
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Shelby County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Shelby County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.