Shelby County is a county in Indiana, United States, on the Tipton Till Plain in the east-central part of the state. It had a population of 45,055 at the 2020 census and covers 411.15 square miles (1,064.9 km2) of land, centred near 39°31′N 85°47′W.
Shelbyville is the county seat, and its postal code is 46176. The county has one incorporated city (Shelbyville) and four incorporated towns, several of which straddle a county line, plus more than two dozen unincorporated communities. Shelby County is in the Eastern time zone.
Towns & Villages in Shelby County
Shelbyville is Shelby County’s only city and its seat; Edinburgh, Fairland, Morristown and St. Paul are incorporated towns (Edinburgh and St. Paul each straddle the county line with a neighboring county). The rest of the list below are unincorporated communities and small residential subdivisions scattered across the county’s fourteen townships.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelbyville | City · seat | Addison | — | 46176 |
| Edinburgh | Town | Union | — | — |
| Fairland | Town | — | — | 46126 |
| Morristown | Town | — | — | 46161 |
| St. Paul | Town | — | — | — |
| Waldron | CDP | — | — | 46182 |
| Boggstown | Unincorp. | — | — | 46110 |
| Flat Rock | Unincorp. | — | — | 47234 |
| Fountaintown | Unincorp. | — | — | 46130 |
| Gwynneville | Unincorp. | — | — | 46144 |
| London | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Marietta | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bengal | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Blue Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brookfield | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Geneva | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lewis Creek | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Morven | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Auburn | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Norristown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pleasant View | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Prescott | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sleepy Hollow | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Smithland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sugar Creek | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Walkerville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Freeport | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Candleglo Village | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Clover Village | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Green Meadows | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Knighthood Village | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rolling Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wilson Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
St. Paul sits mostly in neighboring Decatur County, with a small portion inside Shelby County’s Hanover Township; Edinburgh sits mostly in Johnson and Bartholomew counties, with its Shelby County portion in Union Township. Both are counted here because each carries a Shelby County address range.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Addison | — | Shelbyville (part) |
| Brandywine | — | Fountaintown, Geneva |
| Hanover | — | St. Paul (part), Marietta |
| Hendricks | — | Waldron |
| Jackson | — | Freeport |
| Liberty | — | Morristown |
| Marion | — | Flat Rock |
| Moral | — | Boggstown |
| Noble | — | Fairland, Gwynneville |
| Shelby | — | London |
| Sugar Creek | — | — |
| Union | — | Edinburgh (part) |
| Van Buren | — | Mount Auburn |
| Washington | — | — |
Shelby County has fourteen civil townships. Township-level 2020 census counts were not available from the sources checked for this profile; the main-settlement column above reflects the township each community is generally understood to sit in, not a verified administrative assignment for every place.
ZIP Codes
- 46176 — Shelbyville (also serves Addison, Shelby and Union townships)
- 46126 — Fairland
- 46130 — Fountaintown
- 46161 — Morristown
- 46182 — Waldron
- 47234 — Flat Rock
- 46110 — Boggstown
- 46144 — Gwynneville (PO box service only, no home delivery)
Smaller subdivisions and crossroads communities such as Candleglo Village, Green Meadows and Knighthood Village share the Shelbyville 46176 ZIP rather than carrying their own postal code.
Geography
Shelby County lies on the Tipton Till Plain, a flat-to-gently-rolling glacial plain that covers most of east-central Indiana. The Big Blue River and the Flatrock River cross the county and join at Shelbyville to form the Driftwood River, a headwater of the East Fork White River. Farmland — mostly corn and soybeans — covers the bulk of the county’s 411 square miles. The highest point, about 930 feet, is along the northern border with Hancock County.
Shelby County borders six other Indiana counties: Hancock County to the north, Rush County to the east, Decatur County to the southeast, Bartholomew County to the south, Johnson County to the west and Marion County to the northwest.
Demographics
Shelby County’s population was 45,055 at the 2020 census. Shelbyville, the county seat, is by far the largest place and accounts for well over half the county’s residents; Edinburgh and Fairland are the next-largest incorporated communities, though most of each sits in a neighboring county. Median household income in Shelby County runs close to the Indiana median of $69,477, with the Fountaintown-area ZIP reporting notably higher household incomes than the county average. Population density countywide is roughly 110 people per square mile, concentrated around Shelbyville and thinning out toward the townships’ farmland.
Economy & Local Life
Shelbyville anchors the county’s economy, combining manufacturing (automotive and metal-parts suppliers along the I-74 corridor), agriculture, and retail drawing from the Indianapolis metro area to the northwest. Shelbyville’s historic downtown square hosts community events through the year, including the county’s fair each summer at the Shelby County 4-H Fairgrounds.
History
The Indiana General Assembly authorized Shelby County’s creation on December 31, 1821, and the county organized on July 1, 1822. It was named for General Isaac Shelby, who commanded American forces at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War and later served as Kentucky’s first governor. Shelbyville was platted as the county seat the same year, and the county’s early economy grew around gristmills and sawmills on the Big Blue and Flatrock rivers before the railroad and, later, the interstate highways reshaped its industry.
Getting There
Interstate 74 crosses the county through Shelbyville and Fountaintown, and Interstate 65 clips its northwestern corner near Edinburgh. U.S. Routes 52 and 421 and Indiana State Roads 9, 44, 244 and 252 provide the rest of the county’s highway network.
- Indianapolis — 25 miles northwest
- Columbus — 20 miles south
- Greenfield — 15 miles north
- Rushville — 15 miles east
Indianapolis International Airport, about 30 miles northwest of Shelbyville, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Shelby County, Indiana?
Shelby County is in east-central Indiana, about 25 miles southeast of Indianapolis, centred near 39°31′N 85°47′W.
What is the population of Shelby County?
Shelby County had a population of 45,055 at the 2020 census.
How big is Shelby County?
The county covers 411.15 square miles (1,064.9 km2) of land plus 1.61 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Shelby County?
Shelbyville is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city.
How many towns are in Shelby County?
Shelby County has one city (Shelbyville) and four incorporated towns (Edinburgh, Fairland, Morristown and St. Paul), plus roughly two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Shelby County?
Shelby County’s main ZIP codes are 46176 (Shelbyville), 46126 (Fairland), 46130 (Fountaintown), 46161 (Morristown), 46182 (Waldron), 47234 (Flat Rock) and 46110 (Boggstown).
Where do the Big Blue and Flatrock rivers meet?
They join at Shelbyville to form the Driftwood River, which flows on to join the East Fork White River.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.