2.72% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Shellsburg, IA (23 out of 846 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 55 - 64, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Shellsburg, IA 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.