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Shelby County, Missouri facts for kids

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Shelby County
Shelby County Courthouse in Shelbyville
Shelby County Courthouse in Shelbyville
Map of Missouri highlighting Shelby County
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Map of the United States highlighting Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Missouri
Founded January 2, 1835
Named for Isaac Shelby
Seat Shelbyville
Largest city Shelbina
Area
 • Total 502 sq mi (1,300 km2)
 • Land 501 sq mi (1,300 km2)
 • Water 1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 6,103
 • Density 12.157/sq mi (4.694/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 6th

Shelby County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,103. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was established on January 2, 1835, and named for Governor Isaac Shelby of Kentucky.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 502 square miles (1,300 km2), of which 501 square miles (1,300 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

  • I-72.svg Interstate 72 (Proposed)
  • US 36.svg U.S. Route 36
  • MO-15.svg Route 15
  • MO-151.svg Route 151
  • MO-168.svg Route 168

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 3,056
1850 4,253 39.2%
1860 7,301 71.7%
1870 10,119 38.6%
1880 14,024 38.6%
1890 15,642 11.5%
1900 16,167 3.4%
1910 14,864 −8.1%
1920 13,617 −8.4%
1930 11,983 −12.0%
1940 11,224 −6.3%
1950 9,730 −13.3%
1960 9,063 −6.9%
1970 7,906 −12.8%
1980 7,826 −1.0%
1990 6,942 −11.3%
2000 6,799 −2.1%
2010 6,373 −6.3%
2020 6,103 −4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2015

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,799 people, 2,745 households, and 1,847 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (5.4 people/km2). There were 3,245 housing units at an average density of 6 units per square mile (2.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.87% White, 0.97% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. Approximately 0.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.4% were of American, 26.9% German, 14.9% English and 8.5% Irish ancestry.

There were 2,745 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 30.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 19.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,448, and the median income for a family was $35,944. Males had a median income of $25,759 versus $18,996 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,632. About 13.00% of families and 16.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.70% of those under age 18 and 14.10% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Shelby County Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 5,749 94.2%
Black or African American (NH) 20 0.33%
Native American (NH) 20 0.33%
Asian (NH) 1 0.02%
Pacific Islander (NH) 0 0%
Other/Mixed (NH) 197 3.23%
Hispanic or Latino 117 2%

Education

Public schools

  • North Shelby School DistrictShelbyville
    • North Shelby Elementary School (K-06)
    • North Shelby High School (07-12)
  • Shelby County R-IV School District – Shelbina
    • South Shelby Elementary School (K-05)
    • South Shelby Middle School (06-08)
    • South Shelby High School (09-12)

Private schools

  • Shiloh Christian SchoolShelbina (K-12) – Nondenominational Christian – Alternative School
  • Heartland Christian Academy (Official Site): http://heartland-ministries.org/Bethel (PK-12) – Nondenominational Christian

Public libraries

  • Clarence Public Library
  • Shelbina Carnegie Public Library

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

  • Edward McKendree Bounds – clergyman and author
  • Norm Stewart, legendary University of Missouri basketball coach (from Shelbyville)
  • Randall Duke Cunningham, only U.S. Navy fighter ace of the Vietnam War, former Republican U.S. Representative from California (raised in Shelbina)
  • Frank Hamilton Short, conservationist and advocate for states' rights and private development of natural resources in the early 20th century (born in Shelby County in 1862)
  • Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart
  • James Earl Ray, assassin of Martin Luther King Jr, lived in Shelbina for a brief time.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Shelby (Misuri) para niños

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