24,192 people (2024 Census estimate, +0.6% since 2020)
796 square miles of land · 30 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
20 active community water systems list Shelby County in the area they serve, reporting 26,804 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF CENTER surface water · local government · TX2100001 | 5,450 served |
| CITY OF HUXLEY surface water · local government · TX2100019 | 1,930 served |
| MCCLELLAND WSC groundwater · local government · TX2100011 | 1,837 served |
| CITY OF TENAHA groundwater · local government · TX2100002 | 1,746 served |
| CITY OF JOAQUIN buys surface water · local government · TX2100010 | 1,620 served |
| TIMPSON RURAL WATER SUPPLY groundwater · local government · TX2100015 | 1,620 served |
| FLAT FORK WSC groundwater · local government · TX2100007 | 1,605 served |
| CITY OF TIMPSON groundwater · local government · TX2100003 | 1,549 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 53 people were held in Shelby County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 44.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
6 school districts have their office in Shelby County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $41 million — $30.4 million to run schools, about $12,198 per student, plus $8.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $10.2 million local (mostly property tax), $20.7 million state, $4.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $39.4 million.
Spent $12.4 million — $11 million to run schools, about $13,225 per student, plus $1.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.2 million local (mostly property tax), $7.5 million state, $2.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $440,000.
Spent $12.9 million — $10.3 million to run schools, about $14,450 per student, plus $2.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.2 million local (mostly property tax), $7.2 million state, $2 million federal. Long-term debt: $10 million.
Spent $11.4 million — $10.5 million to run schools, about $14,879 per student, plus $610,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.4 million local (mostly property tax), $8 million state, $1.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $7.7 million.
Spent $8.6 million — $6.9 million to run schools, about $15,200 per student, plus $1.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.5 million local (mostly property tax), $5.4 million state, $927,000 federal. Long-term debt: $2.6 million.
Spent $1.6 million — $1.6 million to run schools, about $21,014 per student, plus $5,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $351,000 local (mostly property tax), $1 million state, $312,000 federal.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Shelby County about $12.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
177 bridges in Shelby County: 93 in good condition, 77 fair, and 7 poor (4.0%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| FM 139 over TENAHA BAYOU · built 1967 | 869 vehicles a day |
| CR 3012 over TRIB OF PRAIRIE CREEK · built 1993 | 126 vehicles a day |
| CR 2545 over BAYOU SIEPE · built 1968 | 109 vehicles a day |
| CR 1049 over STRAW CREEK · built 1996 | 106 vehicles a day |
| CR 4054 over WEST CREEK · built 2000 | 65 vehicles a day |
| CR 1440 over IRISH CREEK · built 1992 | 55 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $18.3 million of work in Shelby County in fiscal 2025, about $763 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Shelby County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Shelby County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Panola County (28 mi) · San Augustine County (28 mi) · De Soto Parish, LA (30 mi) · Nacogdoches County (30 mi) · Sabine County (35 mi) · Sabine Parish, LA (38 mi).