
Kentucky · Census place 70050
Shelbyville, KY population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Shelbyville, Kentucky (Shelbyville, KY — Census place “Shelbyville city”) is 17,436 residents, ranking #26 of 554 places in Kentucky. Median household income is $73,733, the median home is worth $238,600 and median gross rent runs $979 a month. Looking for the Shelbyville Kentucky ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Shelbyville, KY: 40065.
- Population
- 17,436Shelbyville city residents
- Median household income
- $73,733Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $238,600Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $979Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 36.8 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 57.1%Owner-occupied households
Shelbyville ZIP codes (Kentucky)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Shelbyville.
The Shelbyville KY ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Shelbyville city
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Shelbyville city median would spend about 15.9% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.2× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 11.6% of residents and 57.1% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Shelbyville city, KY in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Shelbyville city is a mid-size town in Kentucky, with 17,436 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #26 of 554 ranked by population — larger than 95% of them. The median age here is 36.8 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.
Households in Shelbyville city earn a median of $73,733 a year, 6.1% below the national figure of $78,538 and 33% above the $55,469 median for the 246 Kentucky cities we cover. The median is the midpoint household, not an average, so a handful of very high earners cannot drag it upward the way they distort a mean. Poverty reaches 11.6% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Shelbyville city is valued at $238,600, 21.4% below the national figure and 52% above the $157,200 peer median, while median gross rent runs $979 a month, 30.4% below the national figure, or roughly $11,748 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 15.9% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.2×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 57.1% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.
Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in Kentucky.
- Fort Thomas city 17,242
- St. Matthews city 17,491
- Danville city 17,235
- Murray city 17,888
- Berea city 15,557
- Burlington CDP 18,090
- Shively city 15,556
- Mount Washington city 18,228
Keep going
More Kentucky coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Shelbyville city?
- Shelbyville city has 17,436 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #26 of 554 in Kentucky.
- What is the median household income in Shelbyville city?
- Median household income in Shelbyville city is $73,733 a year, 6.1% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Shelbyville city?
- Median gross rent is $979 a month and the median home value is $238,600, so rent absorbs about 15.9% of median household income.
- Is Shelbyville city affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 3.2× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Shelbyville city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 15.9% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Shelbyville city data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.