Pere Marquette Passenger Train - Shelby, Michigan 49455 - 1908, 1908
Shelby’s story
160 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908.
- 1866Shelby is settled
ShelbyMI
A town of 2,185, settled in 1866.
Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
Population
2,185
2025 Census estimate · +0.8% since 2020
Typical home
$247K
+8.5% in a year
Household income
$50K
median
Median age
29.3
years
Jobs based here
524
A commuter town
Is Shelby a good place to live?
The best of Shelby’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A+ for the outdoors; the weakest is a D for incomes. Shelby’s average trip to work is 15 minutes, below both Michigan’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). 21% of the land in Shelby is conserved, above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 34 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on the outdoors. The biggest park or preserve is Meade Park, at 23 acres. Shelby has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Shelby stand out
Where Shelby beats most towns.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Shelby for work
Where Shelby’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
524jobs based in Shelby
6%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Shelby grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Shelby is from typical.
Jobs & income$50K median household incomeDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 17% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →HealthLess healthy than 79% of U.S. towns; Mercy Health Lakeshore Campus 0.3 miles awayC−Open →SafetyB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.5 of 20; 6.1% of households have no car; 1.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →SchoolsBeat 53% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailA+Open →HistoryB−Open →Civic life1.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 29.3; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Shelby: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shelby, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterShelby water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Shelby’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereShelby Township ClerkShelby Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4945549455 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Shelby.
HealthC−
A larger share of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Shelby than in most of Michigan or the rest of the country
14% of Shelby adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Shelby beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 76% of Shelby adults had a checkup this year.
21%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Shelby | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 6.5% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 25% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
1 better19 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Shelby | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 8.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 13.9% | 6.9% |
Mercy Health Lakeshore Campus
0.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Shelby
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities.
17risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong windTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
With 0.7 jobs for every working resident, most of Shelby’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Shelby for work: only 6% work in town. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Shelby. Jobs based in Shelby grew to 524 in 2021, 47 more than in 2011.
6%work in town
| Shelby | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Shelby6%
Hart Township12%
Shelby Township11%
Whitehall9%
Muskegon7%
19 mi
median commute distance
524
jobs based in Shelby
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
OutdoorsA+
Shelby has set aside 20.6% of its land for conservation
0.8 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
20.6%conserved
20.6%
conserved · 227 of 1,104 acres
0.8 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meade Park | — | 23 |
| 2. Getty Park | 0.2 mi | 9 |
| 3. Tank Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SafetyB+
Crime per resident in Shelby is lower than in 66% of U.S. towns
Shelby’s violent crime rate is 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
66%of U.S. towns report more crimeB+Safety Grade
| Shelby | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Shelby0.9
Michigan4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Shelby12.4
Michigan13
U.S.15.5
66th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
2
violent crimes reported in 2025
27
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Shelby
Shelby has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Shelby is 80°F.
79″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–32°
Spring33–55°
Summer56–79°
Fall40–58°
Oct 10
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade A−
Shelby’s typical home value is about $247K
The typical Shelby home is worth about $247,000, up 8.5% in a year, 6% below the Michigan typical home.
$247KZillow home value
| Shelby | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $680 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Shelby$247K
Michigan$264K
+8.5%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 18 attractions →Lake Michigan and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shelby. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi LakeLake Michigan19 mi Theme parkMichigan's Adventure
29 mi National forestManistee National Forest
27 mi MuseumUSS LST-39327 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health Arena
19 mi Theme parkWildWater AdventureSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Lake Michigan: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, ISS Expedition, Public domain · Manistee National Forest: RomanKahler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS LST-393: USN, Public domain · WildWater Adventure: Larry Pieniazek, CC BY 2.5
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shelby
19pages on Shelby
The big questions
SchoolsB−Beat 53% of MI districtsSafetyB+0.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than MI on 1 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$247K typical home · up 8.5% in a yearWork & commuteD$50K median household income · 524 jobs hereNatural hazardsAFEMA risk higher than 17% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shelby; the nearest are
Muskegon Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Muskegon26.4 mi$7,250 in-state tuitionFerris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids44.4 mi$14,778 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Shelby residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Shelby
Village in Michigan, United States
Shelby is a village in Oceana County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,065 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 817 ft
- ZIP code
- 49455
Questions about Shelby
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shelby, MI expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.