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Shelby County, Iowa

Shelby County profile, demographic data, and geographic information.

Shelby County is a county located in Iowa, United States of America. As of official census estimates, it has a reported population of 11,689. The land area covers 590.78 sq mi. [1]

Local Government Administration U.S. Census Bureau GMAF

County Of Shelby County
Official Title: Assistant To County Auditor
Address: 612 COURT ST, HARLAN IA 51537-1464

Demographics & Population

Demographic Metric Estimate / Count Margin of Error Survey Period / Source
Total Population (2025 PEP Estimate) 11,689 — 2025 / Census
Median Age 44.3 yrs ±0.7 2020-2024 / Census ACS 5-Year 2024
Total Households 4,882 ±155 2020-2024 / Census ACS 5-Year 2024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (PEP, ACS 5-Year).

Housing & Real Estate Profile

Housing Metric Estimate / Value Margin of Error
Total Housing Units 5,441 ±34
Occupied Housing Units 4,882 ±155
Vacant Housing Units 559 ±154
Median Home Value $164,000 ±$7,530
Median Gross Rent $783 ±$63
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2020-2024).

Economy & Workforce

Economic Metric Estimate / Value Margin of Error
Median Household Income $72,738 ±$9,091
Per Capita Income $40,510 ±$2,800
Poverty Rate 7.6% ±1.7%
Population Below Poverty Level 882 ±202
Unemployment Rate 3.2% ±1.3%
Civilian Labor Force, Employed 5,711 ±299
Broadband Internet Rate 88.3% ±2.1%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2020-2024).

Climate & Weather Observations

NOAA Monthly Climate Normals

Observation Station: Climate data reflects NOAA 1991–2020 standard normals recorded at HARLAN, IA US, located 2.7 miles from Shelby County. Local microclimates, topography, and elevation may cause municipal conditions to differ.
Month High (°F) Low (°F) Mean (°F) Precip (in) Snow (in)
January 30.7° 10.3° 20.5° 0.90" 7.6"
February 35.7° 13.7° 24.7° 0.98" 7.6"
March 49.9° 25.3° 37.6° 2.05" 4.0"
April 63.3° 36.4° 49.8° 3.34" 1.5"
May 74.1° 49.3° 61.7° 4.74" 0.0"
June 83.6° 59.9° 71.7° 5.17" 0.0"
July 85.9° 63.6° 74.7° 3.72" 0.0"
August 84.0° 60.8° 72.4° 4.32" 0.0"
September 78.5° 51.7° 65.1° 4.00" 0.0"
October 65.4° 39.1° 52.2° 2.37" 0.9"
November 49.3° 25.9° 37.6° 1.43" 2.2"
December 35.9° 15.7° 25.8° 1.31" 6.7"
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020).

Local Weather Forecast

Weather forecast data is currently unavailable in the local cache.

Sources & Data Provenance

  1. Geographic Classification & Identifiers: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (2026) and TIGER/Line Shapefiles. GEOID: 19165. • Official Source Dataset →
  2. Socioeconomic & Housing Metrics: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates and Population Estimates Program (PEP). Margin of Error (MOE) intervals are reported where published; suppressed values are never estimated or replaced with false zeros.
  3. Civic Directory Datasets: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS Hospital Directory), National Center for Education Statistics (NCES IPEDS Postsecondary Directory), and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS Public Libraries Survey). Airport landing facilities are provided by airport-data.com.
  4. Weather & Climate Observations: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 and National Weather Service (NWS) point forecasts.