Bird's eye view of the city of Shelbyville, Shelby County, Illinois 1869, 1869
Shelbyville Township’s story
199 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1869.
- 1827Shelbyville Township is settled
Shelbyville TownshipIL
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
4,385
2025 Census estimate · −2.5% since 2020
Median home value
$138K
Census ACS
Household income
$54K
median
Median age
39.0
years
Jobs based here
1,374
A commuter town
Settled
1827
199 years ago
Is Shelbyville Township a good place to live?
Shelbyville Township’s average commute is 13 minutes, where Illinois’ towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Forest Park, at 193 acres with 3.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. We don’t grade Shelbyville Township yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes Shelbyville Township stand out
Where Shelbyville Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
84% of working residents leave Shelbyville Township for work
Where Shelbyville Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,374jobs based in Shelbyville Township
16%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Shelbyville Township.
Work & commute
Shelbyville Township has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
16%work in town
Shelbyville Township: 16% of working residents work locally. Jobs based locally fell to 1,374 in 2023, 126 fewer than in 2013. Also worth knowing: in Shelbyville Township, the median household income is $54,000. Half the trips to work are shorter than 23 miles.
| Shelbyville Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Shelbyville Township16%
Shelbyville29%
Decatur6%
Mattoon6%
Effingham4%
23 mi
median commute distance
1,374
jobs based in Shelbyville Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Shelbyville Township’s kids attend
Three of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by Shelbyville CUSD 4. The largest public high school is Shelbyville High School, with 345 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moulton Elementary SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 455 | B+ |
| Shelbyville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 345 | C+ |
| Main Street Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 1–3 | Grades 1–3 | 370 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Shelbyville Township
14″snow a winter
July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–39°
Spring43–64°
Summer64–85°
Fall45–66°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 10
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Shelbyville Township is
In Shelbyville Township, 15% of adults report frequent physical distress, and 14% have diabetes. This Illinois town beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. For adults in the town, the share who have high blood pressure is 39%.
| Shelbyville Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
3 better20 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Shelbyville Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.5% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.4% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 6.3% |
HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital
3.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Shelbyville Township has set aside 1.6% of its land for conservation
1.6%conserved
Across 4 parks and preserves: 8.0 miles of trail. In Shelbyville Township, the trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Shelbyville Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
1.6%
conserved · 364 of 22,791 acres
8.0 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Forest Park | 3.8 mi | 193 |
| 2. Shelbyville Dam West Access Area | 1.4 mi | 100 |
| 3. Shelbyville Dam East Access Area | 1.2 mi | 86 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Shelbyville Township faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
50risk score of 100
Of the losses FEMA expects in Shelbyville Township, 36% come from inland flooding and 33% from cold waves. On expected storm and flood damage, Shelbyville Township sits above 50% of U.S. communities.
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesEarthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shelbyville Township
18pages on Shelbyville Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Shelbyville Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shelbyville Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterShelbyville water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet10 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Shelbyville Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereShelby County ClerkShelby County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code6256562565 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shelbyville Township; the nearest are
Lake Land CollegeCommunity college · Public · Mattoon19.3 mi$4,415 in-state tuitionEastern Illinois UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Charleston30.8 mi$13,679 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Shelbyville Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Shelbyville Township
City in Illinois, United States
Shelbyville is a city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Illinois, United States, along the Kaskaskia River. As of the 2020 census, the population was at 4,674. HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital, located in town, is the county's only hospital. Shelbyville is also home to Chautauqua Auditorium.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1827
- Area
- 4.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 623 ft
- ZIP code
- 62565
- Area code
- 217
Shelbyville Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Shelbyville Township.
Okaw TownshipRichland TownshipClarksburg TownshipRose TownshipShelbyvilleShelbyville Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelbyville Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Okaw Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Richland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clarksburg Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rose Township | — | — | A | — | A− | C+ |
| Shelbyville | #235 | A− | A− | — | A− | C+ |
Rose Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Rose Township and Shelbyville report no FBI crime data of their own. Shelbyville Township, Okaw Township, Richland Township and Clarksburg Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Shelbyville Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Shelbyville Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shelbyville Township, IL a good place to live?
We don’t grade Shelbyville Township yet; the figures below are still real.
Shelbyville Township is in here
Say something about Shelbyville Township.
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