County · Illinois

Shelby County, Illinois

Shelby County, Illinois. Shelby County had 20,576 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 2.0% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). It holds 38 places (12 cities, villages and boroughs, 24 towns and townships and 2 census-designated) and 6 census tracts. GEOID 17173.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

20,576

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 20,990 · ACS 2020-2024: 20,720

Median household income

$72,095

±$4,523 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390

Median home value

$137,100

±$8,548 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300

Median gross rent

$814

±$91 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274

How many people live in Shelby County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 20,990 residents in Shelby County. The Census Bureau estimates 20,576 for July 1, 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 20,720 over 759 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −45 (20,876)
2021→2022 −155 (20,721)
2022→2023 −117 (20,604)
2023→2024 −50 (20,554)
2024→2025 +22 (20,576)

Shelby County in Illinois. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Shelby County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	20,720	12,694,798	−1,017
Households	8,918±233	5,036,449	no clear change
Average household size	2.30±0.06	2.46	no clear change
Housing units	10,060±36	5,457,452	−556

Shelby County's population since 2000

From 22,893 in 2000 to 20,576 in 2025: down 10.1%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 22,893
2005 (estimate) 22,445
2010 Census 22,363
2015 (estimate) 21,819
2020 Census 20,990
2025 (estimate) 20,576

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Shelby County?

Shelby County holds 38 places: 12 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 24 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 2 census-designated places. The largest is Shelbyville with 4,537 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Shelby County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Shelbyville	city	4,674	4,351±314	$52,470	$116,400	13.2%	100%
Shelbyville Township	township	4,432	4,436±17	$54,423	$137,600	11.7%	100%
Rose Township	township	1,947	2,020±434	$65,658	$132,900	10.3%	100%
Moweaqua Township	township	1,931	2,082±232	$66,765	$116,700	3.7%	100%
Moweaqua	village	1,764	1,915±256	$69,625	$114,500	3.4%	99%
Windsor Township	township	1,395	1,186±188	$69,722	$136,000	11.3%	100%
Prairie Township, Shelby County	township	1,212	1,136±214	$68,333	$144,200	8.8%	100%
Windsor, Shelby County	city	1,079	877±155	$63,359	$105,400	15.3%	100%
Tower Hill Township	township	955	961±313	$78,933	$120,100	8.5%	100%
Dry Point Township	township	951	916±193	$77,875	$107,500	13.7%	100%
Okaw Township	township	871	858±209	$75,357	$134,900	20.9%	100%
Richland Township, Shelby County	township	819	730±167	$84,643	$144,300	3.2%	100%
Oconee Township	township	793	758±208	$104,306	$115,700	3.7%	100%
Sigel Township	township	726	726±207	$103,125	$167,200	5.5%	100%
Stewardson	village	721	756±158	$61,875	$109,500	9.4%	100%
Findlay	village	664	674±156	$55,417	$88,000	20.9%	100%
Big Spring TownshipGEOID 1717306002	township	577	611±212	$86,367	$212,500	0.0%	100%
Strasburg	village	531	507±136	$64,219	$97,600	4.5%	100%
Herrick Township	township	530	446±131	$64,643	$100,800	7.0%	100%
Cowden	village	515	534±152	$62,031	$77,000	20.5%	100%
Tower Hill	village	485	422±134	$53,352	$68,300	13.0%	100%
Todds Point Township	township	463	330±74	$67,656	$107,200	11.3%	100%
Ridge TownshipGEOID 1717363836	township	456	482±227	$111,364	not published	10.6%	100%
Ash Grove Township, Shelby CountyGEOID 1717302466	township	442	626±217	$101,167	$160,900	7.3%	100%
Flat Branch TownshipGEOID 1717326337	township	420	315±100	$108,056	$221,400	2.9%	100%
Clarksburg TownshipGEOID 1717314637	township	385	578±211	$73,750	$156,100	0.0%	100%
Holland TownshipGEOID 1717335567	township	383	419±166	$60,523	$105,600	17.4%	100%
Lakewood TownshipGEOID 1717341690	township	381	335±115	$115,875	$212,200	4.5%	100%
Cold Spring TownshipGEOID 1717315417	township	364	244±142	not published	$194,900	20.5%	100%
Herrick	village	358	333±93	$53,750	$73,800	9.3%	100%
Sigel	town	329	439±140	$85,625	$165,800	8.3%	100%
Rural Township, Shelby CountyGEOID 1717366313	township	306	321±138	$93,958	not published	20.2%	100%
Pickaway TownshipGEOID 1717359663	township	168	165±96	$70,682	$147,900	0.0%	100%
Oconee	village	141	193±69	$74,750	$91,300	5.7%	100%
WesterveltGEOID 1780255	CDP	131	134±166	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Pana	city	5,199	5,217±240	$46,168	$77,900	13.3%	2%
Lakewood, Shelby CountyGEOID 1741677	CDP	91	16±23	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Penn Township, Shelby CountyGEOID 1717358590	township	83	39±26	$87,955	not published	0.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Shelby County?

The median resident of Shelby County is 45.3 years old; 21.3% are under 18 and 23.7% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 96.0%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 2.0%. 1.0% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Shelby County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	45.3±0.3	39.0	no clear change
Under 18 years	21.3%±0.1 pts	21.8%	–
65 years and over	23.7%±0.2 pts	17.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1.2%	18.8%	+0.1 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	96.0%±0.3 pts	58.1%	−1.2 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	13.3%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	5.9%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.1%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.2 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2.0%±0.3 pts	3.4%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.2 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	1.0%±0.6 pts	14.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	1.9%±0.8 pts	24.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	10.4%±1.3 pts	4.8%	–
With a disability	14.3%±1.4 pts	12.1%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.4%±1.1 pts	6.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	94.9%±0.9 pts	90.5%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	18.3%±1.9 pts	37.8%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	4.5%±1.0 pts	15.3%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	0.8%±0.5 pts	1.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Shelby County earn?

Half of Shelby County's 8,918 households earn less than $72,095 a year (±$4,523), against $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 the median was $65,169 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $6,926 after inflation. 9.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Shelby County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$72,095±$4,523	$83,390	+$6,926
Mean household income	$82,841±$3,304	$115,638	–
Per capita income	$34,820±$1,191	$46,406	no clear change
People below the poverty line	9.2%±2.0 pts	11.8%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	11.0%±4.6 pts	15.1%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	14.0%±2.5 pts	13.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	88.6%±1.9 pts	90.8%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Shelby County?

Owners occupy 78.4% of Shelby County's occupied homes and renters 21.6%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $137,100 by its owner (±$8,548). The median renter pays $814 a month including utilities, and 21.8% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Shelby County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$137,100±$8,548	$263,300	+$18,338
Median gross rent	$814±$91	$1,274	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	21.8%±8.7 pts	39.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,226±$52	$1,987	–
Owner-occupied homes	78.4%±2.3 pts	67.1%	no clear change
Housing units	10,060±36	5,457,452	−556
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.3%±0.3 pts	1.0%	–
Rental vacancy rate	1.7%±1.5 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	83.8%±2.6 pts	58.2%	–
Mobile homes	7.0%±1.3 pts	2.3%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.8%±0.6 pts	0.7%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	29.4%±3.1 pts	20.2%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Shelby County building?

Builders took permits for 46 new housing units across Shelby County in 2025 (46 single-family), 2.2 per 1,000 residents.

2019 41 units
2020 50 units
2021 28 units
2022 25 units
2023 35 units
2024 9 units
2025 46 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Shelby County get to work?

83.8% of Shelby County's workers drive alone and 6.5% work from home. The average trip to work takes 20.8 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.0%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Shelby County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	61.4%±1.8 pts	65.0%	–
Unemployment rate	3.0%±1.0 pts	5.8%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	83.8%±2.4 pts	65.9%	–
Carpooled	6.1%±1.3 pts	7.8%	–
Public transportation	0.1%±0.2 pts	5.8%	–
Walked	2.1%±0.8 pts	2.8%	–
Worked from home	6.5%±1.4 pts	15.9%	+2.0 pts
Mean travel time to work	20.8 min±1.5	27.8 min	−3.9 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Shelby County's census tracts?

Shelby County is divided into 6 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $58,941 (Tract 9593) to $87,300 (Tract 9596).

Census tracts of Shelby County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 959117173959100	Moweaqua (32%)	3,444	3,440±311	$67,217	$121,900	$885	7.4%
Tract 959217173959200	Tower Hill (14%)	2,775	2,855±349	$78,963	$148,400	$693	12.4%
Tract 959317173959300	Shelbyville (95%)	4,935	4,850±397	$58,941	$121,300	$806	11.8%
Tract 959417173959400	Windsor (23%)	3,333	3,120±301	$81,204	$155,300	$793	6.7%
Tract 959517173959500	Stewardson (8%)	3,463	3,587±319	$71,960	$141,500	$711	7.2%
Tract 959617173959600	Cowden (11%)	3,040	2,868±304	$87,300	$160,000	$975	8.7%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Shelby County compare with Illinois's other counties?

Shelby County's rank among Illinois's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	56th of 102
Growth 2020-2025	47th of 102
Residents per square mile	81st of 102
Median household income	34th of 102
Median home value	49th of 102
Median gross rent	50th of 102
Poverty rate	77th of 102
Bachelor's degree or higher	78th of 102
Median age	16th of 102

Every county in Illinois

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Shelby County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.