Shelby County is a county of 20,720 people in Illinois. 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. That puts it in the top 9% of US counties for household income. At a median age of 45.3, this is an older place than the country as a whole. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $137,100. Owners hold 78% of the housing stock.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $72,095, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 45.3
US median: 38.9
Less educated
18% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Shelby County
What changed most since 1990
White share99.7% → 96.0%(−3.7 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Adults with a bachelor's degree9.8% → 18.3%(+8.5 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Median age36.2 → 45.3(+9.1 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)15.3%(259)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)26.1%(443)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38.3%(650)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.5%(76)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II3.3%(56)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,695 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Shelby County, decade by decade
Shelby County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
22,261
$62,498
$93,123
9.8%
0.8
2000
22,893
$67,971
$122,780
11.5%
3.4
2010
22,363
$64,199
$121,559
14.7%
4.9
2020
20,990
$71,673
$127,870
16.6%
10.2
2024
20,720
$72,095
$137,100
18.3%
9.7
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
