# Shelby, Illinois — #2,798 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.01 of 10. FIPS 17173. Population 20,568. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 20,600 people live in Shelby, Illinois. It ranks #2,798 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #38 of 102 in Illinois. The combined sales tax is 7.25%, higher than in 71% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.34% of a home's value each year, more than in 87% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 53% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 56% of counties. Life expectancy is about 76.5 years, longer than in 57% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 89% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 49), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 65% of counties. On this site's state scores, Illinois gets 5.58 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 0 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 5.58 |  |
| 2A | state | 0.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.14 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.94 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.82 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.41 |  |
| Property tax | county | 3.30 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 5.17 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 6.50 |  |
| Government employees | county | 5.24 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 3.84 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #2474 Effingham, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17049.md
- #2518 Cumberland, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17035.md
- #2890 Moultrie, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17139.md
- #2528 Fayette, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17051.md
- #2878 Montgomery, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17135.md
- #2949 Coles, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17029.md
- #2809 Christian, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17021.md
- #3137 Macon, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17115.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/17173
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=17173
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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