| | Shelby, NC | New Bern, NC | United States |
| Population | 21,564 | 31,058 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 55.8% | 52.6% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 44.2% | 47.4% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 45.8 | 40.5 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 20,314 | 29,505 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 19,477 | 23,128 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 14,669 | 17,363 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 3.4% | 29.5% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 37.3% | 72.4% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 966.5 | 1,098.2 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 22.3 | 28.3 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 1.5 | 264,836.8 |
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| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Shelby, NC | New Bern, NC | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 4.1% | 5.9% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 5.1% | 7.0% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 6.7% | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 5.5% | 3.4% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 2.8% | 2.7% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 4.3% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 9.9% | 15.4% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 10.4% | 11.0% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 15.3% | 11.0% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 7.4% | 5.2% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 6.3% | 5.4% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 13.2% | 14.0% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 5.9% | 6.7% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 3.0% | 2.6% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Shelby, NC | New Bern, NC | United States |
| White | 57.8% | 51.8% | 59.4% |
| Black | 31.7% | 33.1% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.9% | 5.2% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 1.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 5.2% | 1.2% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 4.2% | 7.7% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Shelby, NC | New Bern, NC | United States |
| Married Population | 42.9% | 48.6% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 37.7% | 46.1% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 5.2% | 2.5% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 57.1% | 51.4% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 33.0% | 29.5% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 15.3% | 14.0% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 8.9% | 7.9% | 5.6% |
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| Household Size | 2.26 | 2.19 | 2.60 |
| Households | 9,487 | 14,005 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 5,136 | 7,962 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 15.7% | 24.5% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 42.9% | 44.7% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 4,351 | 6,043 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 28.3% | 19.0% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 13.1% | 11.9% | 10.8% |