Shelby County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Shelby County, IL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 72% of counties in Illinois
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C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 71% of counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,718 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 27.0 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.75% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.3 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,917 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Shelby County declined by 5.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,718 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Shelby County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 21.9% of residents. That is 5.0 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,698 17.9% -3.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,719 18.0% -3.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,532 21.9% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,545 21.9% +5.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Illinois, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.8% of the people living in Shelby County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 49.2% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Shelby County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Shelby County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,365 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.21% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.0% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Shelby County is about 14% lower than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $54,174 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $814 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.4% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Shelby County is about 5.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $814 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Shelby County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 143 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.2 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.3 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 143 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,432 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.5% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,243 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 763 | 1,547 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Illinois:
Edgar County (12.0 min), Brown County (12.7 min), Morgan County (13.1 min).
Slowest:
Calhoun County (43.8 min), Pulaski County (31.2 min), Pope County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Shelby County is 17 minutes, shorter than the 24 minutes in Illinois.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Shelby County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.7% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.30 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Illinois:
DuPage County (0.4), Champaign County (0.4), Lake County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hardin County (0.2), Fayette County (0.2), Perry County (0.2).
Health
Shelby County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Shelby County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.2 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.3% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.2% | 19.2% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Illinois:
DuPage County (0.8), Champaign County (0.8), Monroe County (0.8).
Lowest:
Alexander County (0.8), Pulaski County (0.8), Gallatin County (0.8).
Shelby County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Shelby County, IL is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 20,718 residents against a local median of 34,028. Shelby County, IL's median household income, at $72,365, runs 15% above the $62,727 typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread $20,094 on median household income, so Shelby County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Shelby County, IL has the 2nd highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, IL | 20,718 | $72,365 #2/5 | $54,174 #3/5 | 17.2 min #3/5 |
| Effingham County, IL | 34,520 | $81,070 | $219,711 | 13.8 min |
| Fayette County, IL | 21,314 | $60,976 | $47,257 | 21.8 min |
| Macon County, IL | 101,849 | $62,654 | $65,982 | 16.7 min |
| Christian County, IL | 33,536 | $62,799 | $54,154 | 18.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Shelby County, Illinois.
What is the population of Shelby County, Illinois?
About 20,718 people live in Shelby County, Illinois, in 8,917 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 45.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Shelby County, Illinois mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Shelby County, Illinois has 27 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 31% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Shelby County, Illinois?
The median home costs 0.7 times the median household income ($54,174 against $72,365), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $814 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Shelby County, Illinois?
Unemployment in Shelby County, Illinois is only 3.0%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Shelby County, Illinois?
17.7% of adults in Shelby County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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