Shelby County Demographics

A map of Shelby County's Population by Race

Shelby County, Illinois has an estimated population of 20,720, a slight decrease from the 20,990 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 96.0% White, 2.0% Multiracial, 1.2% Hispanic, 0.4% Native American/Other, 0.2% Black, and 0.2% Asian. 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 is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Illinois 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 8.1% in 2020 and 7.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Shelby County is ranked the 56th most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Shelby County was ranked the 56th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Shelby County's White Population

19,889 residents of Shelby County, or 96.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Shelby County is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Shelby County ranks 4th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.1%. White residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 96.0%.

Shelby County is more White than neighboring Moultrie County (95.1% White), Effingham County (94.2% White), Fayette County (88.3% White), Macon County (73.3% White), and Christian County (91% White).

Shelby County's Black Population

45 residents of Shelby County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Shelby County is considerably lower than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Shelby County ranks 94th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Black population has declined by an estimated 30.8%. Black residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Shelby County is less Black than neighboring Moultrie County (1% Black), Effingham County (0.3% Black), Fayette County (3.2% Black), Macon County (16.2% Black), and Christian County (2.1% Black).

Shelby County's Asian Population

38 residents of Shelby County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Shelby County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Shelby County ranks 67th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 54.2%. Asian residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Shelby County is more Asian than neighboring Moultrie County (0.1% Asian). Shelby County is less Asian than neighboring Effingham County (0.8% Asian), Macon County (1.5% Asian), and Christian County (0.7% Asian).

Shelby County's Hispanic Population

254 residents of Shelby County, or 1.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Shelby County is significantly lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Shelby County ranks 98th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 19.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.2%.

Shelby County is less Hispanic than neighboring Moultrie County (1.7% Hispanic), Effingham County (2.8% Hispanic), Fayette County (3% Hispanic), Macon County (2.9% Hispanic), and Christian County (3.3% Hispanic).

Shelby County's Native American/Other Population

86 residents of Shelby County, or 0.4% 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 Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Shelby County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 13.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Shelby County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Moultrie County (0.1% Native American/Other), Effingham County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Fayette County (0.3% Native American/Other). Shelby County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Macon County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Shelby County's Multiracial Population

408 residents of Shelby County, or 2.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Shelby County ranks 99th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 6.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.0%.

Shelby County is more Multiracial than neighboring Effingham County (1.6% Multiracial). Shelby County is less Multiracial than neighboring Moultrie County (2.1% Multiracial), Fayette County (5% Multiracial), Macon County (5.6% Multiracial), and Christian County (2.4% 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.