The Rand Corp., where Shapley worked as a research mathematician for decades, said he died yesterday in Arizona.
His health had declined after breaking a hip several weeks ago.
Shapley received the Nobel for his work that analyzed match-making in markets.
He shared the prize with Alvin Roth, who teaches economics at Harvard and Stanford.
Shapley came up with formulas to match supply and demand in markets where prices don't do the job; Roth put Shapley's math to work in the real world.
Shapley is survived by two sons.