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List of counties in Indiana

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There are 92 counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. Each county serves as the local level of government within its borders. Although Indiana was organized into the United States since the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, its land was not always available for settlement. The Vincennes Tract, Clark's Grant and an area known as "The Gore" in southeastern Indiana (resulting from the Treaty of Greenville 1795) existed during the Northwest Territory. The remainder of Indiana land was acquired by Indian Removal Act and purchases by treaty between 1804 and 1840. The largest purchase (called "Delaware New Purchase" or just "New Purchase") resulted from the Treaty of St. Mary's (1818) which acquired about 1/3 of the state in the central portion. All or most of 35 counties were eventually carved from the area. The oldest counties are generally in the south near the Ohio River, whereas newer ones were in the north in territory acquired later. Many of the final counties were formed subsequent to the acquisition and break up of the Big Miami Reserve (encompassing present day Howard County and parts of surrounding counties) between 1834 and 1840. The oldest and newest counties in Indiana are Knox County, created in 1790, and Newton County, created in 1859.[1]

Counties of Indiana
LocationState of Indiana
Number92
Populations6,004 (Ohio) – 968,460 (Marion)
Areas86 square miles (220 km2) (Ohio) – 657 square miles (1,700 km2) (Allen)
Government
Subdivisions

As of the 2023 Census estimates, the population of Indiana was 6,862,199, the average population of Indiana's 92 counties is 74,589, with Marion County as the most populous (968,460), and Ohio County (6,004) the least. 54 counties have 30,000 or more people; 17 counties have populations exceeding 100,000, five of which exceed 250,000; and only five counties have fewer than 10,000 people. The average land area is 396 square miles (1,030 km2).[2] The largest county is Allen (657 sq. mi., 1,702 km2) and the smallest is Ohio (86 sq. mi., 223 km2).[3] According to the Constitution of Indiana, no county may be created of less than 400 square miles (1,000 km2), nor may any county smaller than this be further reduced in size, which precludes any new counties.[4]

County government in Indiana consists of two bodies, the county council and the commissioners.

Many Indiana counties are named for United States Founding Fathers and personalities of the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and Battle of Tippecanoe; early leaders of Indiana Territory and Indiana, as well as surrounding states like Michigan and Kentucky; plus Native American tribes and geographical features.

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry. Indiana's code is 18, which when combined with any county code would be written as 18XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.[5]

In Indiana, the most commonly seen number associated with counties is the state county code, which is a sequential number based on the alphabetical order of the county. It has been used on automobile license plates since 1963. It first held a prominent place on the left side of the plates as part of the license plate number until the year 2008 when it was moved above the serial number and 2012 when it was moved to the lower right corner. On license plates, county codes 93, 95, and 97-99 were also used for Marion County in addition to 49. 94 and 96 were used for Lake County in addition to 45. These additional numbers ceased to be used as of 2008.[6] In addition these codes are also used by INDOT for structure IDs on objects such as bridges and overpasses.

