Shelby County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,746. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Harlan. Its name is in honor of

Isaac Shelby Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750 – July 18, 1826) was an American politician and military officer who was the List of governors of Kentucky, first and fifth Governor of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Ca ...

, the first

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

History

Shelby County was established on January 15, 1851. It was named after General

, a hero in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and the first

. Early settling in Shelby County began in 1848 in Galland's Grove. On February 4, 1855, Shelbyville was designated the county seat. In April 1859, the seat was moved to Harlan. One year later the first courthouse was erected and a second courthouse was constructed in 1875. In 1892, the construction of the present courthouse was begun, this time of stone and three storeys high. The construction was completed in 1893 with the dedication on September 14. The 1892 Shelby County Courthouse and the surrounding buildings are all listed in the National Register of Historic places effective September 23, 1994.Shelby County Attractions
/ref> In 1978, the building was extensively restored and still serves as the courthouse. Starting in the 1870s, many Danish immigrants came to settle in Elk Horn in the southeastern portion of the county, and in Kimballton in adjoining Audubon County. More people with Danish ancestry live in this area today than any other rural community aside from Denmark itself.Dane
IOWA Pathways, Retrieved 25 March 2025

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 59 * Elongated circle 37

Iowa Highway 37 * Elongated circle 44

Iowa Highway 44 * Elongated circle 173

Iowa Highway 173 * Elongated circle 191

Iowa Highway 191 * County Highway M16 * County Highway F58 * County Highway F32 * County Highway F24 * County Highway M36

Attractions

* Shelby County Speedway

Adjacent counties

* Crawford County (north) * Audubon County (east) * Cass County (southeast) * Pottawattamie County (south) * Harrison County (west)

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 11,746 in the county, with a population density of . 96.51% of the population reported being of one race. 90.06% were non-Hispanic White, 0.45% were Black, 3.51% were Hispanic, 0.47% were Native American, 0.42% were Asian, 0.03% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 5.07% were some other race or more than one race. There were 5,421 housing units, of which 4,981 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,167 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,542 housing units, of which 5,085 were occupied.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 13,173 people, 5,173 households, and 3,703 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 5,459 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.68%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.10%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 5,173 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 20.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,442, and the median income for a family was $44,681. Males had a median income of $29,402 versus $20,296 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $16,969. About 4.30% of families and 6.00% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 6.00% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Defiance * Earling * Elk Horn * Harlan * Irwin * Kirkman *

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

* Shelby * Tennant * Westphalia

Census-designated places

* Corley *

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

Other unincorporated places

* Botna * Red Line * Manteno

Townships

* Cass Township * Center Township * Clay Township * Douglas Township * Fairview Township * Greeley Township * Grove Township * Jackson Township * Jefferson Township * Lincoln Township * Monroe Township * Polk Township * Shelby Township * Union Township * Washington Township * Westphalia Township

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Shelby County. † ''county seat''

Politics

References

External links

Shelby County government's website
{{coord, 41, 40, 53, N, 95, 18, 46, W, region:US-IA_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title 1851 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1851