Shelby County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Shelby County, IN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 77% of counties in Indiana
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Shelby County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 45,265 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 109.7 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.24% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.2 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 18,450 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Shelby County grew by 3.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 45,265 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Shelby County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.6% of residents. That is 2.1 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,548 18.9% -3.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,257 20.5% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 9,777 21.6% +2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,198 18.1% +1.4 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 Indiana, 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 50.4% of the people living in Shelby County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 49.6% Indiana 49.6%
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 B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Shelby County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,014 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.85% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Shelby County is about the same as in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Shelby County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $171,773 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $986 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.5% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Shelby County is about 14.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $986 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Shelby County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 178 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Shelby County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.3 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.6 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 178 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,503 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.0% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,521 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 971 | 1,308 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Indiana:
Knox County (15.8 min), Howard County (15.9 min), Daviess County (16.3 min).
Slowest:
Crawford County (33.6 min), Brown County (32.6 min), Franklin County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Shelby County is about the same as in Indiana.
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 | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.7% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.41 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.4), Boone County (0.4), Monroe County (0.3).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.1), Crawford County (0.2), Switzerland County (0.2).
Health
Shelby County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Shelby County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.6 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.7% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.5% | 22.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.8), Monroe County (0.8), Boone County (0.8).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.8), Daviess County (0.8), Switzerland County (0.8).
Shelby County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Shelby County, IN is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 45,265 residents against a local median of 83,787. The measure that sets Shelby County, IN apart most is median household income: $72,014, 16% below the local median of $85,309. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread $23,590 on median household income, so Shelby County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Shelby County, IN has the 4th highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, IN | 45,265 | $72,014 #4/5 | $171,773 #3/5 | 21.3 min #3/5 |
| Hancock County, IN | 84,037 | $95,052 | $385,184 | 26.2 min |
| Johnson County, IN | 166,315 | $90,779 | $161,827 | 23.5 min |
| Bartholomew County, IN | 83,536 | $79,839 | $148,683 | 17.6 min |
| Decatur County, IN | 26,422 | $71,462 | $202,778 | 20.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Shelby County, Indiana.
What is the population of Shelby County, Indiana?
About 45,265 people live in Shelby County, Indiana, in 18,450 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Shelby County, Indiana mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Shelby County, Indiana has 110 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Shelby County, Indiana an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($171,773 against $72,014), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $986 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Shelby County, Indiana?
Unemployment in Shelby County, Indiana is only 3.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Shelby County, Indiana?
18.7% of adults in Shelby County, Indiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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