Counties

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County
 FIPS code[7] County seat[3][8] Est.[3][8] Origin Etymology[9] BMV Number
[10] 		Population[11] Area[3][12] Map
Adams County 001 Decatur Feb 7, 1836 Adams New Purchase U.S. President John Quincy Adams 1 36,288 339 sq mi
(878 km2)		  
Allen County 003 Fort Wayne Dec 12, 1823 Delaware New Purchase Col. John Allen, Kentucky state senator[13] 2 394,545 657 sq mi
(1,702 km2)		  
Bartholomew County 005 Columbus Jan 8, 1821 Jackson County and Delaware New Purchases Lt. Col. Joseph Bartholomew, a hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe[13] 3 84,003 407 sq mi
(1,054 km2)		  
Benton County 007 Fowler Feb 18, 1840 Jasper County Thomas H. Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri 4 8,729 406 sq mi
(1,052 km2)		  
Blackford County 009 Hartford City Feb 15, 1838 Jay County Judge Isaac Blackford, Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives and Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court 5 11,893 165 sq mi
(427 km2)		  
Boone County 011 Lebanon Jan 29, 1830 Adams and Wabash New Purchases Frontiersman Daniel Boone 6 76,120 423 sq mi
(1,096 km2)		  
Brown County 013 Nashville Feb 3, 1836 Bartholomew County
Jackson County
Monroe County		 General Jacob Brown, hero of the War of 1812[13] 7 15,653 312 sq mi
(808 km2)		  
Carroll County 015 Delphi Jan 17, 1828 Adams and Wabash New Purchases Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence 8 20,525 372 sq mi
(963 km2)		  
Cass County 017 Logansport Dec 18, 1828 Non-county Area Gen. Lewis Cass, Governor of Michigan Territory and U.S. Secretary of State 9 37,666 412 sq mi
(1,067 km2)		  
Clark County 019 Jeffersonville Feb 3, 1801 Knox County General George Rogers Clark, American Revolutionary War hero 10 125,467 373 sq mi
(966 km2)		  
Clay County 021 Brazil Feb 12, 1825 Owen County
Putnam County
Sullivan County
Vigo County		 U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay 11 26,460 358 sq mi
(927 km2)		  
Clinton County 023 Frankfort Jan 29, 1830 Adams and Wabash New Purchases DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York 12 32,730 405 sq mi
(1,049 km2)		  
Crawford County 025 English Jan 29, 1818 Orange County
Harrison County
Perry County		 Col. William Crawford, surveyor of the Midwest and hero of the Indian Wars 13 10,438 306 sq mi
(793 km2)		  
Daviess County 027 Washington Feb 2, 1818 Knox County Col. Joseph Hamilton Daveiss,[13] hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 14 33,656 429 sq mi
(1,111 km2)		  
Dearborn County 029 Lawrenceburg Mar 7, 1803 Clark County, IN; Hamilton County, OH U.S. Secretary of War Henry Dearborn 15 51,215 305 sq mi
(790 km2)		  
Decatur County 031 Greensburg Dec 12, 1821 Delaware New Purchase Commodore Stephen Decatur, hero of the War of 1812 16 26,399 373 sq mi
(966 km2)		  
DeKalb County 033 Auburn Feb 7, 1835 Non-county Area Johann de Kalb, German noble who trained colonial soldiers for the American Revolutionary War 17 44,198 363 sq mi
(940 km2)		  
Delaware County 035 Muncie Jan 26, 1827[14] Delaware New Purchase Delaware Native American people 18 112,321 392 sq mi
(1,015 km2)		  
Dubois County 037 Jasper Dec 20, 1817 Perry County
Pike County		 Toussaint Dubois,[13] hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 19 43,546 427 sq mi
(1,106 km2)		  
Elkhart County 039 Goshen Jan 29, 1830 Non-county Area Disputed, but possibly the Elkhart Native American people 20 206,409 463 sq mi
(1,199 km2)		  
Fayette County 041 Connersville Jan 29, 1818 Franklin Wayne County and Non-county Area Marquis de la Fayette, French noble who trained colonial soldiers in the American Revolutionary War 21 23,362 215 sq mi
(557 km2)		  
Floyd County 043 New Albany Jan 2, 1819 Clark and Harrison Counties Either John Floyd, a War of 1812 hero and Governor of Virginia, or early settler and state legislator Davis Floyd[13] 22 80,809 148 sq mi
(383 km2)		  
Fountain County 045 Covington Dec 20, 1825 Montgomery County and Wabash New Purchase Major James Fontaine, a hero of the American Revolutionary War 23 16,731 396 sq mi
(1,026 km2)		  
Franklin County 047 Brookville Feb 1, 1811 Clark County
Dearborn County
Knox County		 Writer, orator, scholar, and founding father Benjamin Franklin 24 23,096 384 sq mi
(995 km2)		  
Fulton County 049 Rochester Feb 7, 1836 Non-county Area Robert Fulton, developer of the steamboat 25 20,358 368 sq mi
(953 km2)		  
Gibson County 051 Princeton Apr 1, 1813 Knox County John Gibson, secretary of the Indiana Territory[13] 26 32,904 487 sq mi
(1,261 km2)		  
Grant County 053 Marion Feb 10, 1831 Madison County, New Purchase and un-organized Captains Samuel and Moses Grant, former American soldiers and early settlers 27 66,200 414 sq mi
(1,072 km2)		  
Greene County 055 Bloomfield Jan 5, 1821 Sullivan County
Non-county Area		 Gen. Nathanael Greene, hero of the American Revolutionary War 28 31,196 543 sq mi
(1,406 km2)		  
Hamilton County 057 Noblesville Jan 8, 1823 Delaware New Purchase Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury and founding father 29 371,645 394 sq mi
(1,020 km2)		  
Hancock County 059 Greenfield Mar 1, 1828 Madison County John Hancock, first signer of the Declaration of Independence 30 86,166 306 sq mi
(793 km2)		  
Harrison County 061 Corydon Dec 1, 1808 Clark and Knox County William Henry Harrison, governor of Indiana Territory and U.S. President 31 40,006 485 sq mi
(1,256 km2)		  
Hendricks County 063 Danville Dec 20, 1823[15] Delaware and Wabash New Purchase Governor of Indiana William Hendricks[13] 32 186,387 407 sq mi
(1,054 km2)		  
Henry County 065 New Castle Dec 31, 1821 Delaware New Purchase Patrick Henry, attorney, orator, and founding father 33 48,929 392 sq mi
(1,015 km2)		  
Howard County 067 Kokomo Jan 15, 1844[16] un-organized Gen. Tilghman Howard, a U.S. Representative from Indiana 34 83,831 293 sq mi
(759 km2)		  
Huntington County 069 Huntington Feb 2, 1832 Adams New Purchase and un-organized Samuel Huntington, signer the Declaration of Independence 35 36,781 383 sq mi
(992 km2)		  
Jackson County 071 Brownstown Jan 1, 1816 Clark, Jefferson and Washington U.S. President Andrew Jackson 36 46,460 509 sq mi
(1,318 km2)		  
Jasper County 073 Rensselaer Feb 7, 1835 Wabash New Purchase Sgt. William Jasper, hero of the American Revolutionary War 37 33,535 560 sq mi
(1,450 km2)		  
Jay County 075 Portland Feb 7, 1835 Adams New Purchase John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court 38 20,032 384 sq mi
(995 km2)		  
Jefferson County 077 Madison Nov 23, 1810 Clark, Dearborn and Knox County U.S. President Thomas Jefferson 39 33,056 361 sq mi
(935 km2)		  
Jennings County 079 Vernon Dec 27, 1816 Jackson and Jefferson Counties Jonathan Jennings, first Governor of Indiana 40 27,622 377 sq mi
(976 km2)		  
Johnson County 081 Franklin Dec 31, 1823 Delaware New Purchase John Johnson, first Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court 41 167,819 320 sq mi
(829 km2)		  
Knox County 083 Vincennes Jun 6, 1790 Original County U.S. Secretary of War Henry Knox 42 36,070 516 sq mi
(1,336 km2)		  
Kosciusko County 085 Warsaw Feb 7, 1835 un-organized Tadeusz Kościuszko, Polish-born hero of the American Revolutionary War 43 80,364 531 sq mi
(1,375 km2)		  
LaGrange County 087 LaGrange Feb 2, 1832 un-organized The ancestral estate of the Marquis de la Fayette, the French-born hero of the American Revolutionary War 44 40,907 380 sq mi
(984 km2)		  
Lake County 089 Crown Point Jan 28, 1837 Newton and Porter Counties Its location on Lake Michigan 45, 94, 96 500,598 499 sq mi
(1,292 km2)		  
LaPorte County 091 LaPorte Jan 29, 1832 St. Joseph and un-organized Means the door in French, which refers to the city of LaPorte 46 111,706 598 sq mi
(1,549 km2)		  
