Population 3,298 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Shelby
Household size in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.06 | 2.41 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.16 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.15 | 2.44 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.29 | 2.44 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.23 | +0.03 | −0.03 |
Households in Shelby are small: just 2.29 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Household size has climbed from 2.06 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 40.2 | 39.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 40.4 | 40.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 44.8 | 41.5 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 40.3 | 41.5 | 40.1 |
| Change | +0.1 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
At 40.3, the median age in Shelby is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.1% | 9.4% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.2% | 9.8% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 8.8% | 8.7% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.7% | 8.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | −4.4 pts | −0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 4.7% of households in Shelby, well below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Shelby
Renters in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 40.9% | 31.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 43.7% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 43.0% | 31.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 39.2% | 30.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | −1.7 pts | −0.1 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting is a bit more common in Shelby than nationally: 39.2% of households rent their homes, against 34.8% for the U.S. Among owners, 38.4% have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.9% | 13.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.3% | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 17.8% | 14.1% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 14.6% | 12.2% | 9.6% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | −0.9 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 14.6% of the housing in Shelby, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1958 | 1974 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1963 | 1977 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1961 | 1978 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1961 | 1982 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +7 | +6 |
The housing in Shelby is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1961, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $589 | $703 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $573 | $775 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $541 | $870 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $883 | $1,189 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$295 | +$487 | +$606 |
The median renter in Shelby pays $883 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 26.3% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Shelby
Bachelor's degrees in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 19.5% | 28.7% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 14.6% | 29.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 14.0% | 32.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 20.6% | 35.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +1.0 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Shelby have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 20.6%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 92.2% | 91.2% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 84.8% | 92.6% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 89.4% | 93.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 87.6% | 94.6% | 89.3% |
| Change | −4.5 pts | +3.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in eight adults in Shelby never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 87.6% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Shelby
| Period | Shelby | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1.0% | 5.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 2.8% | 6.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.0% | 4.2% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.3% | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Change | +2.3 pts | −2.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Shelby has been low: just 3.3% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Montana as a whole looks much the same. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Shelby compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby | 2.29 | 40.3 | 4.7% | 39.2% | 14.6% | 1961 | $883 | 20.6% | 87.6% | 3.3% |
| Ethridge | 2.29 | 41.3 | 5.9% | 46.2% | 19.3% | 1974 | $844 | 26.8% | 86.0% | 0.7% |
| Dunkirk | 2.08 | 48.6 | 3.9% | 40.0% | 18.9% | 1974 | $832 | 29.4% | 84.4% | 0.6% |
| Oilmont | 2.29 | 44.8 | 4.4% | 27.1% | 26.3% | 1959 | $973 | 32.3% | 93.6% | 1.2% |
| Kevin | 4.28 | 22.8 | 10.7% | 21.8% | 42.9% | 1973 | $1,150 | 14.6% | 74.7% | 18.7% |
| Conrad | 2.48 | 42.1 | 7.5% | 34.2% | 16.8% | 1966 | $859 | 22.8% | 90.0% | 6.1% |
| Little Browning | 2.04 | 46.6 | 11.8% | 26.5% | 25.9% | 1974 | $244 | 28.2% | 80.1% | 6.2% |
| Valier | 2.63 | 44.1 | 2.4% | 21.0% | 14.9% | 1963 | $779 | 15.7% | 76.0% | 3.0% |
| Cut Bank | 2.91 | 40.0 | 18.1% | 29.5% | 19.6% | 1955 | $947 | 18.1% | 88.9% | 4.0% |
| Galata | 2.19 | 45.3 | 3.9% | 32.2% | 22.5% | 1963 | $914 | 32.9% | 90.1% | 0.4% |
| Santa Rita | 3.78 | 47.3 | 16.1% | 10.0% | 17.7% | 1959 | $988 | 4.5% | 66.7% | 3.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Choudrant, LA · Fife Lake, MI · Knoxville, MD · Christmas, FL · Battle Ground, IN · Carthage, IL · California, KY · Blooming Prairie, MN · Black Creek, WI · Bellwood, PA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Shelby. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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