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Where am ILOCATED

Shelby County, Iowa

Shelby County, Iowa, has 11,689 residents (July 2025 estimate). Its county seat is Harlan. It uses Central Time and covers 591 sq mi (1,530 km²) of land.

Des MoinesCedar RapidsDavenport
Shelby County in Iowa
Audubon CountyHarlanElk HornEarlingIrwin
Shelby County and its neighbors (simplified outlines). Open in OpenStreetMap ↗
Resident population, July 2025
11,689
Land area
591 sq mi (1,530 km²)
County seat or government
Harlan
Time zone
Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
Median household income
$72,738 ± $9,091
Median home value
$164,000 ± $7,530
Median rent, with utilities
$783 ± $63
Homes lived in by their owners
77.8% ± 3.8 points
County type
County
Metro or micro area
Outside any metro or micro areaNext to: Carroll, IA micro area and Omaha, NE-IA metro area
Water area
0.57 sq mi (1.49 km²)
State
Iowa
County code (FIPS)
19165
Coordinates (central point)
41.679014, -95.308917
Open this point in the location finder

These coordinates mark a central point for the area, not a street address. Income, home value, rent and homes lived in by their owners: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, ± margin at 90% confidence; checked on October 13, 2026.

Time zones in Shelby County

Time zoneLocal time and UTC offsetNext clock change
Central TimeAmerica/ChicagoUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July. Enable JavaScript for the live clock.Enable JavaScript for upcoming changes.

Near a time-zone line, check where you are with the time-zone finder. Your phone’s setting can differ.

ZIP Code areas, largest first

  1. 500228,526 people
  2. 515376,382 people
  3. 514552,279 people
  4. 515211,953 people
  5. 515291,732 people
  6. 515771,561 people
  7. 514541,254 people
  8. 515701,118 people
  9. 51531889 people
  10. 51530809 people
  11. 51563629 people
  12. 51565516 people
All 19
  1. 51562506 people
  2. 51446499 people
  3. 51543478 people
  4. 51527362 people
  5. 51552169 people
  6. 51578116 people
  7. 51447113 people

19 ZIP Code areas overlap Shelby County. People counts are 2020–2024 estimates for each whole ZIP area. Mailing ZIPs can differ; check an address with USPS ZIP Code Lookup.

Official county information

We don’t have a website for this county yet. The US government’s local-office directory ↗ lists its offices. A geographic lookup cannot determine eligibility, tax liability or a court obligation.

Townships in Shelby County, largest first

  1. Clay Township984 people
  2. Shelby Township968 people
  3. Jefferson Township849 people
  4. Union Township700 people
  5. Westphalia Township587 people
  6. Washington Township574 people
  7. Center Township526 people
  8. Cass Township413 people
  9. Jackson Township262 people
  10. Fairview Township254 people
  11. Lincoln Township245 people
  12. Douglas Township188 people
All 16
  1. Monroe Township161 people
  2. Polk Township85 people
  3. Greeley Township72 people
  4. Grove Township19 people

People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. All townships in Iowa, by county

School districts in Shelby County, largest first

  1. Harlan Community School District8,266 people
  2. AHSTW Community School District5,373 people
  3. IKM-Manning Community School District4,281 people
  4. Tri-Center Community School District3,328 people
  5. Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton Community School District3,107 people
  6. Boyer Valley Community School District2,509 people
  7. Woodbine Community School District2,470 people

Districts with land in the county; a district can cross county lines. People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. A district boundary doesn’t decide which school a student attends.

Cities, towns and communities, largest first

These areas overlap the mapped boundary; an overlap does not mean that every address belongs to both.

  1. Harlan, Iowa (city)4,891 people
  2. Shelby, Iowa (city)752 people
  3. Elk Horn, Iowa (city)728 people
  4. Earling, Iowa (city)478 people
  5. Irwin, Iowa (city)352 people
  6. Defiance, Iowa (city)251 people
  7. Panama, Iowa (city)245 people
  8. Portsmouth, Iowa (city)204 people
  9. Westphalia, Iowa (city)117 people
  10. Tennant, Iowa (city)84 people
  11. Kirkman, Iowa (city)58 people
  12. Corley, Iowa (CDP)0 people
All 13
  1. Jacksonville, Iowa (CDP)0 people

Bordering areas, nearest first

Distances are straight lines between map points.

  1. Audubon County, Iowa21 mi east
  2. Crawford County, Iowa25 mi north
  3. Pottawattamie County, Iowa26 mi southwest
  4. Harrison County, Iowa27 mi west
  5. Cass County, Iowa31 mi southeast
  6. Carroll County, Iowa34 mi northeast

Before using this answer on a form

Use a precise point for address-level questions. A device accuracy circle can cross a boundary; confirm tax, voting or jury details with the responsible office.

Find the county where you are now, check its ZIP area, or check the time zone where you are.

See this county on Census.gov ↗

Areas that only touch the edge

These areas meet the boundary only along a sliver. Most addresses here are not in them; for an address near the line, check with the county.