akashic
1876–2024
Shelby County, Indiana
Shelby County·Indiana

Shelby County has voted Republican for as long as anyone can remember.

One of Indiana's most reliably Republican rural counties

18762024·38 elections
Shelby County, Indiana · Nyttend · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+48
in 2024
Archetype
Republican loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
45,265
2024 ACS
Most similar
Decatur County
IN · similarity 1.00
38 precincts · 19,754 votes cast
Trump · R+48
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−48.0%
4,95514,43819,754
2020R
−47.7%
5,02314,56819,991
2016R
−46.9%
4,24712,71818,080
2012R
−33.5%
5,35910,97816,760
2008R
−19.0%
6,98710,33317,574
2004R
−42.9%
4,51911,39716,027
2000R
−27.5%
5,3749,59015,310
1996R
−15.9%
5,3747,77815,142
1992R
−21.7%
4,5608,07516,211
1988R
−30.7%
5,38210,17615,621
1984R
−34.5%
5,35711,05616,522
1980R
−27.0%
5,86110,49617,150
1976R
−11.3%
7,0988,91816,150
1972R
−45.4%
4,02810,79414,900
1968R
−19.5%
5,4178,57416,226
1964D
+10.7%
9,0787,31016,455
1960R
−13.9%
7,1119,42116,602
1956R
−16.5%
6,5619,17015,811
1952R
−15.4%
6,5528,96115,671
1948D
+6.9%
6,9926,06813,324
1944R
−0.1%
6,7986,81613,733
1940D
+5.2%
8,0157,21615,348
1936D
+17.2%
8,5526,02614,717
1932D
+22.1%
8,5525,41014,219
1928R
−12.9%
5,7907,51613,389
1924R
−5.3%
5,9766,66412,936
1920D
+3.8%
6,8456,33613,437
1916D
+9.4%
3,9003,2017,461
1912D
+30.1%
3,4321,2547,230
1908D
+6.4%
4,0353,5297,923
1904R
−1.4%
3,5503,6607,592
1900D
+7.5%
3,8463,2917,353
1896D
+8.4%
3,8283,2197,214
1892D
+12.6%
3,4902,6646,553
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
African American
1.1%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
15.9%
Catholic & Orthodox
11.4%
Baptist
6.5%
Methodist
4.8%
Mainline Protestant
2.3%
Pentecostal & Holiness
1.2%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 57.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Shelby County, southeast of Indianapolis, recorded an R+48 margin in 2024, reflecting the deep-red lean typical of rural south-central Indiana counties where small-town and agricultural communities dominate the electorate.

The Republican margin in Shelby County reached its widest at forty-eight points in 2024. The margin in 2024 was forty-eight points, in line with the county's deep historical pattern.

Shelby County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $72,190, a 91% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 45,265 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Decatur County and Benton County.