Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shelby gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $190K for a typical one, or 3.2 years of the Mansfield metro’s $60K median household income. It grades B overall, 535th among Ohio's 987 graded towns. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Most Pure Heart Of Mary Church and Shelby Oakland Mausoleum. 19% of working residents work locally in Shelby, where Ohio’s towns sit at 6.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Shelby's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Where Shelby beats most towns.
Most Pure Heart Of Mary ChurchEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Shelby is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,003 in 1860, 9,282 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 4 maps from 1915 on.
4 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 and trades workers with Mansfield and other neighbors, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
The median property tax bill is $1,332, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
61% of households own their home in Shelby. Typical home values rose 6.6% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Shelby is $780 a month.
| Shelby | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $780 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 8,466 U.S. towns with household incomes like Shelby’s, it is healthier than 55%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Shelby beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 40% of Shelby adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Shelby | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Shelby | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
136 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 11 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 136 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shelby.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Shelby has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Shelby’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Shelby has about as many jobs (3,276) as working residents, but only 711 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 5,462 in 2013 to 3,276.
Jobs based in Shelby fell to 3,276 in 2023, 2,186 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Mansfield (18%), Columbus (6%) and Ontario (5%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
| Shelby | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.8% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Shelby | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seltzer Park | — | 15 |
| 2. McBride Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shelby. Close and well known come first.
11 mi MuseumOhio State Reformatory
33 mi LandmarkHarding Tomb
22 mi State parkMalabar Farm State Park
10 mi GardenKingwood Center39 mi Theme parkCastaway Bay
36 mi MuseumAllen Memorial Art MuseumOhio State Reformatory: Niagara66, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Harding Tomb: User:Postdlf, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Malabar Farm State Park: Jerward at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Kingwood Center: Mar07 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Allen Memorial Art Museum: Daderot, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Shelby
About 4 of every 100 Shelby residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
4 places in Shelby on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Shelby.
City in Ohio, United States
Shelby is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located northwest of the city of Mansfield, it is part of the Mansfield metropolitan area. The population was 9,282 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Shelby.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby | #535 | B | A | B− | B+ | C |
| Sharon Township | #507 | B | A− | — | B+ | C |
| Plymouth Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson Township | #625 | B− | B | — | B+ | C |
Sharon Township and Jackson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Plymouth Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Shelby with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Shelby grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #535 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools.
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.
9 notable people were born here, including Larry Siegfried and Augustus N. Summers.
