Shell River Township, MN

Township in Wadena County, MN, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

170

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

Median Age

55.5

years ∙ half population younger than 55.5, half older

Diversity Index

11.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

100%Native

0% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Shell River Township is a township in Wadena County, Minnesota, United States.

Location

Township in Wadena County, MN, US

Co-ordinates

DEC46.768670° N, 94.975530° W

DMS46° 46′ 07.21″ N, 94° 58′ 31.91″ W

Population Density & area

4.87/sq mi (1.88/km²)

Total Area

36.1 sq mi (93.5 km²)

Land Area

34.9 sq mi (90.4 km²) · 96.7%

Water Area

1.2 sq mi (3.1 km²) · 3.3%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

52.4% male

Male 52.4%

Female 47.6%

males per 100 females

Shell River Township 109.9

Wadena County 99.9

Minnesota 100.4

Nativity

foreign-born population

100%Native

0% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Shell River Township 0%

Wadena County 1.1%

Minnesota 8.7%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

55.5

years ∙ half population younger than 55.5, half older

Shell River Township

55.5

Wadena County

Minnesota

38.8

Dependency ratio

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Shell River Township 65

Wadena County 86.3

Minnesota 67.1

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Shell River Township	Wadena County	Minnesota
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	11.8%	26.1%	22.9%
Working age (18-64)	60.6%	53.7%	59.8%
Senior (65+)	27.6%	20.2%	17.3%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	65	86.3	67.1
Child dependency ratio	19.4	48.6	38.2
Old-age dependency ratio	45.6	37.6	28.9

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

94.1%

Black

Asian

Hispanic

Other

5.9%

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

11.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Shell River Township 11.3%

Wadena County 25%

Minnesota 41%

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 Shell River Township population

	Shell River Township	Wadena County	Minnesota
Hispanic or Latino	0%	2.4%	6.4%
Mexican	0%	1.9%	3.9%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.2%	0.3%
Cuban	0%	0%	0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0%	0.4%	2%
Not Hispanic or Latino	100%	97.6%	93.6%
One race	96.5%	88.5%	89.1%
White	94.1%	86.1%	75.9%
Black or African American	0%	1.7%	6.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.2%	0.7%
Asian	0%	0.3%	5.1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Some Other Race	2.4%	0.1%	0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3.5%	9.1%	4.5%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

63.1% family

Family 63.1%

Non family 36.9%

% family households

Shell River Township 63.1%

Wadena County 61.7%

Minnesota 62.3%

Average household size

2.02

persons per household

Shell River Township

2.02

Wadena County

2.28

Minnesota

2.43

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Shell River Township population

	Shell River Township	Wadena County	Minnesota
Total households	84	6,081	2,307,955
Average houshold size	2.02	2.28	2.43
Family households	53	3,752	1,438,404
Average family size	2.47	2.91	3.04
Married couple family	46	2,715	1,129,003
Other families	7	1,037	309,401
Male householder	5	489	102,922
Female householder	2	548	206,479
Non-family households	31	2,329	869,551
One-person households	26	1,970	686,475
Male householder	12	892	320,418
Senior (65+) living alone	10	290	97,557
Female householder	14	1,078	366,057
Senior (65+) living alone	2	593	186,557
Other living arrangements	5	359	183,076

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

165

housing units

Shell River Township 165

Wadena County 7,021

Minnesota 2,545,030

Occupancy status

50.9% occupied

Occupied 50.9%

Vacant 49.1%

vacancy rate

Shell River Township 49.1%

Wadena County 13.4%

Minnesota 9.3%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

93.3%

Single family houses

93.3%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

Mobile homes

6.7%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1994

Half of houses were built before 1994, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

18.2%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

4.8%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

55.8%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

21.2%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Shell River Township	Wadena County	Minnesota
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.3	5.9	6.1
1–3 rooms	6.6%	11.7%	14.9%
4–6 rooms	55.8%	47.4%	41.4%
7+ rooms	37.6%	41.1%	43.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0%	4.4%	2.7%
1 bedroom	7.3%	7.1%	11.4%
2 bedrooms	30.9%	24.1%	24.5%
3 bedrooms	48.5%	37.9%	32.2%
4+ bedrooms	13.4%	26.5%	29.1%
At a glance
Median year built	1994	1974	1979
Total housing units	165	7,021	2,545,030

