16.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Shelbyville, MO (101 out of 612 people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females < 5, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Shelbyville, MO is White, followed by Black and Native American.

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.