Shelby County Demographics

A map of Shelby County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	40,646	40,305	89.8%	89.5%
Hispanic	2,549	2,377	5.6%	5.3%
Multiracial	953	1,307	2.1%	2.9%
Black	626	537	1.4%	1.2%
Asian	455	339	1.0%	0.8%
Native American/Other	36	190	0.1%	0.4%

Shelby County, Indiana has an estimated population of 45,265, a less than 1% change from the 45,055 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 89.8% White, 5.6% Hispanic, 2.1% Multiracial, 1.4% Black, 1.0% Asian, and 0.1% Native American/Other. 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 slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Indiana 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 19.6% in 2020 and 19.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Shelby County is ranked the 33rd most populous county in Indiana, out of 92 counties. Shelby County was ranked the 33rd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Shelby County's White Population

40,646 residents of Shelby County, or 89.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Shelby County is considerably higher than in Indiana overall, where 75.4% of the population is White. Shelby County ranks 54th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 89.8%.

Shelby County is more White than neighboring Hancock County (88.1% White), Johnson County (83.9% White), and Bartholomew County (77.7% White). Shelby County is less White than neighboring Rush County (94.4% White), and Decatur County (93.1% White).

Shelby County's Black Population

626 residents of Shelby County, or 1.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Shelby County is lower than in Indiana overall, where 9.1% of the population is Black. Shelby County ranks 37th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Black population has grown by an estimated 16.6%. Black residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.4%.

Shelby County is more Black than neighboring Rush County (0.6% Black), and Decatur County (0.4% Black). Shelby County is less Black than neighboring Hancock County (3.5% Black), Johnson County (3.2% Black), and Bartholomew County (1.8% Black).

Shelby County's Asian Population

455 residents of Shelby County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Indiana overall, where 2.6% of the population is Asian. Shelby County ranks 30th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 34.2%. Asian residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.0%.

Shelby County is more Asian than neighboring Rush County (0% Asian), and Decatur County (0.1% Asian). Shelby County is less Asian than neighboring Hancock County (1.1% Asian), Johnson County (5.1% Asian), and Bartholomew County (7.4% Asian).

Shelby County's Hispanic Population

2,549 residents of Shelby County, or 5.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Shelby County is slightly lower than in Indiana overall, where 8.6% of the population is Hispanic. Shelby County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.6%.

Shelby County is more Hispanic than neighboring Hancock County (3.5% Hispanic), Johnson County (4.3% Hispanic), Rush County (1.9% Hispanic), and Decatur County (2.5% Hispanic). Shelby County is less Hispanic than neighboring Bartholomew County (9.2% Hispanic).

Shelby County's Native American/Other Population

36 residents of Shelby County, or 0.1% 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 Indiana overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Shelby County ranks 56th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 81.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Shelby County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Hancock County (0.4% Native American/Other), Johnson County (0.3% Native American/Other), Bartholomew County (0.5% Native American/Other), Rush County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Decatur County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Shelby County's Multiracial Population

953 residents of Shelby County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Indiana overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Shelby County ranks 64th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 27.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Shelby County's population has decreased from 2.9% to 2.1%.

Shelby County is less Multiracial than neighboring Hancock County (3.3% Multiracial), Johnson County (3.1% Multiracial), Bartholomew County (3.4% Multiracial), Rush County (2.7% Multiracial), and Decatur County (3.4% 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.