Real estate · County · Alabama
Real estate businesses in Shelby County, AL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate businesses in Shelby County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,542 of 2,229 scored counties
#40 of 51 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 392
- 20 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 229
- +22.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $16,986 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 87
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 45.1
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 238,552
- +6.5% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Shelby County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Shelby County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Households in Shelby County spend about $1.5B a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $16,986 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 13% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
Shelby County has 392 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 20 are chain locations, or 5%, against 6% across the U.S. That comes to 45.1 for every 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 38.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Shelby County was 229 in 2023, up 22.5% from 2019. That is one for every 379 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Another 1,505 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $300K have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Shelby County.
Population estimates put the population change in Shelby County from 2020 to 2025 at +6.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For real estate businesses, Shelby County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,542 of 2,229 scored counties and #40 of 51 scored counties in Alabama.
How Shelby County compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Shelby County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 45.1 | 33.4 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 87 | 99 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 379 | 668 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.5% | +24.2% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.5% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $16,986 | $14,375 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $97,961 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 187 → 229+22.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 911
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $59.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,505Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 39220 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 341The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $300K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Shelby County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 238,552+6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 86,866
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 785 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 293
- Median household income
- $97,961+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,135
- Median home value
- $326,100
- Jobs located here
- 95,355
- Daytime population
- 222,801Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Shelby County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Shelby County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lawrence County, AL | 79 | 6 | 4.4 | 738 | +2.3% | #32 of 2,229 |
| 2Henry County, AL | 76 | 7 | 9.9 | 321 | +7.1% | #85 of 2,229 |
| 3Blount County, AL | 74 | 27 | 12.2 | 267 | +1.8% | #127 of 2,229 |
| 4Cleburne County, AL | 71 | 6 | 10.0 | 306 | +6.0% | #183 of 2,229 |
| 5St. Clair County, AL | 71 | 69 | 19.7 | 174 | +7.1% | #196 of 2,229 |
| 6Jackson County, AL | 69 | 27 | 12.4 | 248 | +3.3% | #231 of 2,229 |
| 7Dale County, AL | 68 | 18 | 9.1 | 338 | +1.3% | #263 of 2,229 |
| 8Talladega County, AL | 68 | 33 | 9.8 | 315 | +0.3% | #264 of 2,229 |
| 9Chilton County, AL | 68 | 27 | 15.1 | 213 | +5.9% | #277 of 2,229 |
| 10Limestone County, AL | 66 | 87 | 21.2 | 172 | +18.0% | #352 of 2,229 |
| 40Shelby County, AL | 42 | 392 | 45.1 | 87 | +6.5% | #1,542 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Shelby County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Shelby County, AL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 392 real estate businesses in Shelby County. 20 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 229 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 22.5% from 2019. Official counts list 1,505 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Shelby County, AL spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $1.5B a year, or $16,986 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 392 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 13% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,866 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, AL compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Shelby County has 45.1 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 87, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Shelby County would have about 341, against 392 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 379 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Shelby County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 238,552 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,866 households. Median household income in Shelby County is $97,961, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.9%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Shelby County scores 42 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,542 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Shelby County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.