Shelby County, Iowa

County in IA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

11,778

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

44.3

years ∙ half population younger than 44.3, half older

Diversity Index

16.4%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.6%

foreign-born population

98.4%Native

1.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Shelby County is a county in Iowa, United States.

Location

County in IA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC41.679014° N, 95.308917° W

DMS41° 40′ 44.45″ N, 95° 18′ 32.10″ W

Population Density & area

19.94/sq mi (7.7/km²)

Total Area

591.4 sq mi (1,531.6 km²)

Land Area

590.8 sq mi (1,530.1 km²) · 99.9%

Water Area

0.6 sq mi (1.5 km²) · 0.1%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.5% male

Male 49.5%

Female 50.5%

males per 100 females

Shelby County 98

Iowa 100.6

United States 98

Nativity

1.6%

foreign-born population

98.4%Native

1.6% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Shelby County 1.6%

Iowa 5.9%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

44.3

years ∙ half population younger than 44.3, half older

Shelby County

44.3

Iowa

38.6

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

85.3

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Shelby County 85.3

Iowa 69.6

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Shelby County	Iowa	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	22.9%	22.9%	22%
Working age (18-64)	54%	59%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	23.1%	18.1%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	85.3	69.6	64.4
Child dependency ratio	42.5	38.8	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	42.9	30.7	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

91.3%

Black

0.3%

Asian

0.5%

Hispanic

4.4%

Other

3.5%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

16.4%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Shelby County 16.4%

Iowa 31.4%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Shelby County population

	Shelby County	Iowa	United States
Hispanic or Latino	4.4%	7.3%	19.3%
Mexican	3.4%	5%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.6%	0.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0.2%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.2%	1.8%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	95.6%	92.7%	80.7%
One race	92.6%	89.2%	76.4%
White	91.3%	82.3%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.3%	3.8%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.2%	0.5%
Asian	0.5%	2.5%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.4%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3%	3.5%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

67.1% family

Family 67.1%

Non family 32.9%

% family households

Shelby County 67.1%

Iowa 61.6%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.37

persons per household

Shelby County

2.37

Iowa

2.36

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Shelby County population

	Shelby County	Iowa	United States
Total households	4,882	1,315,707	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.37	2.36	2.53
Family households	3,277	809,836	82,990,528
Average family size	2.93	2.98	3.14
Married couple family	2,871	635,347	60,637,388
Other families	406	174,489	22,353,140
Male householder	107	56,457	6,572,819
Female householder	299	118,032	15,780,321
Non-family households	1,605	505,871	46,236,968
One-person households	1,506	406,436	37,140,836
Male householder	679	193,582	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	353	58,028	5,225,110
Female householder	827	212,854	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	456	111,645	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	99	99,435	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

5,441

housing units

Shelby County 5,441

Iowa 1,437,699

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

89.7% occupied

Occupied 89.7%

Vacant 10.3%

vacancy rate

Shelby County 10.3%

Iowa 8.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

88%

Single family houses

88%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

7.9%

Mobile homes

4.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1948

Half of houses were built before 1948, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

46.9%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

20.2%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

23.2%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

9.7%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Shelby County	Iowa	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.4	5.9	5.5
1–3 rooms	7.4%	11.8%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	43.8%	47.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	48.8%	40.7%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0.5%	1.7%	2.9%
1 bedroom	7.7%	9.2%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	20.7%	27%	25%
3 bedrooms	38%	37.3%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	33.1%	24.7%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1948	1972	1981
Total housing units	5,441	1,437,699	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

77.8% owners

Renter-occupied 22.2%

Owner-occupied 77.8%

homeownership rate

Shelby County 77.8%

Iowa 71.7%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.49

Owner-occupied

1.93

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Shelby County 2.49

Iowa 2.5

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Shelby County	Iowa	United States
Total occupied units	4,882	1,315,707	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	16.7%	24.3%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	34.8%	38.7%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	20.9%	16.4%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	27.7%	20.7%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.8%	98.4%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.1%	1.1%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0%	0.5%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	3.2%	5.4%	8.4%
1 vehicle	27.2%	30.5%	33.1%
2 vehicles	35.1%	37.8%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	34.5%	26.3%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	64.9%	72.8%	51.4%
Electricity	32.7%	24.4%	41.3%
Solar	0.3%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.9%	0.3%	3.9%
All other fuels	0.9%	1.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.2%	0.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.2%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1.7%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$164,000

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Shelby County

$164,000

Iowa

$208,000

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

25.3%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

25.3%

Owners without a mortgage

10.1%

Renters

51.1%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Shelby County	Iowa	United States
Property value
Median Value	$164,000	$208,000	$332,700
Under $100,000	25.9%	17.8%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	34.4%	30%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	21.5%	23.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	14.5%	21.3%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	3.5%	6.8%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0.2%	1.1%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	54.7%	59.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	45.3%	40.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,326	$1,533	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$579	$616	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$783	$972	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

24.1%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Shelby County 24.1%

Iowa 31.4%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

4.6%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Shelby County 4.6%

Iowa 6.7%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

2,421

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

85%

College / Undergraduate

6.4%

Graduate / Professional

0.6%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

11.6%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Shelby County

11.6%

Iowa

42.3%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Shelby County	Iowa	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	2,421	784,322	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	8%	6.2%	5.7%
K–12	85%	68.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5.1%	5.2%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	20%	20.3%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	27.7%	21.3%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	32.2%	21.6%	21.7%
College or graduate school	7%	25.4%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	6.4%	20.8%	21%
Graduate, professional school	0.6%	4.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	11.6%	42.3%	40.9%
School type
Public school	91.3%	84.4%	82%
Private school	8.7%	15.6%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

8,186

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

2.9%

HS graduate

35.9%

Some college no degree

21.6%

Associates degree

13.7%

Bachelors degree

15.8%

Graduate or professional degree

8.3%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

49.7% · 50.3%

9th-12th, no diploma

26.5% · 73.5%

HS graduate

56.2% · 43.8%

Some college no degree

43.7% · 56.3%

Associates degree

53.7% · 46.3%

Bachelors degree

38.9% · 61.1%

Graduate or professional degree

40% · 60%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Shelby County	Iowa	United States
Population (25+)	8,186	2,154,149	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	1.7%	2.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	2.9%	4%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	35.9%	30%	26%
Some college, no degree	21.6%	19.7%	19.1%
Associate's degree	13.7%	12.1%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.1%	31.4%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	15.8%	20.9%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	8.3%	10.5%	14.1%
High School or higher	95.3%	93.3%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$50,125

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$51,250

HS graduate

$46,359

Some college or associates

$44,255

Bachelors degree

$54,821

Graduate or professional degree

$68,125

Poverty Rate

2.4%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

49.9%

HS graduate

9.3%

Some college or associates

9.6%

Bachelors degree or higher

2.4%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Shelby County	Iowa	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$50,125	$51,106	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$51,250	$35,996	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$46,359	$41,528	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$44,255	$47,635	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$54,821	$62,744	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$68,125	$80,022	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	49.9%	21.5%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	9.3%	12.4%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	9.6%	8.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	2.4%	3.8%	4.5%

Insights for Shelby County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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