† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupShelbyMontanaUnited States
German25.4%22.9%12.5%
Irish13.7%13.5%9.4%
Norwegian12.4%7.5%—
English10.7%13.1%9.5%
American5.5%5.4%5.3%
Italian3.2%3.2%4.8%
Scottish2.5%2.6%1.3%
French1.6%—1.6%
Blackfeet2.0%1.0%—
Maya0.3%——
Mexican4.3%2.9%11.3%
Venezuelan0.2%——
African American†2.0%—9.9%
African0.5%—0.5%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Shelby
Montana
United States
Median age
37.7
40.8
39.1
Age 18–24
7.3%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
15.5%
20.0%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Shelby
Montana
United States
Median household income
$58,413
$72,509
$84,427
Poverty rate
13.8%
11.5%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
19.5%
35.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Shelby
Montana
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
4.4%
4.2%
22.3%
Spanish
1.6%
1.5%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Shelby
Montana
United States
Catholic
—
10.3%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
13.6%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
65.3%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Shelby, Montana
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−37.2%
2008
−24.5%
2012
−34.7%
2016
−49.0%
2020
−49.0%
2024
−53.7%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. † 2004, 2012 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for these cycles was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
21.6%Harris266
75.3%Trump928
3.1%
R+53.7
R+4.7
R+52.3
1,232
R
24.1%Biden301
73.1%Trump913
2.8%
R+49.0
±0.0
R+53.5
1,249
R
21.8%Clinton258
70.7%Trump839
7.5%
R+49.0
R+14.3
R+51.1
1,186
R
30.8%Obama381
65.4%Romney810
3.8%
R+34.7
R+10.2
R+38.5
1,238
R
35.8%Obama443
60.3%McCain746
3.9%
R+24.5
D+12.7
R+31.8
1,237
R
31.1%Kerry406
68.3%Bush891
0.6%
R+37.2
—
R+34.7
1,305
Shelby sits at the junction of I-15 and the BNSF main line in Toole County, an energy-producing stretch of north-central Montana that consistently delivers lopsided Republican margins in both state and federal contests.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 53.7 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 4.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 53.7 points.
A population of 3,216, a 79% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $58,413 describe the city.
In 2024, Shelby, Montana voted Republican by 53.7 points (R+53.7), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 1,232 votes cast, 266 went Democratic and 928 went Republican.
How many people live in Shelby, Montana?
Shelby, Montana has a population of 3,216 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Shelby, Montana?
Median household income in Shelby, Montana is $58,413 — below the national median of $80,734. The Montana state median is $72,509.
What is the political history of Shelby, Montana?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Shelby, Montana from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
