Shelby County, Illinois Housing Market Prices
Shelby County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
-
Median home price 64% below the Illinois median Cheaper than 75% of counties in Illinois$54,174
-
Median rent 36% below the Illinois median$814
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $54,174 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 32.9% | 2.5% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $814 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 5.4% | 4.1% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Shelby County is about 64% lower than in Illinois. Rent is about 36% lower than the Illinois average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Both home prices and rent are rising in Shelby County, up about 32.9% and 5.4% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in Shelby County rose about 46.9% between 2015 and 2024, from $554 to $814. Over the same span, rent in Illinois rose about 40.4%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 0.7 yearly household incomes in Shelby County.
Buying the median-priced home in Shelby County costs roughly 5.5 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Shelby County. The price-to-rent ratio in Illinois is about 9.8.
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $54,174 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $72,365 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 0.7 | 1.8 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Shelby County rose about 127.9%, while median household income rose about 50.3% between 2009 and 2025 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 69.5% | 61.9% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 19.1% | 30.4% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 11.4% | 7.7% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 18.0 | 16.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2008 | 2010 | 2011 |
Shelby County has a homeownership rate of 69.5%, higher than the Illinois average of 61.9%. Its housing vacancy rate is 11.4%, compared with 7.7% in Illinois.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.30 people | 2.46 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1966 | 1969 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 6.0 | 5.6 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Shelby County was built around 1966. On average, 2.3 people live in a home with about 6.0 rooms, staying for about 18.0 years on average.
Shelby County, IL Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Shelby County, IL is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 20,718 residents against a local median of 34,520. Shelby County, IL's median home price, at $54,174, runs 18% below the $65,982 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $165,557 on median home price, so Shelby County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Shelby County, IL has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, IL | 20,718 | $54,174 #3/4 | $814 #2/4 | 78.4% #1/4 |
| Effingham County, IL | 34,520 | $219,711 | $732 | 78.2% |
| Macon County, IL | 101,849 | $65,982 | $846 | 70.2% |
| Christian County, IL | 33,536 | $54,154 | $785 | 75.2% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Shelby County, Illinois.
What is the median home price in Shelby County, Illinois?
The median home price in Shelby County, Illinois is $54,174, lower than the Illinois average of $149,936.
What is the average home price in Shelby County, Illinois?
The typical home price in Shelby County, Illinois, reported as the median sale price, is $54,174. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Shelby County, Illinois?
The median gross rent in Shelby County, Illinois is $814 per month, lower than the Illinois average of $1,274.
What was the median gross rent in Shelby County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Shelby County, Illinois was $707 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Shelby County, Illinois?
The price-to-rent ratio in Shelby County, Illinois is about 5.5, meaning it would take roughly 5.5 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Shelby County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Shelby County, Illinois?
Both home prices and rent are rising in Shelby County, up about 32.9% and 5.4% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in Shelby County, Illinois?
69.5% of households in Shelby County, Illinois own their home, higher than the Illinois average of 61.9%.
What is the vacancy rate in Shelby County, Illinois?
The housing vacancy rate in Shelby County, Illinois is 11.4%, higher than the Illinois average of 7.7%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →