• county
  • FIPS 29205
  • Largest town: Shelbina

Shelby County, Missouri

Shelby County had 5,926 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 500.9 square miles of land. It ranks 105th of 115 in Missouri by population and 82nd by land area.

Population
5,926
#105 of 115 in Missouri · #2,739 in US
Area
500.9 sq mi
#82 of 115 in Missouri · #2,078 in US
Density
12 / sq mi
#101 of 115 in Missouri · #2,503 in US
Median household income
$56,121
#58 of 115 in Missouri · #2,222 in US

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

Shelby County within Missouri. Pin: Jefferson City.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Shelby County

Shelby County population, land area and income

Shelby County had 5,926 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 500.9 square miles of land. It ranks 105th of 115 in Missouri by population and 82nd by land area. That works out to 11.8 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Missouri has 19,100 residents, so Shelby County has 31% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $56,121 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

5,926

3144th1st

2739th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

501 sq mi

3144th1st

2078th of 3,144 (US)

Density

11.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

2503rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$56,121

3143rd1st

2222nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Missouri (115)

Population

5,926

115th1st

105th of 115 (MO)

Land area

501 sq mi

115th1st

82nd of 115 (MO)

Density

11.8 / sq mi

115th1st

101st of 115 (MO)

Median household income

$56,121

115th1st

58th of 115 (MO)

How Shelby County's population changed since 2020

Shelby County lost 169 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.8%. That ranks 105th of 115 in Missouri for growth. The median Missouri county changed by +1.4%, and the state as a whole by +1.5%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Shelby County recorded 272 births and 413 deaths, a natural change of -141. Net international migration added +15 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -52. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 141 people.

6,09520205,97420216,00420225,93020235,9262024
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
272
Deaths
413
Net international migration
+15
Net domestic migration
-52
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-4

Where Shelby County is

The Census internal point of Shelby County is at 39.797500, -92.088700. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Missouri's 115 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.

Pettis County: +1.8%Henry County: +2.7%Texas County: +5.7%Madison County: +1.8%St. Louis city: -6.9%Cole County: +1.3%Washington County: +0.6%Macon County: -0.1%Barton County: +0.8%Grundy County: +0.1%Cedar County: +5.7%Randolph County: -1.6%Ray County: +0.3%Caldwell County: +2.0%Benton County: +6.1%Douglas County: +5.9%Shannon County: +3.4%Dade County: +0.5%Wright County: +7.1%Gentry County: +2.6%Lawrence County: +3.0%Cooper County: +2.9%Hickory County: +5.6%Moniteau County: +0.5%Dent County: +2.3%Monroe County: +2.3%Maries County: +0.7%Bollinger County: +0.5%Clinton County: +2.4%Knox County: +0.0%Webster County: +7.8%Harrison County: +0.4%Pulaski County: -0.1%Adair County: +1.5%Warren County: +7.7%Daviess County: +1.3%Audrain County: -1.9%Howard County: -0.1%Linn County: +0.4%Saline County: -0.1%Miller County: +3.6%Dallas County: +4.3%Morgan County: +6.7%New Madrid County: -6.8%Newton County: +4.8%Oregon County: +1.0%Franklin County: +2.3%Greene County: +2.9%Ralls County: +1.4%Lafayette County: +1.4%Livingston County: +4.8%McDonald County: +3.3%Barry County: +3.1%Cape Girardeau County: +2.2%Carroll County: -0.6%Christian County: +7.6%Vernon County: +0.6%Carter County: +3.0%Andrew County: -0.1%Jasper County: +2.9%Worth County: -4.9%Lincoln County: +10.1%Marion County: -0.2%Holt County: +1.2%Howell County: +2.4%St. Francois County: +1.6%Chariton County: +0.1%Butler County: -0.6%Iron County: -1.0%Perry County: +0.7%Cass County: +5.3%St. Louis County: -1.0%Dunklin County: -4.3%Wayne County: -1.1%Ozark County: +6.7%Laclede County: +1.9%Reynolds County: -2.5%Lewis County: -1.9%Taney County: +1.2%Ripley County: +0.4%Ste. Genevieve County: +0.4%Scotland County: -0.1%Putnam County: -3.1%Schuyler County: +1.5%Shelby County: -2.8%Boone County: +4.4%Mercer County: -1.7%Platte County: +5.6%Camden County: +3.1%Bates County: +2.1%Johnson County: +3.4%Sullivan County: -3.8%Atchison County: -3.1%Scott County: -0.2%Montgomery County: +2.0%Jefferson County: +2.2%Clark County: -0.5%Callaway County: +1.8%St. Clair County: +5.4%Buchanan County: -1.1%Pemiscot County: -7.6%Polk County: +4.6%Phelps County: +2.5%Stone County: +4.6%Osage County: +1.7%Clay County: +3.6%Nodaway County: -2.4%Crawford County: -1.0%Jackson County: +1.4%St. Charles County: +4.3%Mississippi County: -3.1%Pike County: +3.1%Stoddard County: -0.7%Gasconade County: -0.7%DeKalb County: -14.8%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -0.7%
  2. < +0.5%
  3. < +2.0%
  4. < +3.6%
  5. ≥ +3.6%
no data

Orange pin: Shelby County internal point. Dark pin: Jefferson City.

Internal point

Decimal
39.797500, -92.088700
DMS
39°47'51.00"N 92°05'19.32"W
UTM
15N 578018.2E 4405679.2N
Geohash
9znd2kzj1
Plus code
86F9QWX6+2G

Towns in Shelby County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Shelby County, 1,563 people together, or 26% 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 Shelbina with 1,563.

  1. 01Shelbina1,563
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Shelby County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Shelby County. The most populous is Marion County, MO, with 28,425 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Jefferson City and the nearest big city

Jefferson City is 84.3 miles S of Shelby County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Columbia, MO (population 130,900), 60.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Moberly, MO (population 13,337), 32.1 miles away.

Shelby County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Shelby County is 29205: state code 29 for Missouri plus county code 205. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $56,121.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Shelby County, Missouri?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 5,926. That is down 169 people (2.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 6,095.

What is the FIPS code of Shelby County?

29205. The first two digits (29) are Missouri; the last three (205) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Shelby County?

Shelbina, with 1,563 residents inside Shelby County in 2024.

Which counties border Shelby County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Marion County, MO; Macon County, MO; Lewis County, MO; Monroe County, MO; Knox County, MO.

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.