Shady Side is located at 38°50′6″N76°31′2″W / 38.83500°N 76.51722°W / 38.83500; -76.51722 (38.834965, −76.517326)[7] in southern Anne Arundel County, on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. It is bordered to the north and west by the West River, a wide tidal inlet of the bay. To the south is the CDP of Deale, and to the west, across the West River, is Galesville. The community is served by Maryland Route 468 (Shady Side Road), which runs south, then west, then north, toward the Annapolis area. The center of Annapolis is 20 miles (32 km) north by road and 14 miles (23 km) north by water.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 8.0 square miles (20.7 km2), of which 6.8 square miles (17.5 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.2 km2), or 15.57%, is water.[2]
As of the census[9] of 2020, there were 5,806 people, 2,017 households, and 1,537 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 873.1 inhabitants per square mile (337.1/km2). There were 2,306 housing units at an average density of 314.3 per square mile (121.4/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.2% White, 11.3% African American, 0.47% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.
There were 2,064 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 15.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $68,406, and the median income for a family was $70,893. Males had a median income of $43,800 versus $36,431 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $29,458. About 3.9% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