Lawrence County 093 Bedford Jan 7, 1818 Orange Capt. James Lawrence,[13] hero of the War of 1812 47 45,084 449 sq mi
(1,163 km2)		  
Madison County 095 Anderson Jan 4, 1823 Delaware New Purchase U.S. President James Madison 48 132,504 452 sq mi
(1,171 km2)		  
Marion County 097 Indianapolis Dec 31, 1821 Delaware New Purchase Gen. Francis Marion, American Revolutionary War hero 49, 93, 95, 97, 98, 99 968,460 396 sq mi
(1,026 km2)		  
Marshall County 099 Plymouth Feb 7, 1835 St. Joseph County U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall 50 46,352 444 sq mi
(1,150 km2)		  
Martin County 101 Shoals Jan 17, 1820 Daviess and Dubois Counties Major John T. Martin, hero of the War of 1812 51 9,897 336 sq mi
(870 km2)		  
Miami County 103 Peru Jan 30, 1833 Cass County and un-organized Miami Native American people 52 35,402 374 sq mi
(969 km2)		  
Monroe County 105 Bloomington Jan 14, 1818 Orange County U.S. President James Monroe 53 139,342 395 sq mi
(1,023 km2)		  
Montgomery County 107 Crawfordsville Dec 21, 1822 Wabash New Purchase Gen. Richard Montgomery, hero of the American Revolutionary War 54 38,573 505 sq mi
(1,308 km2)		  
Morgan County 109 Martinsville Dec 31, 1822 Delaware and Wabash New Purchase Gen. Daniel Morgan, hero of the American Revolutionary War 55 73,227 404 sq mi
(1,046 km2)		  
Newton County 111 Kentland Dec 8, 1859[17] Jasper County Sgt. John Newton, hero of the American Revolutionary War 56 13,960 402 sq mi
(1,041 km2)		  
Noble County 113 Albion Feb 7, 1835 un-organized U.S. Senator James Noble or Governor of Indiana Noah Noble, brothers 57 47,430 411 sq mi
(1,064 km2)		  
Ohio County 115 Rising Sun Jan 4, 1844 Dearborn County The Ohio River forms its east boundary 58 6,004 86 sq mi
(223 km2)		  
Orange County 117 Paoli Feb 1, 1816 Gibson, Knox and Washington Orange County, North Carolina, in turn named for the Dutch Protestant House of Orange 59 19,638 398 sq mi
(1,031 km2)		  
Owen County 119 Spencer Dec 21, 1818 Daviess and Sullivan County Abraham Owen,[13] hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 60 21,532 385 sq mi
(997 km2)		  
Parke County 121 Rockville Jan 9, 1821 Vigo County Benjamin Parke, a delegate of Indiana Territory to the U.S. Congress[13] 61 16,484 445 sq mi
(1,153 km2)		  
Perry County 123 Tell City Nov 1, 1814 Gibson and Warrick Counties Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, hero of the War of 1812 62 19,209 382 sq mi
(989 km2)		  
Pike County 125 Petersburg Dec 21, 1816 Gibson and Perry County Zebulon M. Pike, explorer of the American West 63 12,106 334 sq mi
(865 km2)		  
Porter County 127 Valparaiso Feb 7, 1835 un-organized Capt. David Porter, hero of the War of 1812 64 175,335 418 sq mi
(1,083 km2)		  
Posey County 129 Mount Vernon Nov 11, 1814 Gibson County Warrick County Thomas Posey, governor of Indiana Territory 65 25,040 410 sq mi
(1,062 km2)		  
Pulaski County 131 Winamac Feb 7, 1835 un-organized Kazimierz Pułaski, Polish-born noble who led the colonial cavalry in the American Revolutionary War 66 12,385 434 sq mi
(1,124 km2)		  
Putnam County 133 Greencastle Dec 21, 1821[18] Vigo, Owen counties Gen. Israel Putnam, hero of the American Revolutionary War 67 37,567 481 sq mi
(1,246 km2)		  
Randolph County 135 Winchester Jan 10, 1818 Wayne County Randolph County, North Carolina, which is named for first President of the Continental Congress Peyton Randolph 68 24,216 452 sq mi
(1,171 km2)		  
Ripley County 137 Versailles Dec 27, 1816 Dearborn and Jefferson County Gen. Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, hero of the War of 1812 69 29,227 446 sq mi
(1,155 km2)		  
Rush County 139 Rushville Dec 31, 1821 Delaware New Purchase Benjamin Rush, signer the Declaration of Independence 70 16,847 408 sq mi
(1,057 km2)		  
St. Joseph County 141 South Bend Jan 29, 1830 un-organized St. Joseph River, which flows through it toward Lake Michigan 71 272,848 458 sq mi
(1,186 km2)		  
