Shelby County, Illinois

Shelby County, Illinois, had an estimated population of 20,576 in 2025 across 1,965 km². The figures below come from the US Census Bureau's population estimates and the American Community Survey, each shown with its own vintage and its rank among Illinois's counties and nationally.

Population: 20,576; 2025 estimate
Area: 1,965 km²
Density: 10; per km²
Median income: $72,095; household, ACS 2024
Median age: 45.3; years, ACS 2024

How Illinois's counties spread

Amenities & Infrastructure

Indicator	Value	In Illinois	In the US
Households with Broadband2024	88.6%	30 / 102	1,169 / 3,144
Median Gross Rent2024	$814	50 / 102	2,000 / 3,137
Median Home Value2024	$137,100	49 / 102	2,405 / 3,139
Owner-Occupied Homes2024	78.4%	38 / 102	879 / 3,144
Vacant Homes2024	11.4%	42 / 102	1,960 / 3,144

Demography

Indicator	Value	In Illinois	In the US
Aged 65 and Over2024	23.7%	15 / 102	653 / 3,144
American Indian & Alaska Native2024	0.3%	5 / 102	922 / 3,144
Asian, non-Hispanic2024	0.2%	83 / 102	2,411 / 3,144
Average Household Size2024people	2.3	59 / 102	2,349 / 3,144
Black, non-Hispanic2024	0.2%	98 / 102	2,778 / 3,144
Foreign-Born2024	1.0%	77 / 102	2,664 / 3,144
Hispanic or Latino2024	1.2%	93 / 102	2,947 / 3,144
Median Age2024years	45.3	16 / 102	667 / 3,144
Sex Ratio2024per 1,000 males	1,017	31 / 102	1,118 / 3,144
Speak a Language Other Than English2024	1.9%	88 / 102	2,780 / 3,144
Under 182024	21.3%	51 / 102	1,776 / 3,144
Veterans2024	10.4%	5 / 102	299 / 3,144
White, non-Hispanic2024	96.0%	2 / 102	30 / 3,144

Economy

Indicator	Value	In Illinois	In the US
Below Poverty Line2024	9.2%	77 / 102	2,516 / 3,144
Households on SNAP2024	14.0%	57 / 102	1,135 / 3,144
Income Inequality2024index	0.381	100 / 102	3,084 / 3,144
Median Household Income2024	$72,095	34 / 102	1,043 / 3,143
Per Capita Income2024	$34,820	66 / 102	1,622 / 3,144
Unemployment Rate2024	3.0%	91 / 102	2,463 / 3,144

Education

Indicator	Value	In Illinois	In the US
Bachelor's Degree or Higher2024	18.3%	78 / 102	2,223 / 3,144
High School or Higher2024	94.9%	6 / 102	280 / 3,144

Health Coverage

Indicator	Value	In Illinois	In the US
No Health Insurance2024	4.4%	71 / 102	2,749 / 3,144
With a Disability2024	14.3%	68 / 102	2,076 / 3,144

Population & Density

Indicator	Value	In Illinois	In the US
Population2025	20,576	56 / 102	1,798 / 3,144
Population Density2025/km²	10	78 / 102	2,010 / 3,144

Work & Commute

Indicator	Value	In Illinois	In the US
Commute by Public Transit2024	0.1%	73 / 102	1,727 / 3,144
Households with No Vehicle2024	4.9%	69 / 102	1,824 / 3,144
Mean Commute Time2024minutes	20.8	75 / 102	2,311 / 3,143
Work from Home2024	6.5%	70 / 102	2,216 / 3,144

Other counties of Illinois

Compare Shelby County against every other county on a map, add layers and run a scatter — open the atlas. Sources and vintages for every figure on this page are listed under datasets, or browse all 3,144 counties.