# Shelby, Iowa — #546 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.90 of 10. FIPS 19165. Population 11,806. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 11,800 people live in Shelby, Iowa. It ranks #546 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #21 of 99 in Iowa. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.19% of a home's value each year, more than in 81% of counties. Local government employs a larger share of working residents than in 70% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 77% of counties. Life expectancy is about 78.4 years, longer than in 78% of counties. Air quality is better than in 67% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 38), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 87% of counties. On this site's state scores, Iowa gets 6.91 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.91 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.21 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.10 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 10.00 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 4.05 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 8.05 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 8.40 |  |
| Government employees | county | 2.77 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 9.06 |  |

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

## Neighbors

- #1527 Crawford, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19047.md
- #1178 Cass, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19029.md
- #970 Audubon, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19009.md
- #802 Harrison, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19085.md
- #1858 Pottawattamie, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19155.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/19165
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=19165
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy