Boating in Shelby, March 1908, 2006
Shelby’s story
144 years in pictures
The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1959 on.
- 1882Shelby is settled
ShelbyIN
Population
164
Census survey, 2020–24
Household income
$32K
median
Median age
63.4
years
Jobs based here
26
A commuter town
Is Shelby a good place to live?
The biggest park or preserve is Grand Kankakee Marsh, at 52 acres. Shelby has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Shelby stand out
Where Shelby beats most towns.
Small town
164 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Cedar Creek TownshipLincoln TownshipEagle Creek TownshipShelby
Getting set up
Moving to Shelby: who provides what
Shelby is unincorporated, so Lake County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNIPSCO22.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLake CountyLake County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Indiana you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLake County Board of Elections & RegistrationLake County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP codes46356, 4637746356 57% · 46377 43%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Shelby.
Work & commute
A larger share of residents in Shelby live below the poverty line than in the typical Indiana or U.S. town
Just 1% of Shelby’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs in Shelby grew by 23 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 26. The top destinations are Crown Point (9%), Merrillville (8%) and Chicago (7%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 25 miles.
1%work in town
| Shelby | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 33% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.5% | 11% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Shelby1%
Crown Point9%
Merrillville8%
Chicago7%
Lowell7%
25 mi
median commute distance
26
jobs based in Shelby
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Shelby’s year
July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
30″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring39–61°
Summer61–83°
Fall42–64°
Oct 16
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Top of a low hazard risk in Shelby: inland flooding
The natural-hazard score from FEMA for Shelby comes to 34 of 100, where Indiana’s towns sit at 38 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. FEMA puts 48% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 24% to cold waves. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2026.
34risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
A smaller share of adults feel lonely in Shelby than in most of Indiana or the rest of the country
Just over four fifths of Shelby adults had a checkup this year, near the Indiana town median (80%) and above the median of U.S. towns (79%). For adults in the town, the share who report frequent mental distress is 16%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Shelby beats Indiana on 10 and trails on 6. In Shelby, 21% of adults have been diagnosed with depression, and 15% have diabetes.
| Shelby | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 26% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
10 better16 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Shelby | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.3% |
Franciscan Health Crown Point
14.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 818 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grand Kankakee Marsh | — | 52 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shelby
15pages on Shelby
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shelby; the nearest are
Valparaiso UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Valparaiso24.3 mi$48,450 tuitionIndiana University-NorthwestUniversity or college · Public · Gary25.1 mi$8,424 in-state tuitionKankakee Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Kankakee, IL27.3 mi$5,220 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Shelby residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Shelby for work
Where Shelby’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
26jobs based in Shelby
1%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Shelby
Census-designated place in Indiana, United States
Shelby is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Cedar Creek Township, Lake County, Indiana. Shelby had a population of 453 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 640 ft
- ZIP code
- 46377
- Area code
- 219
Questions about Shelby
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shelby, IN a good place to live?
Shelby has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.