Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shelby gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $136K for a typical one, or 1.8 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income. It grades B− overall, 376th among New York's 745 graded towns. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 19% of the land in Shelby is conserved, above both the New York town median (5.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, 5,489 acres with 3.5 miles of trail. Shelby has 2 places on the National Register.
Where Shelby beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Shelby is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,158 in 1820, 5,319 in 2010. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1864 and 4 maps from 1897 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shelby, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Shelby.
Shelby is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Ridgeway and other neighbors.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shelby.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Medina Central School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Medina Junior-Senior High School, with 569 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifford Wise Intermediate SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 383 | D |
| Medina Junior-Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 569 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
5.7 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Shelby’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both New York’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge | 3.5 mi | 5,489 |
| 2. Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area | — | 244 |
| 3. Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area | — | 97 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Shelby has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Shelby is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Shelby has about as many jobs (2,489) as working residents, but only 316 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 26.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Shelby for work: only 14% work in town. Shelby’s median household income is $66,000. The top destinations are Ridgeway (14%), Amherst (6%) and Albion (5%).
| Shelby | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,044 U.S. towns with household incomes like Shelby’s, it is healthier than 63%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Shelby beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 15% of Shelby adults report frequent physical distress.
| Shelby | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Shelby | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6% |
| More smokers | 15.8% | 11.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 1.8 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 94% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
68% of households own their home in Shelby.
| Shelby | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $788 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shelby. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi WaterfallNiagara Falls
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium
35 mi WaterfallHorseshoe Falls17 mi Theme parkSix Flags Darien Lake1.5M visitors a year
32 mi Stadium & arenaKeyBank CenterNiagara Falls: Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Highmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · Horseshoe Falls: Ujjwal Kumar, Public domain · KeyBank Center: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Shelby; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Shelby residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
Shelby is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 5,319 at the 2010 census. The Town of Shelby is located in the southwest corner of Orleans County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Shelby.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby | #376 | B− | A− | — | C+ | B− |
| Ridgeway | #380 | B− | B | — | B− | C+ |
| Alabama | — | — | A− | — | B− | B |
| Royalton | #185 | A− | B+ | — | B | B |
| Barre | — | — | B | — | C+ | C |
Alabama and Barre have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Shelby, Ridgeway, Alabama, Royalton and Barre report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Shelby with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Shelby grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #376 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $136,000, 74% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
