Shelby County GIS Maps
Shelby County, Iowa, has 11,746 residents across 17,681 parcels and covers 590.8 square miles. The population declined 3.5% between the 2010 and 2020 census. More residents left than arrived over that decade. The FIPS code for Shelby County is 19165.
Harlan is the county's largest population center. Shelby County also includes 10 zip codes, 6 public school districts and 33 municipalities. Those boundaries help explain why population, schools, and housing can look different from one part of the county to another. The map below shows how those county lines, zip codes, and school districts fit together, and the sections that follow use that same geography to show parcel data, population, demographics, school enrollment and housing patterns in more detail.
Maps, GIS layers, Parcels and sample data. Paid packages add full layers, analytics and database files.
Shelby County Trends
- Population
- 11,746▾
- Median Home Value
- $156,200▴
- K-12 Enrollment
- 4,471▾
County analytics dashboards with historical trends & projections included in package downloads.
Free starter access previews county maps, lightweight GIS, and sample data. Paid packages unlock full GIS layers, analytics, and database files.
Shelby County Maps
The maps below show a few of the county map styles included in our downloads. County packages include map exports in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF and GeoTIFF formats plus more than 20 GIS layers for mapping, research and analysis. Available layers include zip codes, area codes, subdivisions, school districts, political boundaries, roads, water features, points of interest and more.
County packages also include historical county demographics, business intelligence, analytical dashboards, AI-ready prompts, markdown files and related reference data. Everything is organized to save hours of manual work collecting current data, cleaning it and joining it together. That makes it easier to move faster on analytics, due diligence, business planning and location research. Paid packages are built for commercial use, but some package contents include source-specific attribution or notice guidance. Review Licensing & Data Source Notices.
Shelby County Parcels
Shelby County has 17,681 mapped parcels covering 366,134 acres. The median assessed value is $98,290. The median lot size is 25.92 acres. 10,149 parcels are 10 acres or larger. The records carry 6,567 distinct owner names. Owner names and assessed values are on nearly every parcel. Lot sizes reach 97.5%. Browse the interactive Shelby County Parcel viewer here.
Shelby County Parcel Data Coverage
| Field | Parcels | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel ID | 17,681 | 100% |
| Owner name | 17,679 | 99.9% |
| Owner mailing address | 0 | 0% |
| Site address | 6,436 | 36.4% |
| Land use code | 0 | 0% |
| Land use description | 0 | 0% |
| Assessed value | 17,350 | 98.1% |
| Land value | 0 | 0% |
| Improvement value | 0 | 0% |
| Acreage | 17,240 | 97.5% |
| Parcel boundary | 17,681 | 100% |
| Download all Shelby County parcels. | ||
Field coverage measured across all Shelby County parcel records.
Shelby County Population
Shelby County had 11,746 residents in 2020. That was 3.5% lower than in 2010. Shelby County had 1,427 fewer people in 2020 than it did in 2000, which points to a long-term population decline. The county is fairly spread out, with about 20 people per square mile. Some of the county's most populated postal areas include Harlan, Shelby and Elk Horn.
Population Trend in Shelby County IA
Shelby County Population per 2000, 2010 and 2020 census counts with a baseline 2030 projection.
Shelby County Zip Codes
Shelby County has 10 zip codes. Some of the county's most populated zip codes include Harlan (51537), Shelby (51570) and Elk Horn (51531). Harlan is the largest zip by population, with about 6,509 residents or 55% of the county total. Together, the three largest zips account for about 72% of all county residents based on 2020 population estimates.
Most Populated Zip Codes in Shelby County IA
| ZIP | Area | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51537 | Harlan | 6,509 | ▾ -2.9% |
| 51570 | Shelby | 1,146 | ▴ 10.3% |
| 51531 | Elk Horn | 806 | ▾ -11.8% |
| 51530 | Earling | 728 | ▾ -14.8% |
| 51446 | Irwin | 520 | ▴ 1.8% |
| Download all zip code data | |||
Shelby County Zip Code populations and trends per most recent census data.
Shelby County Demographics
Shelby County has a median age of 45.1, which makes the county a little older than Iowa overall. About 22.8% of residents are under 18, while 23.2% are 65 or older. That gives the county a fairly even mix of younger families and older adults. The largest age group is 25 to 44 at about 25.3% of the population, which points to a solid working-age base. About 23.3% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the statewide figure of 30.9%. The county is mostly White by population, though Hispanic, Asian, Black and multiracial residents are also part of the local mix.
