It's the only county with less than 10 percent of its population living in poverty - 6.9 percent, compared with the state poverty rate of 15.2 percent. Jefferson County's poverty rate is 14.4 percent, and St. Clair County's is 13.1 percent.

The data is available through the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, released each year.

The latest report, taken from 2003 statistics, held few surprises for Shelby County. The county has the lowest unemployment rate at 3.1 percent and the highest median household income in the state at $60,753.

Shelby County housing, not jobs, is behind the good news, said Karen Ream, president of the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

"We haven't become our own economy yet. We don't have the ability to offer attractive jobs when 55 percent of our people still leave the county each morning for work," she said. "We are getting there, but right now the housing market is driving everything. You have dual-income professional families who are looking for the biggest bang for their buck. People can get more house for their money in Shelby County."

The housing boom has catered to larger incomes, Ream said. That brings in the wealth.

Barrier for the poor:

Another aspect of the equation is that low-income housing is not being built, she said. Poor people generally cannot afford to move into the county.

The low percentage of people living in poverty does not erase the 11,283 people who do, said Chris Monceret, director of the Alabama Department of Human Resources in Shelby County.

That's an increase from 9,417 in 2000, but consistent with the county's population growth. Shelby County has maintained a poverty level of just below 7 percent since the 2000 Census.

"I have heard this statement and I think it is true: In Shelby County, the rich are very rich, but the poor are very poor," Monceret said. "We see it every day. My staff sees it every day. ... The majority of new families who move into Shelby County have the means to purchase a house and live a middle-class-and-above lifestyle. Some of the people who have lived here for generations cannot do that."