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Shell Rock, IA

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,625
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

35.6
years ∙ half population younger than 35.6, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
12.7%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

3%
foreign-born population
97%Native
3% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Shell Rock is a city within Butler County, Iowa, United States.
Location
City in Butler County, IA, US
Co-ordinates
DEC42.712345° N, 92.581658° W
DMS42° 42′ 44.44″ N, 92° 34′ 53.97″ W

Population Density & area

1,016/sq mi (391.6/km²)
Total Area
1.7 sq mi (4.4 km²)
Land Area
1.6 sq mi (4.15 km²) · 94.3%
Water Area
0.1 sq mi (0.25 km²) · 5.7%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

47.8% male
Male 47.8%
Female 52.2%
males per 100 females
Shell Rock 91.4
Butler County 98.7
Iowa 100.6

Nativity

3%
foreign-born population
97%Native
3% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Shell Rock 3%
Butler County 2.3%
Iowa 5.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

35.6
years ∙ half population younger than 35.6, half older
Shell Rock
35.6
Butler County
43.7
Iowa
38.6

Dependency ratio

Low High
87
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Shell Rock 87
Butler County 83.7
Iowa 69.6

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Shell Rock Butler County Iowa
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 29.4% 22.4% 22.9%
Working age (18-64) 53.4% 54.4% 59%
Senior (65+) 17.2% 23.2% 18.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 87 83.7 69.6
Child dependency ratio 54.9 41.1 38.8
Old-age dependency ratio 32.1 42.6 30.7
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
93.3%
Black
0.6%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
5.4%
Other
0.7%
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

Low High
12.7%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Shell Rock 12.7%
Butler County 10.4%
Iowa 31.4%
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 Shell Rock population
Shell Rock Butler County Iowa
Hispanic or Latino 5.4% 1.7% 7.3%
Mexican 4.2% 1.5% 5%
Puerto Rican 0% 0% 0.3%
Cuban 0% 0% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1.2% 0.2% 1.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino 94.6% 98.3% 92.7%
One race 93.9% 96.7% 89.2%
White 93.3% 94.6% 82.3%
Black or African American 0.6% 0.2% 3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0% 0.2%
Asian 0% 1.3% 2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0% 0.7% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 0.7% 1.6% 3.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

69.9% family
Family 69.9%
Non family 30.1%
% family households
Shell Rock 69.9%
Butler County 69.8%
Iowa 61.6%

Average household size

2.63
persons per household
Shell Rock
2.63
Butler County
2.4
Iowa
2.36

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Shell Rock population
Shell Rock Butler County Iowa
Total households 601 5,863 1,315,707
Average houshold size 2.63 2.4 2.36
Family households 420 4,091 809,836
Average family size 3.16 2.86 2.98
Married couple family 356 3,533 635,347
Other families 64 558 174,489
Male householder 10 234 56,457
Female householder 54 324 118,032
Non-family households 181 1,772 505,871
One-person households 155 1,494 406,436
Male householder 68 709 193,582
Senior (65+) living alone 10 221 58,028
Female householder 87 785 212,854
Senior (65+) living alone 52 526 111,645
Other living arrangements 26 278 99,435

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

671
housing units
Shell Rock 671
Butler County 6,570
Iowa 1,437,699

Occupancy status

89.6% occupied
Occupied 89.6%
Vacant 10.4%
vacancy rate
Shell Rock 10.4%
Butler County 10.8%
Iowa 8.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

87.2%
Single family houses
Single family houses
87.2%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
12.8%
Mobile homes
0%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1959
Half of houses were built before 1959, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
32.8%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
27.9%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
26.7%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
12.7%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Shell Rock Butler County Iowa
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6 6.3 5.9
1–3 rooms 7.9% 5.6% 11.8%
4–6 rooms 54.6% 47.4% 47.4%
7+ rooms 37.4% 47.1% 40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0% 0.2% 1.7%
1 bedroom 9.4% 6.3% 9.2%
2 bedrooms 18.2% 26.3% 27%
3 bedrooms 49.2% 41.8% 37.3%
4+ bedrooms 23.2% 25.5% 24.7%
At a glance
Median year built 1959 1960 1972
Total housing units 671 6,570 1,437,699
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

84.9% owners
Renter-occupied 15.1%
Owner-occupied 84.9%
homeownership rate
Shell Rock 84.9%
Butler County 84.1%
Iowa 71.7%

Average household size

2.62
Owner-occupied
2.65
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Shell Rock 2.62
Butler County 2.42
Iowa 2.5

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Shell Rock Butler County Iowa
Total occupied units 601 5,863 1,315,707
Year moved in
2020 or later 18% 15.6% 24.3%
2010 to 2019 52.7% 36.2% 38.7%
2000 to 2009 16% 19.9% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 13.3% 28.3% 20.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 98.8% 98.6% 98.4%
1.01 to 1.50 1.2% 1.4% 1.1%
1.51 or more 0% 0% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 3.3% 3.6% 5.4%
1 vehicle 22.1% 21.4% 30.5%
2 vehicles 36.4% 35.1% 37.8%
3 or more vehicles 38.1% 39.9% 26.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas 70.2% 74.2% 72.8%
Electricity 29.8% 22% 24.4%
Solar 0% 0.1% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.1% 0.3%
All other fuels 0% 3.5% 1.8%
No fuel used 0% 0.2% 0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.2% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 0% 0.5% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0% 0.5% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$163,100
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Shell Rock
$163,100
Butler County
$165,400
Iowa
$208,000

Housing Cost Burden

20.9%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
20.9%
Owners without a mortgage
10.7%
Renters
34.9%
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 Rock Butler County Iowa
Property value
Median Value $163,100 $165,400 $208,000
Under $100,000 10.9% 23.7% 17.8%
$100,000 - $200,000 57.7% 38.9% 30%
$200,000 - $300,000 17.6% 21.8% 23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 13.3% 13.2% 21.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0% 2.2% 6.8%
$1,000,000 and more 0.4% 0.1% 1.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 72.5% 58.3% 59.4%
Without a mortgage 27.5% 41.7% 40.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,269 $1,319 $1,533
Without a mortgage $500 $546 $616
Gross rent
Median rent $931 $812 $972

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

20.3%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Shell Rock 20.3%
Butler County 21.4%
Iowa 31.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

7.9%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Shell Rock 7.9%
Butler County 6.1%
Iowa 6.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

406
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
2.2%
K–12
86.9%
College / Undergraduate
7.4%
Graduate / Professional
3.4%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

10.7%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Shell Rock
10.7%
Butler County
19.9%
Iowa
42.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Shell Rock Butler County Iowa
Total enrolled (age 3+) 406 3,038 784,322
Nursery / preschool 2.2% 8.2% 6.2%
K–12 86.9% 80.4% 68.4%
Kindergarten 10.3% 6% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 27.1% 24.3% 20.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 27.3% 23.4% 21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12 22.2% 26.7% 21.6%
College or graduate school 10.8% 11.4% 25.4%
College, undergraduate 7.4% 9.5% 20.8%
Graduate, professional school 3.4% 1.9% 4.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 10.7% 19.9% 42.3%
School type
Public school 88.7% 94.1% 84.4%
Private school 11.3% 5.9% 15.6%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

1,036
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
3.7%
9th-12th, no diploma
4.2%
HS graduate
38.4%
Some college no degree
18.5%
Associates degree
15%
Bachelors degree
15.2%
Graduate or professional degree
5.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
57.9% · 42.1%
9th-12th, no diploma
67.4% · 32.6%
HS graduate
55.8% · 44.2%
Some college no degree
45.8% · 54.2%
Associates degree
40.6% · 59.4%
Bachelors degree
49% · 51%
Graduate or professional degree
22.6% · 77.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Shell Rock Butler County Iowa
Population (25+) 1,036 10,120 2,154,149
Less than 9th grade 3.7% 2% 2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 4.2% 4.1% 4%
High school diploma or GED 38.4% 37.4% 30%
Some college, no degree 18.5% 20.2% 19.7%
Associate's degree 15% 14.9% 12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 20.3% 21.4% 31.4%
Bachelor's degree 15.2% 16.3% 20.9%
Graduate or professional 5.1% 5.1% 10.5%
High School or higher 92.2% 93.9% 93.3%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$54,800
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$32,813
HS graduate
$53,750
Some college or associates
$57,679
Bachelors degree
$57,750
Graduate or professional degree
$85,833

Poverty Rate

2.4%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
2.7%
HS graduate
10.3%
Some college or associates
3.5%
Bachelors degree or higher
2.4%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Shell Rock Butler County Iowa
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $54,800 $48,860 $51,106
Less than high school graduate $32,813 $40,136 $35,996
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $53,750 $45,236 $41,528
Some college or associate's degree $57,679 $49,462 $47,635
Bachelor's degree $57,750 $52,236 $62,744
Graduate or professional degree $85,833 $76,786 $80,022
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 2.7% 14.5% 21.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 10.3% 10.4% 12.4%
Some college or associate's degree 3.5% 6.4% 8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 2.4% 7.3% 3.8%

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