Map the Block › Places › Illinois › Shelby County
Shelby County, Illinois in numbers: crime, income, hazards
The violent-crime rate in Shelby County was 0.98 per 1,000 residents (2021-2025 average, FBI), 67% lower than the statewide rate (3.0). The median household earns $72,095 and the unemployment rate was 3.1% in August 2026. About 20,720 people live in the county.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Shelby County?
From 2021 through 2025, Shelby County averaged 19 reported violent crimes a year, along with 46 property crimes. That is 0.98 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 67% lower than the Illinois rate (3.0), and 73% lower than the U.S. rate (3.7). For property crime the county rate is 2.5 per 1,000 (Illinois: 16.0; U.S.: 18.1).
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Shelby County | Per 1,000 | Illinois per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 19 | 0.98 | 3.0 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 0 | 0.00 | 0.07 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 5 | 0.26 | 0.47 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 0 | 0.00 | 0.86 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 14 | 0.73 | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 46 | 2.5 | 16.0 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 14 | 0.73 | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 28 | 1.5 | 11.2 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 5 | 0.25 | 2.7 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (4 agencies; 91% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Shelby County?
The median household in Shelby County earns $72,095 a year, 14% lower than the Illinois median ($83,390). The typical owner-occupied home is valued at $137,100 by its owners; renters pay a median $814. 14.0% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 13.8%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.1% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 329 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Shelby County | Illinois | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,720 | 12,694,798 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $72,095 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $137,100 | $263,300 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $814 | $1,274 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 3.0% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 9.2% | 11.8% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 14.0% | 13.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 18.3% | 37.8% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 78.4% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 45.3 | 39.0 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 88.6% | 90.8% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 4.4% | 6.9% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Shelby County?
Shelby County carries a “Relatively Low” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in Shelby County, active or completed (October 2026).
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 2 high-hazard dams in Shelby County. Tallest on the list: Shelbyville Dam (138 ft) and Pana Lake Dam (53 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Disasters, air and water
No federal major disaster declaration covered Shelby County from 2016 through 2025 (COVID-19 excluded). Of 9 community water systems, 2 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate). NHTSA counted 6 traffic deaths in the county in 2024.
Is there road construction in Shelby County?
The state DOT feed had no interstate, U.S. or state highway work zones in Shelby County on October 11, 2026. Some states publish only part of their road work in open feeds, so check the state's 511 site before you travel. The map's layer refreshes every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Shelby County?
Shelby County has 14 public schools (2024-25) and 3 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 3 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 10 fire or EMS stations and 4 police or sheriff stations. 2 state parks or recreation areas: Recreation Area and Wolf Creek State Recreation Area.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Shelby County
Gun shops
No gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Shelby County. There are 2 licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown).
Liquor stores
No liquor stores are on the map in Shelby County. Illinois has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Shelby County on the map.
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Shelby County?
Shelby County averaged 19 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 0.98 per 1,000 residents, 67% lower than the Illinois rate (3.0). The property-crime rate was 2.5 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Shelby County?
$72,095 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $83,390 for Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Shelby County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.1% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 329 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Shelby County?
Shelby County carries a “Relatively Low” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”.
Is there road construction in Shelby County right now?
The state DOT feed had no interstate, U.S. or state highway work zones in Shelby County on October 11, 2026. Some states publish only part of their road work in open feeds, so check the state's 511 site before you travel.
How many nursing homes are in Shelby County?
3 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Shelby County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian County | 33,538 | 1.4 | $62,611 |
| Coles County | 46,777 | 3.2 | $56,478 |
| Cumberland County | 10,334 | 0.67 | $73,327 |
| Effingham County | 34,522 | 1.5 | $80,404 |
| Fayette County | 21,315 | 1.2 | $60,944 |
| Macon County | 101,849 | 5.2 | $62,666 |
| Montgomery County | 27,942 | 1.9 | $63,620 |
| Moultrie County | 14,424 | 1.1 | $71,784 |
More: Illinois statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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