Rank: 90

Shelby
Rank:94
Percentage of births to Substantiated
Child Population by Race
unmarried females abuse and
School
0.6% 3.2%
neglect per 1,000
61.7%
36.0%

6.8%
suspension

Rank: 91
rate
Rank: 93
3.3
Rank:11

60.2%

White, Including Hispanic Black, Including Hispanic Rank: 89

Native American/Alaskan Asian/Pacific Islander

Child Population by Hispanic Ethnicity

Median
Household
11.7% Child Poverty
Income
27.1% $50,870
Rank: 86
Rank: 40
88.3%
Fair market rent
Hispanic, All Races Non-Hispanic $1,203
Rank: 81

Rank: 77
Rank: 93

Child and teen Children without

deaths per 100,000 health insurance

35.6 4.8%
3rd to 8th grade
reading proficiency
Rank:70 Rank:30
20.0%
Rank: 80
3rd to 8th grade High school
Low birth
weight 11.6% math proficiency graduation rate
81.4%
babies Rank:89
12.3% Rank: 95
Rank: 88
 Shelby County
Published 3/2022

Shelby County County Rate as a

Demographics
Tennessee County
percentage of
Rate Rank
Number Rate State Rate
Total population (state comparison is number not rate) 936,023 NA 6,886,786 13.6% 1
Population under 18 years of age 230,999 24.7% 21.9% 112.8% 4
Shelby County County Rate as a
Economic Well-Being
Tennessee County
percentage of
Rate Rank
Number Rate State Rate
Youth unemployment 4,012 24.1% 21.4% 112.6% 73
Per capita personal income (state is dollars not rate) $53,855 NA $51,046 105.5% 6
Median home sales price (state is dollars not rate) $233,000 NA $244,900 95.1% 15
Children receiving Families First grants (TANF) 5,034 2.2% 1.7% 129.2% 58
Children receiving SNAP 93,263 40.4% 26.0% 155.4% 87
Children under five receiving WIC 14,997 23.3% 26.4% 88.1% 16
Shelby County County Rate as a
Education
Tennessee County
percentage of
Rate Rank
Number Rate State Rate
School age special education services 15,905 10.7% 11.8% 90.1% 10
TEIS participation (per 1,000 in age group) 1,148 29.58 33.9 87.1% 25
Cohort high school dropouts 1,389 12.6% 6.5% 194.4% 94
Event high school dropouts 2,220 5.3% 2.0% 263.9% 94
Economically disadvantaged students 119,445 80.6% 62.1% 129.9% 78
School expulsions (per 1,000 students) 428 2.8 1.0 294.5% 95
Chronic absenteeism 25,245 16.7% 13.0% 128.5% 85
Young adult college enrollment/completion rate NA 52.8% 56.9% 92.8% 51
Shelby County County Rate as a
Health
Tennessee County
percentage of
Rate Rank
Number Rate State Rate
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (per 1,000 live births) 81 6.43 10.5 61.4% 31
Births to mothers who smoked during pregnancy 499 4.0% 10.9% 36.5% 2
Children on TennCare (Medicaid) 163,516 61.1% 50.9% 120.0% 72
Total TennCare (Medicaid) enrollees 266,478 28.4% 22.4% 127.2% 82
Births covered by TennCare (Medicaid) 8,481 67.4% 58.8% 114.5% 44
Children qualified for Medicaid/CHIP but uninsured 8,241 6.0% 6.5% 92.3% 47
Infant mortality (per 1,000 live births) 126 9.84 7.0 140.6% 81
Neonatal death (per 1,000 live births) 68 6.55 3.7 175.6% 77
Child deaths (per 100,000 children age 1 to 14) 45 24.64 18.7 131.7% 40
Teen violent deaths (per 100,000 children age 15 to 19) 67 113.03 61.7 183.2% 37
Adequate prenatal care 7,391 61.1% 72.9% 83.8% 94
Children under age six screened for lead poisoning 10,377 13.3% 16.8% 78.9% 62
Public school students measured as overweight/obese NA 38.8% 39.7% 97.7% 16
Teens with STDs (per 1,000 children age 15 to 17) 1,504 41.7 18.6 224.9% 73
Medical doctors by county (per 100,000 residents) 2,414 257.9 184.4 139.9% 6
Dentists by county (per 100,000 residents) 482 51.5 50.3 102.4% 9
Shelby County County Rate as a
Family & Community
Tennessee County
percentage of
Rate Rank
Number Rate State Rate
Reported child abuse cases 9,498 4.1% 4.5% 91.9% 13
Commitment to state custody (per 1,000 children) 607 2.4 2.9 82.5% 37
Remaining in state custody (per 1,000 children) 1,102 4.3 5.2 83.0% 30
Juvenile court referrals 3,326 1.4% 2.1% 67.3% 34
Recorded marriages (per 1,000 residents) 4,536 4.8 6.6 73.4% 83
Recorded divorces (per 1,000 residents) 1,497 1.6 3.2 50.0% 7
Shelby County

At 94th, Shelby County ranks near the bottom of Tennessee counties in child well-being. The
county’s best rankings include a low rate of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect
and a relatively low percentage of children without health insurance. The county’s biggest
opportunities for improvement include ranking in the bottom 5 of counties in high school
graduation rate, percent of students suspended from school and births to unmarried
females.

An additional strength is a comparatively high median household income.

Additional challenges include an above-average rate of babies born at a low birth weight, a
high percentage of children living in poverty and a low percentage of 3rd- to 8th-grade
students rated proficient on TNReady reading and math tests.

Policy/Practice/Program Options to Improve Outcomes. Many of these policies have multiple

models for delivery, including public-private partnership and non-profit leadership.

• Making high school students aware of the community college and technical school
benefits available to them through Tennessee Promise can encourage on-time high
school graduation.
• Suspension rates can be reduced through clear definitions of what constitutes
suspendable behavior and a focus on restorative discipline practices that aim to
improve behavior while keeping children in school.
• Babies born to single mothers are at significantly greater risk of living in poverty
than those born to two-parent households, especially when the single mom is a
teen. Comprehensive sex education classes that include both encouragement of
abstinence and information on birth control have been shown to reduce the
number of teen pregnancies.
• Low birth-weight is a persistent and difficult problem, but improvements can occur
when care is made available for chronic physical and mental health and substance
abuse conditions for women of childbearing age.
• With a high rate of child poverty, improving outreach to those who may qualify to
receive SNAP and WIC benefits to be sure they are aware of these services can help
ensure basic needs are met. Additionally, nutrition programs that provide food for
school-age children to take home can contribute to food security. Expanding
services through Family Resource Centers can also help reach these vulnerable
populations.
• Increased access to pre-K can help both math and reading proficiency in later
grades. Early assessment of reading skills coupled with appropriate interventions
where needed can improve reading proficiency, while increasing STEM
opportunities in elementary and middle schools can help improve 3rd to 8th-grade
math proficiency.