22 Mile Road - Shelby Township, MI, 2017
Shelby Township’s story
160 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 3 maps from 1931 on.
- 1866Shelby Township is settled
Shelby TownshipOceana County, MI
4,143 people live in this town, settled in 1866.
Population
4,143
2025 Census estimate · +0.9% since 2020
Median home value
$181K
Census ACS
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
33.3
years
Jobs based here
1,406
Balanced
TownGrade
C+
#480 of 697 in MI
Is Shelby Township a good place to live?
What it saves you on housing, it gives back elsewhere. Incomes are its weak spot — the median household income is $68K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. It does especially well on cost of living: homes are within reach, about $181K for a typical one, or 2.9 years of the county’s $62K median household income. Overall, that makes a C+, good for 480th of 697 in Michigan. Nationally, it does better than two fifths of U.S. towns. Shelby Township Community Park, at 37 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Its mean commuting time is 17 minutes, below both the Michigan town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Shelby Township stand out
Where Shelby Township beats most towns.
How Shelby Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Shelby Township is from typical.
Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listAOpen →Cost of livingHomes are very affordable for local incomesA−Open →Jobs & income1,406 jobs based hereC−Open →HealthMercy Health Lakeshore Campus 1.8 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.8 of 20; 4.3% of households have no car; 1.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsClose to the middle of the towns comparedB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsGraded on parks, trails and protected landA−Open →History4 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life2.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Shelby Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shelby Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterShelby water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers88% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Shelby Township’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 ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49455, 4944649455 78% · 49446 22%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 Township.
OutdoorsA−
Protected land: 9% of Shelby Township
15 miles of trail wind through 7 parks and preserves. The concentration of trails in Shelby Township is 0.4 miles per square mile.
#308for trails in MI
| Shelby Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
9%
conserved · 2,061 of 22,947 acres
15 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shelby Township Community Park | 1.5 mi | 37 |
| 2. Getty Park | 0.3 mi | 9 |
| 3. Meade Park | — | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsB−
Shelby Township’s public schools outperform 53% of Michigan districts
Public schools: the Shelby Public Schools. The largest public high school is Shelby High School, with 346 students. Two of its 4 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
53%of MI districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 433 | C− |
| Shelby High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 346 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Natural hazards: very low risk in Shelby Township, mostly inland flooding
Shelby Township’s FEMA risk score stands at 17 of 100. Paid flood insurance claims locally since 1984: one. Expected losses in Shelby Township break down as 48% from inland flooding and 33% from strong winds.
17risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong windTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 1984
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
On CDC estimates, Shelby Township is less healthy than 77% of U.S. towns
Shelby Township: just over a quarter of adults have been diagnosed with depression. Among adults locally, 16% report frequent physical distress and 23% say their health is fair or poor.
23%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Shelby Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better26 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Shelby Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.6% | 6.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.7% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 8.1% |
Mercy Health Lakeshore Campus
1.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
18th
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Shelby Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Shelby Township’s midsummer high comes in at 80°F.
79″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–32°
Spring33–55°
Summer56–79°
Fall39–58°
Oct 10
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
About one in nine working residents works right in Shelby Township
Shelby Township has about as many jobs (1,406) as working residents, but only 159 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 17 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
5.6% of workers work from home in Shelby Township. For most workers, Shelby Township is a place to come home to: only 11% work in town. The top destinations are Hart Township (9%), Whitehall (8%) and Muskegon (7%). The median commute is under 20 miles.
11%work in town
| Shelby Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.6% | 10% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Shelby Township11%
Hart Township9%
Whitehall8%
Muskegon7%
Hart7%
20 mi
median commute distance
1,406
jobs based in Shelby Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 27% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Nearby attractions
All 18 attractions →Lake Michigan and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shelby Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi LakeLake Michigan18 mi Theme parkMichigan's Adventure
28 mi National forestManistee National Forest
26 mi MuseumUSS LST-39326 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health Arena
18 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 Township
19pages on Shelby Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shelby Township; the nearest are
Muskegon Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Muskegon25.6 mi$7,250 in-state tuitionFerris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids42.7 mi$14,778 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Shelby Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Famous people from Shelby Township
4 notable people were born in Shelby Township.
About Shelby Township
Township in Michigan, United States
Shelby is a civil township of Oceana County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,109 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 994 ft
Shelby Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Shelby Township.
Benona TownshipFerry TownshipHart TownshipGrant TownshipGolden TownshipShelby Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby Township | #480 | C+ | A− | — | B− | C− |
| Benona Township | — | — | B | — | B− | C− |
| Ferry Township | — | — | B | — | B− | C− |
| Hart Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grant Township | #442 | C+ | A | — | B+ | C |
| Golden Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | C |
Benona Township, Ferry Township and Golden Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Shelby Township, Benona Township, Ferry Township, Grant Township and Golden Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Hart Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Shelby Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Shelby Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shelby Township, MI a good place to live?
Shelby Township grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #480 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C− for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Shelby Township, 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−.
What is Shelby Township, MI known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Josh Jacobs and Brad Smith.