ShellyMN
A town of 177, settled in 1896.
Is Shelly a good place to live?
Only one of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare has a lower median household income than Shelly. Shelly’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile, above both the Minnesota town median (0.5) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Shelly has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
177 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Shelly: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shelly, and how to reach them.
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 Shelly.
Shelly has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The top destinations are Fargo (17%), Halstad (15%) and Ada (10%). The typical journey to work in Shelly is 30 minutes. Shelly: a fifth of residents live below the poverty line, against 7% in Minnesota’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Half commute less than 34 miles.
| Shelly | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Shelly is
Among adults in Shelly, 75% had a checkup this year. 17% of adults in Shelly smoke cigarettes; 37% have high blood pressure.
| Shelly | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Shelly | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.4% | 5.4% |
| More smokers | 17.1% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4% | 3.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Shelly, mostly inland flooding
One claim on flood insurance has been paid out in Shelly since 1979. On expected storm and flood damage, Shelly sits below 54% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Shelly break down as 37% from inland flooding and 25% from cold waves. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Shelly once, in 2009.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0% of Shelly is conserved land
Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 0.5 miles. Shelly has one park or preserve, 3 acres in all.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shelly City Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Shelly
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shelly; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Shelly residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
100% of working residents leave Shelly for work
Where Shelly’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Shelly
Shelly
Shelly is a city in Norman County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 179 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 866 ft
- ZIP code
- 56581
- Area code
- 218
Questions about Shelly
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shelly, MN a good place to live?
Shelly has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.