Shelby is a town in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, home to about 4,724 people across 25 square miles. It has no ZIP code of its own: it’s part of 54601, 54623 and 54658.
Homes sold for a median of $181 per square foot across 3 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and all of them were seller’s markets.
Mostly La Crosse; part is in Shelby
Mostly Coon Valley; part is in Shelby
Mostly Bergen Town (Vernon County); part is in Shelby
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Shelby. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Shelby’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP)125 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | La Crosse Regional Airport (LSE)7 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Madison, WI101 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL223 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Shelby; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Shelby had 4,804 residents in the 2020 census, up 2% since 2000.
It’s the 194th largest of 1,889 towns in Wisconsin by population.
La Crosse County grew from 42,997 residents in 1900 to 120,784 in 2020.
La Crosse County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 80°F in summer, and winter lows average 8°F. About 37.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 54 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, La Crosse Wfo, WI weather station (3 miles away).
66,633 jobs at 3,151 businesses in La Crosse County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
2,176 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Shelby’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 267 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 645 |
| Dentists | 79 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 478 |
| Mental health providers | 427 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 199 |
| Optometrists | 43 |
| Chiropractors | 38 |
| Pharmacies | 26 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (46 nearby)
Grocery stores (4 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries (4 nearby)
Museums (4 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (2 nearby)
Counts are within about 3.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Westby Area School District, La Crosse School District, De Soto Area School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coon Valley ElementaryCoon Valley | Pre-K–4 | 125 | Public | 11.0 mi |
| Coulee Montessori Charter SchoolLa Crosse | Pre-K–6 | 118 | Charter | 5.0 mi |
| Emerson ElementaryLa Crosse | Pre-K–5 | 317 | Public | 2.6 mi |
| Hamilton Elementary SchoolLa Crosse | Pre-K–5 | 151 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Hintgen ElementaryLa Crosse | Pre-K–5 | 210 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| La Crosse Offsite PreschoolLa Crosse | Pre-K | 104 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| North Woods International SchoolLa Crosse | Pre-K–5 | 255 | Public | 5.4 mi |
| School of Technology and Arts ILa Crosse | Pre-K–5 | 104 | Charter | 2.5 mi |
| Southern Bluffs ElementaryLa Crosse | Pre-K–5 | 333 | Public | 2.4 mi |
| Spence ElementaryLa Crosse | Pre-K–5 | 329 | Public | 1.1 mi |
| State Road ElementaryLa Crosse | Pre-K–5 | 284 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| Stoddard ElementaryStoddard | Pre-K–5 | 105 | Public | 8.0 mi |
| Coulee Region Virtual AcademyLa Crosse | K–12 | 102 | Charter | 3.1 mi |
| La Crosse Polytechnic SchoolLa Crosse | 6–12 | 86 | Charter | 3.1 mi |
| Longfellow MiddleLa Crosse | 6–8 | 631 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Central HighLa Crosse | 9–12 | 969 | Public | 1.1 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathedral SchoolLa Crosse | Pre-K–2 | 124 | Roman Catholic | 2.4 mi |
| St Matthew's Lutheran SchoolStoddard | Pre-K–8 | 32 | Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod | 8.0 mi |
| Aquinas Catholic SchoolsLa Crosse | K–12 | 954 | Roman Catholic | 2.6 mi |
| ChiledaLa Crosse | 2–12 | 61 | Nonsectarian | 1.3 mi |
| Blessed Sacrament SchoolLa Crosse | 3–6 | 173 | Roman Catholic | 2.1 mi |
| Aquinas High SchoolLa Crosse | 7–8 | 157 | Roman Catholic | 2.6 mi |
| Driftless Pass SchoolLa Crosse | 7–12 | 8 | Nonsectarian | 1.2 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with La Crosse, Greenfield Town (La Crosse County), Medary, Bergen Town (Vernon County), Barre, Coon Valley, Stoddard, Washington Town (La Crosse County), Coon and Hamburg Town (Vernon County).
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.