Every ZIP code in the United States, with weather, radar, trivia and the numbers behind it. Five digits since 1963!

ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan. The codes went live on July 1, 1963.The lowest ZIP code is 00501 — the IRS in Holtsville, New York.The highest ZIP code is 99950, in Ketchikan, Alaska.Type 07734 into a calculator and turn it upside down: hELLO. It is Keansburg, New Jersey.12345 belongs to one company: General Electric in Schenectady, New York.The first digit is a region: 0 is New England and New Jersey, 9 is the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii.Mr. ZIP, the cartoon mailman, was the mascot that sold the idea to America.ZIP+4 arrived in 1983 and can narrow a ZIP down to one side of one block.A ZIP code is a mail route, not a place: plenty of them cross county and even state lines.Play ZIP Hunt: guess the secret ZIP code of the day in six tries.
zipcodes.pro — STATE/IA/COUNTY/SHELBY

Shelby County, IA ZIP codes

There are 10 ZIP codes in Shelby County, IA, in 10 towns, from 51446 to 51578. The largest are 51537 (Harlan), 51570 (Shelby) and 51531 (Elk Horn). 1 more crosses into it from a neighbouring county: 51454.

The county seat is Harlan.

ZIP codes
10
Partly in it
1 more
Towns
10
County seat
Harlan
County FIPS
19165
State
Iowa
Population
11,778
Median household income
$72,738
Land area
591 sq mi

Shelby County ZIP codes by town

Harlan (county seat)
51537

Each ZIP code is listed under the county most of its land lies in and the town the Postal Service names it for; a ZIP code's own page shows exactly how it is split.

ZIP codes partly in Shelby County

This ZIP code lies mostly in a neighbouring county but covers a twentieth or more of Shelby County.

Map of Shelby County ZIP codes

The ZIP codes of Shelby County, shaded. Outlines are Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (2020), which approximate the mail routes; PO-box and single-address codes have no area and are not drawn. Click any area to open its ZIP code.

Shelby County in numbers

About 11,778 people live in Shelby County, in 4,882 households, the 65th most populous of Iowa's 99 counties. The median household income is $72,738 a year, 3% below the Iowa median of $75,059 (US: $80,734). The median owner-occupied home is valued at $164,000 (21% below the Iowa median), and median gross rent is $783 a month. The median age is 44.3; 24.1% of adults 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher (31.4% across Iowa); the average commute takes 19 minutes.

Population11,778Shelby11,778
Households4,882Shelby4,882
Median age44.3Shelby44.3Iowa38.6US 38.9
Median household income$72,738Shelby$72,738Iowa$75,059US $80,734
Median home value$164,000Shelby$164,000Iowa$208,000US $332,700
Median gross rent$783Shelby$783Iowa$972US $1,413
Bachelor's degree or higher24.1%Shelby24.1%Iowa31.4%US 35.7%
Mean commute18.5 minShelby18.5 minIowa19.8 minUS 26.4 min
Population density20 / sq miShelby20 / sq mi

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Survey estimates carry margins of error, wider for small places. Sources and methods.

Largest towns in Shelby County

Largest towns in Shelby County
TownZIP codesPopulation
Harlan 1 4,891
Shelby 1 752
Elk Horn 1 728
Earling 1 478
Irwin 1 352
Defiance 1 251
Panama 1 245
Portsmouth 1 204
Westphalia 1 117
Kirkman 1 58

Population of the census place of that name where there is one, otherwise of the ZIP codes the Postal Service addresses by it. A town's ZIP codes can reach past the county line.

Neighbouring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Shelby County.

Not sure you are in Shelby County? What county am I in? answers from your location, near a county line included.

Every ZIP code in Shelby County, with figures

ZIP codes in Shelby County
ZIP City Type Population Median income Median home
51446 Irwin , IA Standard 499 $62,750 $91,400
51447 Kirkman , IA Standard 113 $68,214 $141,700
51527 Defiance , IA Standard 362 $64,750 $123,400
51530 Earling , IA Standard 809 $73,750 $163,800
51531 Elk Horn , IA Standard 889 $59,199 $131,500
51537 Harlan , IA Standard 6,382 $65,000 $166,800
51562 Panama , IA Standard 506 $81,250 $159,000
51565 Portsmouth , IA Standard 516 $103,257 $182,100
51570 Shelby , IA Standard 1,118 $77,708 $204,700
51578 Westphalia , IA Standard 116 $77,292 $97,600

Cite this page

zipcodes.pro. “Shelby County ZIP codes.” Data release 2026-10-12. Retrieved 2026-10-20. https://zipcodes.pro/state/ia/county/shelby

Underlying data is public domain or openly licensed — sources, vintages and licences.