What it's like to live in Shelbyville
Shelbyville is a small city in Tennessee with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Shelbyville deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Fast-growing population
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Shelbyville compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Shelbyville
Based on Shelbyville's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,112
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $42,240 a year
- 46% of Shelbyville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$48,800
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $24,400
- Homes cost 4.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 25% below US
$1,056/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,056 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $244,000. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $244,000 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 21% below US
3.4% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.4%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 27% above US
417 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1389/100k · Shelbyville Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 88°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 31°F and snow a regular occurrence. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 64% below US
13% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Stones River National Battlefield (26 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Shelbyville's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,056/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and job seekers.
Other places near Shelbyville
All Tennessee guides →Moving to Tullahoma →
16 mi away · pop. 21,103
Rent $886/mo · Income $60,979
Compare with Shelbyville →Moving to Lewisburg →
19 mi away · pop. 12,861
Rent $872/mo · Income $48,341
Compare with Shelbyville →Moving to Manchester →
21 mi away · pop. 12,944
Rent $978/mo · Income $57,500
Compare with Shelbyville →Moving to Murfreesboro →
24 mi away · pop. 161,445
Rent $1,481/mo · Income $80,108
Compare with Shelbyville →Not sure Shelbyville is the one?
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