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

95.2% owners

Renter-occupied 4.8%

Owner-occupied 95.2%

homeownership rate

Shell River Township 95.2%

Wadena County 73.6%

Minnesota 72.2%

Average household size

2.04

Owner-occupied

1.75

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Shell River Township 2.04

Wadena County 2.47

Minnesota 2.59

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Shell River Township	Wadena County	Minnesota
Total occupied units	84	6,081	2,307,955
Year moved in
2020 or later	9.5%	21.6%	23.8%
2010 to 2019	44%	43.2%	38.9%
2000 to 2009	25%	15.1%	16.1%
1999 or earlier	21.4%	20.1%	21.2%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	100%	97.2%	97.7%
1.01 to 1.50	0%	1.7%	1.5%
1.51 or more	0%	1.1%	0.8%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	1.2%	7.6%	6.7%
1 vehicle	13.1%	27%	30.8%
2 vehicles	31%	30.6%	39.5%
3 or more vehicles	54.8%	34.8%	23.1%
House heating fuel used
Gas	46.4%	55.6%	75.9%
Electricity	26.2%	26.7%	19.4%
Solar	0%	0%	0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	2.4%	5.8%	1.3%
All other fuels	25%	11%	2.5%
No fuel used	0%	0.9%	0.9%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.2%	0.7%
No telephone service available	0%	1.2%	0.7%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$254,200

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Shell River Township

$254,200

Wadena County

$173,000

Minnesota

$329,300

Housing Cost Burden

41.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

41.7%

Owners without a mortgage

25.6%

Renters

25%

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

	Shell River Township	Wadena County	Minnesota
Property value
Median Value	$254,200	$173,000	$329,300
Under $100,000	13.8%	20.2%	7.7%
$100,000 - $200,000	22.5%	37.1%	13.3%
$200,000 - $300,000	27.5%	21.5%	22.6%
$300,000 - $500,000	28.8%	17.3%	36.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	7.5%	3.6%	17%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	0.4%	2.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	46.3%	59.2%	64%
Without a mortgage	53.8%	40.8%	36%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,604	$1,223	$1,947
Without a mortgage	$467	$520	$698
Gross rent
Median rent	$—	$746	$1,280

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

14.2%

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

Shell River Township 14.2%

Wadena County 19.8%

Minnesota 39.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

9.2%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Shell River Township 9.2%

Wadena County 7.4%

Minnesota 6.1%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

86.4%

College / Undergraduate

13.6%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

33.3%

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

Shell River Township

33.3%

Wadena County

16.9%

Minnesota

39.1%

Enrollment & school type

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

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Shell River Township	Wadena County	Minnesota
Total enrolled (age 3+)	22	3,321	1,385,086
Nursery / preschool	0%	9.6%	6.2%
K–12	86.4%	76.8%	69.9%
Kindergarten	0%	3.7%	5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	9.1%	25.5%	20.6%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	50%	22.6%	21.7%
High School: Grades 9–12	27.3%	25%	22.4%
College or graduate school	13.6%	13.6%	23.9%
College, undergraduate	13.6%	11.1%	18.8%
Graduate, professional school	0%	2.5%	5.1%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	33.3%	16.9%	39.1%
School type
Public school	95.5%	89.3%	83.3%
Private school	4.5%	10.7%	16.7%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

141

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

2.1%

9th-12th, no diploma

7.1%

HS graduate

29.8%

Some college no degree

28.4%

Associates degree

18.4%

Bachelors degree

12.1%

Graduate or professional degree

2.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

33.3% · 66.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

80% · 20%

HS graduate

69% · 31%

Some college no degree

55% · 45%

Associates degree

34.6% · 65.4%

Bachelors degree

41.2% · 58.8%

Graduate or professional degree

0% · 100%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Shell River Township	Wadena County	Minnesota
Population (25+)	141	9,518	3,923,744
Less than 9th grade	2.1%	2.7%	2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	7.1%	4.7%	3.4%
High school diploma or GED	29.8%	35.2%	23.3%
Some college, no degree	28.4%	21.5%	19.5%
Associate's degree	18.4%	16.1%	11.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.2%	19.8%	39.4%
Bachelor's degree	12.1%	15%	25.6%
Graduate or professional	2.1%	4.9%	13.8%
High School or higher	90.8%	92.6%	93.9%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$41,563

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$61,250

HS graduate

$29,167

Some college or associates

$41,250

Bachelors degree

$—

Graduate or professional degree

$—

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

HS graduate

16.7%

Some college or associates

7.6%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Shell River Township	Wadena County	Minnesota
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$41,563	$43,021	$58,615
Less than high school graduate	$61,250	$27,750	$36,257
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$29,167	$41,230	$42,951
Some college or associate's degree	$41,250	$40,372	$51,845
Bachelor's degree	$—	$59,155	$73,301
Graduate or professional degree	$—	$66,528	$89,644
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	0%	27.8%	23.7%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	16.7%	12.7%	12.3%
Some college or associate's degree	7.6%	12.1%	7.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	0%	2.5%	3.2%

Insights for Shell River Township, 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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