Where is Shelby County?

9 Shelby Counties in 9 states · 1.4 million people (2025)

There are 9 counties named Shelby County in the United States, in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas. The most populous is Shelby County, Tennessee (county seat: Memphis), with 910,226 people in 2025. 9 of them are named after Isaac Shelby, American politician (1750-1826).

Map of the United States showing where all 9 Shelby Counties are, labeled by state
Every Shelby County in the United States (red), labeled with its state. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).

All 9 Shelby Counties

Sorted by state. Each link opens the county's map.

StateCounty seatPopulation 2025Land area (sq mi)EstablishedNamed after
Shelby County, AlabamaColumbiana238,5527861818Isaac Shelby
Shelby County, IllinoisShelbyville20,5767591827Isaac Shelby
Shelby County, IndianaShelbyville45,8824111821Isaac Shelby
Shelby County, IowaHarlan11,6895911851Isaac Shelby
Shelby County, KentuckyShelbyville51,2433801792Isaac Shelby
Shelby County, MissouriShelbyville5,8705011835Isaac Shelby
Shelby County, OhioSidney48,0654081819Isaac Shelby
Shelby County, TennesseeMemphis910,2267531819Isaac Shelby
Shelby County, TexasCenter24,2867961836Isaac Shelby

Questions about Shelby Counties

How many Shelby Counties are there?

There are 9 Shelby Counties in the United States, in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas.

Which Shelby County is the largest?

By population, Shelby County, Tennessee (910,226 people in 2025). By land area, Shelby County, Texas (796 sq mi).

Which Shelby County is the oldest?

Shelby County, Kentucky, established in 1792. The newest is Shelby County, Iowa (1851).

Why are there so many Shelby Counties?

9 of the 9 are named after Isaac Shelby, American politician (1750-1826). Many counties took their names from the same founders, presidents and generals as new states were organized.

How do I find out which Shelby County an address is in?

Open the county map of the state: it has a search box for cities, towns and ZIP codes. On a phone, the "what county am I in" tool on our sister site uses your location.

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Other common county names