Shelby County, IA

County

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2024 Population

11,778

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

44.3

1.77% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

7.63%

10.6% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$72,738

7.46% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$164,000

4.99% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

5,711

1.96% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Shelby County, IA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.8% of the residents in Shelby County, IA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Shelby County, IA was $164,000, and the homeownership rate was 77.8%.

Most people in Shelby County, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Shelby County, IA was 2 cars per household.

Shelby County, IA borders Audubon County, IA, Carroll County, IA, Cass County, IA, Crawford County, IA, Harrison County, IA, and Pottawattamie County, IA.

United States Iowa

Population & Diversity

Shelby County, IA is home to a population of 11.8k people, from which 98.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.63% of Shelby County, IA residents were born outside of the country (192 people).

In 2024, there were 38.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.8k people) in Shelby County, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 279 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 164 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.8%

2024 Citizenship

99.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.8% of Shelby County, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Shelby County, IA was 99.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Shelby County, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Shelby County, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.8k ± 91
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
279 ± 97
Other (Hispanic)
164 ± 56

4.4%

Hispanic Population

518 people

4.4% of the people in Shelby County, IA are hispanic (518 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Shelby County, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
42,808 ± 5,046 people
India
12,283 ± 2,716 people
China
7,889 ± 2,178 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 42,808 Iowa residents, followed by India with 12,283 and China with 7,889.

Foreign-Born Population

1.63%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

192 people

1.24%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

146 people

As of 2024, 1.63% of Shelby County, IA residents (192 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Shelby County, IA was 1.24%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Shelby County, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
247 ± 76
Gulf War (2001-)
149 ± 72
Gulf War (1990s)
118 ± 45

Shelby County, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.66 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Shelby County, IA.

Economy

The economy of Shelby County, IA employs 5.71k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Shelby County, IA were Health Care & Social Assistance (788 people), Retail Trade (659 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (611 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($88,750), Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($67,500), and Finance & Insurance ($65,313).

Employment

Occupations

5.71k

2024 Value

± 401

−1.96%

1 Year decline

± 10.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Shelby County, IA declined at a rate of −1.96%, from 5.83k employees to 5.71k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Shelby County, IA, are Management Occupations (852 people), Sales & Related Occupations (645 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (522 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Shelby County, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

5.71k

2024 Value

± 401

−1.96%

1 Year decline

± 10.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Shelby County, IA declined at a rate of −1.96%, from 5.83k employees to 5.71k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Shelby County, IA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (788 people), Retail Trade (659 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (611 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Shelby County, IA, though some of these residents may live in Shelby County, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$56,863

Median earning men ± $3,484

$39,144

Median earning women ± $3,635

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($73,929), Information ($71,477), and Wholesale Trade ($71,364).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,167), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,313), and Public Administration ($48,571).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Y-Axis

1.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Iowa.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

30
Other Services (except Public Administration)
28
Finance and Insurance
27
Transportation and Warehousing

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$67.6k
Transportation and Warehousing
$47.3k
Manufacturing
$34.9k
Health Care and Social Assistance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing the state of Iowa. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Shelby County, IA. Showing the available data for Iowa.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (55.7%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (42.5%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.789%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Iowa for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Iowa

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Chuck Grassley

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 1981

Joni Ernst

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing Iowa.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Iowa over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Shelby County, IA was $164,000 in 2024, which is 0.493 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $156,200 to $164,000, a 4.99% increase. The homeownership rate in Shelby County, IA is 77.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Shelby County, IA have an average commute time of 18.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Shelby County, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 8.74% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Shelby County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.86%.

Housing

Property

$164,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,530

$3,798

Median Property Taxes

±$317

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Shelby County, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Shelby County, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

77.8%

Homeownership

2024

64.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.8% of the housing units in Shelby County, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 75.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Shelby County, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$72,738

Median Household Income

± $9,091

4.88k

Number of Households

± 377

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.88k households in Shelby County, IA grew to $72,738 from the previous year's value of $67,690.

The following chart displays the households in Shelby County, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Shelby County, IA is from Iowa.

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.442

2022 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2023, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.441 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (75.6%)
Worked At Home (12.8%)
Walked (5.67%)

In 2024, 75.6% of workers in Shelby County, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.8%) and those who walked to work (5.67%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

18.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Shelby County, IA have a shorter commute time (18.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.9% of the workforce in Shelby County, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Shelby County, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Shelby County, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Shelby County, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 8.74% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Shelby County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.86%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

7.63% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Shelby County, IA (882 out of 11.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Shelby County, IA is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 10.1% of the children was living in poverty in Shelby County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.1%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2018, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 14.3 in Shelby County, IA. From 2014 to 2018, the indicator grew 0.0992 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

97.7% of the population of Shelby County, IA has health coverage, with 46% on employee plans, 14.3% on Medicaid, 17.5% on Medicare, 18.3% on non-group plans, and 1.61% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Shelby County, IA see 1,962 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,962 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1664 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 656 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,962 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Shelby County, IA

Primary care physicians in Shelby County, IA see an average of 1,962 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,962 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Shelby County, IA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.1% under 18 years, 15.6% between 18 and 34 years, 37.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

2.33%

Uninsured

46%

Employer Coverage

14.3%

Medicaid

17.5%

Medicare

18.3%

Non-Group

1.61%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Shelby County, IA declined by 27.8% from 3.23% to 2.33%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Shelby County, IA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.