Shelby County Demographics

A map of Shelby County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	10,751	10,890	91.3%	92.7%
Hispanic	518	412	4.4%	3.5%
Multiracial	356	301	3.0%	2.6%
Native American/Other	60	41	0.5%	0.3%
Asian	56	49	0.5%	0.4%
Black	37	53	0.3%	0.5%

Shelby County, Iowa has an estimated population of 11,778, a less than 1% change from the 11,746 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.3% White, 4.4% Hispanic, 3.0% Multiracial, 0.5% Asian, 0.5% Native American/Other, and 0.3% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Shelby County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Shelby has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Iowa overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Shelby County, that probability was 13.9% in 2020 and 16.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Shelby County is ranked the 65th most populous county in Iowa, out of 99 counties. Shelby County was ranked the 65th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Shelby County's White Population

10,751 residents of Shelby County, or 91.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Shelby County is higher than in Iowa overall, where 82.3% of the population is White. Shelby County ranks 41st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.3%. White residents' share of Shelby County's population has decreased from 92.7% to 91.3%.

Shelby County is more White than neighboring Crawford County (62.1% White), and Pottawattamie County (84.5% White). Shelby County is less White than neighboring Audubon County (93.8% White), Harrison County (94.4% White), and Cass County (93.5% White).

Shelby County's Black Population

37 residents of Shelby County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Shelby County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Shelby County ranks 70th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Black population has declined by an estimated 30.2%. Black residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Shelby County is more Black than neighboring Harrison County (0.1% Black). Shelby County is less Black than neighboring Crawford County (0.9% Black), Audubon County (0.5% Black), Pottawattamie County (1.8% Black), and Cass County (0.9% Black).

Shelby County's Asian Population

56 residents of Shelby County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 2.5% of the population is Asian. Shelby County ranks 54th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 14.3%. Asian residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Shelby County is more Asian than neighboring Audubon County (0.1% Asian), and Harrison County (0.3% Asian). Shelby County is less Asian than neighboring Crawford County (2.2% Asian), and Pottawattamie County (0.9% Asian).

Shelby County's Hispanic Population

518 residents of Shelby County, or 4.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Shelby County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 7.3% of the population is Hispanic. Shelby County ranks 46th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 25.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Shelby County's population has increased from 3.5% to 4.4%.

Shelby County is more Hispanic than neighboring Audubon County (2.5% Hispanic), Harrison County (2.2% Hispanic), and Cass County (2.7% Hispanic). Shelby County is less Hispanic than neighboring Crawford County (30.8% Hispanic), and Pottawattamie County (9.1% Hispanic).

Shelby County's Native American/Other Population

60 residents of Shelby County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Shelby County ranks 67th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 46.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Shelby County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Crawford County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Harrison County (0.2% Native American/Other). Shelby County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Audubon County (1.1% Native American/Other), Pottawattamie County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Cass County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Shelby County's Multiracial Population

356 residents of Shelby County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 3.5% of the population is Multiracial. Shelby County ranks 48th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 18.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.0%.

Shelby County is more Multiracial than neighboring Audubon County (2.1% Multiracial), Harrison County (2.7% Multiracial), and Cass County (1.6% Multiracial). Shelby County is less Multiracial than neighboring Crawford County (3.9% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.