Key Demographics for Shelby County IA
Median Age
45.1
Under 18
22.8%
Age 65+
23.2%
Bachelor's+
23.3%
Shelby County School Districts
Shelby County is served by 6 public school districts with 4,471 students enrolled in 2024. The largest districts on the county map are Harlan Community, AHSTW Community and Tri-Center Community. Those three districts account for about 66% of public school enrollment in the map area. Total enrollment has stayed fairly steady in recent years, based on district totals from 2017 to 2024.
Largest School Districts by Enrollment in Shelby County IA
| District | Enrollment | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Community School District | 1,472 | 32.9% | ▾ -1.3% |
| AHSTW Community School District | 755 | 16.9% | ▾ -1.3% |
| Tri-Center Community School District | 724 | 16.2% | ▴ 0.6% |
| IKM-Manning Community School District | 703 | 15.7% | ▾ -1.4% |
| Boyer Valley Community School District | 427 | 9.6% | — 0% |
| Download all school district data | |||
Shelby County school district enrollment and trends per most recent NCES reporting data.
Shelby County Housing & Real Estate
Shelby County has a median home value of $156,200 and a median gross rent of $810. About 76% of occupied homes in the county are owner-occupied, so the local housing market leans heavily toward ownership. Home values run below the Iowa median, while rents come in below the state average. In March 2026, the median listing price was $204,725 and homes spent about 109 days on the market.
Shelby County Housing Mix
Shelby County housing mix: owner, renter and vacant units.
Shelby County Housing Trends
Shelby County median home value and rent trend (last 5 years).
Businesses in Shelby County, IA
Shelby County has 585 business listings across 247 categories. The largest categories in Shelby County business listings are Churches & Religious Organizations (29, 5.0%), Insurance Agencies (16, 2.7%), and Auto Repair (14, 2.4%). The full Shelby County business listings dataset includes names, categories, addresses and contact details where available. Shelby County packages also include U.S. Census County Business Patterns data with establishment counts, employment and payroll by industry sector.
Top Business Categories in Shelby County, IA
| Category | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Churches & Religious Organizations | 29 | 5.0% |
| Insurance Agencies | 16 | 2.7% |
| Auto Repair | 14 | 2.4% |
| Gas Stations | 13 | 2.2% |
| Banks & Credit Unions | 11 | 1.9% |
| Beauty Salons | 11 | 1.9% |
| Parks & Recreation | 10 | 1.7% |
| Hair Salons | 10 | 1.7% |
| Convenience Stores | 10 | 1.7% |
| Contractors | 9 | 1.5% |
Shelby County Business Listings
| Business | Category | City |
|---|---|---|
| Westridge Apartments | Accommodation | Harlan |
| Broeckelman & Associates | Accountant | Harlan |
| Agriland FS | Agricultural Cooperatives | Harlan |
| Robinson Implement Inc. | Agricultural Service | Irwin |
| Schechinger Seed Co | Agriculture | Harlan |
| Farm Service Co-Op | Agriculture Association | Irwin |
| Harlan Municipal Airport | Airport | Harlan |
| Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Associates | Allergist | Harlan |
| Club 191 | American Restaurants | Portsmouth |
| Studio H | Amusement Park | Harlan |
| Download Shelby County business listings | ||
Shelby County business listings sourced from Overture Maps. Includes locations with a high level of confidence.
Shelby County Basemaps
Shelby County map and data packages include a set of useful basemaps to help you get started quickly. These include a custom light grey canvas, USGS topo, imagery and other reference layers that make it easier to build clear, meaningful county maps using the included GIS layers, your own data or both. Pre-rendered map tiles for the light grey basemap are included so you can use them offline or host them on your own CDN.
Get the Full Shelby County Data Package
This page shows a preview of what's included in the Shelby County data package. The full package gives you a ready-to-use county data system with GIS layers, historical data, maps, database files and planning tools that save hours of manual data gathering, cleanup and joins. Everything is organized to help you skip data wrangling and start analysis faster.
- 20+ GIS layers for parcels, zip codes, school districts, roads, water, boundaries and more
- Historical county demographics, housing, income and trend data
- ZIP code population files and school district enrollment history
- Database files, markdowns, AI-ready prompts and documentation
- Map exports in PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG and GeoTIFF formats
- Offline-ready data explorer, map and analytics tools
Paid packages support commercial use, client work, and derived outputs. Some package contents may include source-specific attribution or provider notices. See Licensing & Data Source Notices.
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Nearby Counties
Browse county data pages for the counties that border Shelby County. These nearby pages include the same mix of county maps, demographic summaries, school district context, housing trends and package links.