Shelby County, Iowa
Population 11,778 · Harlan, Shelby, Elk Horn
- Overall cost of living: −15.9% vs the US average, lower than 87% of US counties.
- Colleges within 30 mi: 0, the lowest in the US.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−15.9% | lower than 87% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Iowa outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $164,000 | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Median rent | $783 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $190/mo | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,345/yr | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.28% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.7% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,094 | higher than 67% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $72,738 | higher than 68% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -2.4% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 430.2 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈219 days | higher than 59% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 84°F | lower than 69% of US counties |
| January low | 11°F | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 30 in | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 19 days | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 148 days | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 11% of weeks | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.3°F | lower than 56% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 34.5 in | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $146/yr | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $95/yr | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.23/yr | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $31/yr | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.27/yr | lower than 59% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.3 µg/m³ | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 384.2 mi | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈278.9 ft | lower than 73% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 95.3% | higher than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 24.1% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 8.3% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14:1 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 96.2% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 9.49 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.9 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.08 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 4.4 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 52/100k | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 4 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4★ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 78.4 yrs | higher than 79% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.6% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 186/100k | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 51/100k | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 51.1% | lower than 70% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 62 min | higher than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 62 min | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 18 min | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 88.3% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.5% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 12.8% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 71 min | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 25 per sq mi | higher than 53% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | ≈1.2 per 1k | lower than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ From 2025 FBI reports by this county’s police and sheriff’s departments: County Health Rankings publishes no 2022 figure for it. | ||
| Property crime | 1.4 per 1k | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Population | 11,778 | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Median age | 44.3 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +1 per 1k/yr | lower than 56% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 27.9% Dem | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 70.9% Rep | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.2% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % White | 91.3% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 4.4% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.3% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 26 parks | lower than 63% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 13.6 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 6.8 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.1% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 12 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 58 km | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 4 km | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 19 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 22 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 7 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 30 | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 5 km | lower than 55% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data