• county
  • FIPS 19165
  • Largest town: Harlan

Shelby County, Iowa

Shelby County had 11,821 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 590.8 square miles of land. It ranks 64th of 99 in Iowa by population and 22nd by land area.

Population
11,821
#64 of 99 in Iowa · #2,293 in US
Area
590.8 sq mi
#22 of 99 in Iowa · #1,656 in US
Density
20 / sq mi
#73 of 99 in Iowa · #2,247 in US
Median household income
$68,695
#49 of 99 in Iowa · #1,085 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Shelby County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Shelby County

Shelby County population, land area and income

Shelby County had 11,821 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 590.8 square miles of land. It ranks 64th of 99 in Iowa by population and 22nd by land area. That works out to 20.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents; Shelby County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $68,695 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

11,821

3144th1st

2293rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

591 sq mi

3144th1st

1656th of 3,144 (US)

Density

20.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

2247th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$68,695

3143rd1st

1085th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

11,821

99th1st

64th of 99 (IA)

Land area

591 sq mi

99th1st

22nd of 99 (IA)

Density

20.0 / sq mi

99th1st

73rd of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$68,695

99th1st

49th of 99 (IA)

How Shelby County's population changed since 2020

Shelby County gained 94 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.8%. That ranks 25th of 99 in Iowa for growth. The median Iowa county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Shelby County recorded 464 births and 689 deaths, a natural change of -225. Net international migration added +191 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +106. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 225 people.

11.7k202011.8k202111.7k202211.8k202311.8k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
464
Deaths
689
Net international migration
+191
Net domestic migration
+106
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-2

Where Shelby County is

The Census internal point of Shelby County is at 41.679000, -95.308900. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Iowa's 99 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Shelby County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Monroe County: -2.9%Worth County: -1.7%Buena Vista County: +0.0%Jasper County: +0.8%Van Buren County: -0.0%Hardin County: -2.2%Ida County: -3.1%Marshall County: +0.8%Fayette County: -1.5%Ringgold County: -0.8%Wapello County: +1.0%Webster County: -0.2%Adams County: -2.8%Buchanan County: +0.6%Cerro Gordo County: -1.2%Lucas County: +1.6%Emmet County: -1.9%Floyd County: -3.8%Crawford County: -0.7%Linn County: +0.6%Montgomery County: -2.6%Polk County: +4.7%Cherokee County: +0.0%Bremer County: +1.3%Grundy County: +0.5%Adair County: -0.8%Cedar County: -1.4%Story County: +3.9%Mahaska County: -0.6%Davis County: +0.9%Clay County: +0.8%Johnson County: +4.6%Greene County: -1.0%Palo Alto County: -2.0%Benton County: +1.0%Cass County: -0.7%Wright County: -1.5%Audubon County: -2.1%Henry County: -5.3%Boone County: +0.1%Appanoose County: -1.4%Washington County: +0.4%Chickasaw County: -2.2%Poweshiek County: -0.9%Osceola County: -2.6%Wayne County: +1.8%Mitchell County: +0.4%Jefferson County: +0.5%Union County: -1.4%Butler County: -1.2%Hancock County: -1.3%Marion County: +1.9%Delaware County: +0.9%Humboldt County: +0.2%Sioux County: +1.8%Des Moines County: -1.1%O'Brien County: +0.8%Clayton County: -0.6%Black Hawk County: +1.0%Winnebago County: -2.6%Harrison County: +0.4%Decatur County: -1.0%Pocahontas County: -0.9%Lyon County: +3.8%Iowa County: -1.4%Franklin County: +0.3%Dickinson County: +2.2%Madison County: +3.2%Allamakee County: +0.8%Jones County: +2.2%Carroll County: -1.6%Kossuth County: -2.6%Hamilton County: -1.0%Howard County: -1.4%Page County: -1.1%Guthrie County: +1.5%Tama County: -1.8%Monona County: -3.6%Clarke County: -2.1%Lee County: -3.4%Mills County: +2.1%Sac County: -2.7%Scott County: +0.6%Keokuk County: -1.6%Jackson County: -0.3%Warren County: +7.1%Calhoun County: -1.9%Shelby County: +0.8%Fremont County: -1.1%Dubuque County: -0.1%Louisa County: -1.8%Taylor County: -0.6%Woodbury County: +1.2%Clinton County: -0.9%Winneshiek County: -1.6%Pottawattamie County: -0.1%Plymouth County: +0.5%Muscatine County: -2.4%Dallas County: +14.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.0%
  4. < +0.9%
  5. ≥ +0.9%
no data

Orange pin: Shelby County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
41.679000, -95.308900
DMS
41°40'44.40"N 95°18'32.04"W
UTM
15N 307818.3E 4616712.6N
Geohash
9zkjp5qjv
Plus code
86H6MMHR+JC

Towns in Shelby County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Shelby County, 4,898 people together, or 41% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Shelby County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Harlan with 4,898.

  1. 01Harlan4,898
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Shelby County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Shelby County. The most populous is Pottawattamie County, IA, with 93,529 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 88.2 miles E of Shelby County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Omaha, NE (population 489,265), 48.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Carroll, IA (population 10,125), 35.4 miles away.

Shelby County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Shelby County is 19165: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 165. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $68,695.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Shelby County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 11,821. That is up 94 people (0.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 11,727.

What is the FIPS code of Shelby County?

19165. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (165) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Shelby County?

Harlan, with 4,898 residents inside Shelby County in 2024.

Which counties border Shelby County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Pottawattamie County, IA; Carroll County, IA; Crawford County, IA; Harrison County, IA; Cass County, IA; Audubon County, IA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.