Shelby, WI Demographics

Population 561 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Shelby, WI map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Shelby

Household size in Shelby

Household size, people per household
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–102.322.452.68
2010–142.302.472.73
2015–192.312.432.71
2020–242.292.402.65
Change−0.03−0.06−0.03
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Shelby is a place of small households, averaging 2.29 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children.

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

Median age, years
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–1045.538.837.7
2010–1449.339.938.6
2015–1945.940.939.6
2020–2447.741.440.1
Change+2.2+2.6+2.3
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With a median age of 47.7, Shelby is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees. The median age has climbed from 45.5 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

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

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–104.5%10.4%12.3%
2010–145.2%10.5%12.3%
2015–194.2%10.0%11.6%
2020–248.5%9.8%11.6%
Change+3.9 pts−0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 8.5% 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

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–1018.9%30.5%33.3%
2010–1416.1%32.3%35.6%
2015–1919.3%33.0%36.0%
2020–2418.7%32.2%34.8%
Change−0.2 pts+1.6 pts+1.5 pts
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Shelby is largely a place of homeowners: only 18.7% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 56.2% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.

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

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–104.4%10.5%11.4%
2010–146.8%10.6%11.4%
2015–197.7%10.1%11.1%
2020–248.0%9.2%9.6%
Change+3.6 pts−1.3 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacancy is on the low side in Shelby: 8.0% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. That is in line with the rest of Wisconsin.

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

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–10199019701974
2010–14199019711975
2015–19198819721977
2020–24199119741980
Change+1+5+6
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Much of the housing in Shelby is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1991, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole.

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

Rent, per month
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–10$646$758$965
2010–14$715$821$1,040
2015–19$816$904$1,213
2020–24$977$1,139$1,571
Change+$331+$380+$606
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Rent in Shelby runs $977 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 23.2% 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

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–1029.2%26.5%28.4%
2010–1432.8%28.0%29.6%
2015–1943.5%30.4%32.1%
2020–2437.0%33.6%35.6%
Change+7.8 pts+7.0 pts+7.2 pts
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More than a third of adults 25 and older in Shelby (37.0%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, close to the national share of 35.6%. The share is higher than in Wisconsin overall (33.6%).

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

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–1093.6%89.5%84.9%
2010–1497.0%90.7%86.1%
2015–1997.6%92.1%87.7%
2020–2494.8%93.3%89.3%
Change+1.2 pts+3.8 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion is high in Shelby: 94.8% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.

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

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodShelbyWisconsinU.S.
2006–103.5%6.7%8.1%
2010–144.0%7.3%9.4%
2015–191.3%3.7%5.6%
2020–241.8%3.3%5.4%
Change−1.7 pts−3.4 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Shelby has been low: just 1.8% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. 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

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Shelby2.2947.78.5%18.7%8.0%1991$97737.0%94.8%1.8%
La Crosse2.1636.49.0%49.4%7.3%1967$1,09634.0%96.4%3.4%
Stoddard2.3945.29.4%18.3%10.1%1975$1,14326.3%92.6%2.0%
St. Joseph2.6742.96.8%14.1%2.8%1987$1,14931.9%95.5%1.8%
Coon Valley2.5141.95.9%17.7%4.7%1979$1,00327.4%93.8%1.7%
Chaseburg2.9038.74.6%16.6%5.5%1983$82829.7%90.8%0.4%
French Island2.1848.47.0%22.7%4.8%1978$1,08328.0%94.8%8.6%
Brownsville2.3747.33.3%9.9%5.0%1976$69026.9%97.2%0.7%
La Crescent2.2747.97.6%13.7%6.8%1977$85939.6%94.4%0.9%
West Salem2.6442.06.9%19.7%7.2%1985$1,28942.7%97.2%3.4%
Onalaska2.2742.27.0%31.6%4.4%1986$1,19840.4%98.0%3.2%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Washington, AR · Beaver Falls, NY · Beaverdale, PA · Beech Creek, KY · Belle Terre, LA · Bennett, FL · Carytown, MO · Center, OH · Vento, KY · Adrian, 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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