Scott County 143 Scottsburg Jan 12, 1820 Clark, Jefferson, Jennings and Washington Counties Charles Scott, Governor of Kentucky 72 24,657 190 sq mi
(492 km2)		  
Shelby County 145 Shelbyville Dec 31, 1821 Delaware New Purchase Gen. Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky 73 45,231 411 sq mi
(1,064 km2)		  
Spencer County 147 Rockport Jan 10, 1818 Perry and Warrick Counties Capt. Spier Spencer,[13] hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 74 19,910 397 sq mi
(1,028 km2)		  
Starke County 149 Knox Feb 7, 1835 St. Joseph County and un-organized Gen. John Stark, hero of the American Revolutionary War 75 23,206 309 sq mi
(800 km2)		  
Steuben County 151 Angola Feb 7, 1837 un-organized Baron Frederick von Steuben, Prussian-born noble who trained colonial soldiers during the American Revolutionary War 76 34,917 309 sq mi
(800 km2)		  
Sullivan County 153 Sullivan Dec 30, 1816 Knox General Daniel Sullivan, American Revolutionary War hero 77 20,757 447 sq mi
(1,158 km2)		  
Switzerland County 155 Vevay Oct 1, 1814 Dearborn and Jefferson County The home country of many of the early settlers, Switzerland 78 10,019 221 sq mi
(572 km2)		  
Tippecanoe County 157 Lafayette Jan 20, 1826 Wabash New Purchase and un-organized The Tippecanoe River and the Battle of Tippecanoe 79 188,792 500 sq mi
(1,295 km2)		  
Tipton County 159 Tipton Jan 15, 1844 Adams New Purchase and un-organized John Tipton,[13] U.S. Senator 80 15,256 261 sq mi
(676 km2)		  
Union County 161 Liberty Jan 5, 1821 Parts of Fayette, Franklin and Wayne counties Named because it united sections of three adjacent counties into one new entity 81 6,973 161 sq mi
(417 km2)		  
Vanderburgh County 163 Evansville Jan 7, 1818 Gibson, Posey, and Warrick Counties Henry Vanderburgh, a judge for Indiana Territory 82 179,810 233 sq mi
(603 km2)		  
Vermillion County 165 Newport Jan 2, 1824 Parke County and Wabash New Purchase The Vermillion River 83 15,417 257 sq mi
(666 km2)		  
Vigo County 167 Terre Haute Jan 21, 1818 Sullivan County Francis Vigo, Italian-born colonial spy during the American Revolutionary War 84 106,153 403 sq mi
(1,044 km2)		  
Wabash County 169 Wabash Jan 30, 1833[19] Adams New Purchase and un-organized The Wabash River 85 30,670 412 sq mi
(1,067 km2)		  
Warren County 171 Williamsport Jan 19, 1827 Wabash New Purchase and un-organized Joseph Warren, American Revolutionary War hero 86 8,518 365 sq mi
(945 km2)		  
Warrick County 173 Boonville Apr 30, 1813 Gibson and Knox Counties Capt. Jacob Warrick,[13] hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 87 65,867 385 sq mi
(997 km2)		  
Washington County 175 Salem Dec 21, 1813 Clark, Harrison and Knox Counties U.S. President George Washington 88 28,205 514 sq mi
(1,331 km2)		  
Wayne County 177 Richmond Nov 27, 1810 Clark, Dearborn and Knox Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, hero of the American Revolutionary War 89 66,127 402 sq mi
(1,041 km2)		  
Wells County 179 Bluffton Feb 7, 1837 Adams New Purchase Capt. William A. Wells, Native American who became a hero in the War of 1812 90 28,555 368 sq mi
(953 km2)		  
White County 181 Monticello Feb 1, 1834 Wabash New Purchase and un-organized Capt. Isaac White,[13] hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 91 24,917 505 sq mi
(1,308 km2)		  
Whitley County 183 Columbia City Feb 7, 1835 un-organized Col. William Whitley,[13] hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 92 34,742 336 sq mi
(870 km2)		  

See also

edit

References

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  1. ^ though Newton County was first formed in 1835
  2. ^ "Population Estimates for Indiana Counties, 2010-2017". StatsIndiana. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d National Association of Counties. "NACo - Find a county". Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  4. ^ "IN Const. art. XV, § 7 - Constitution of the State of Indiana, as amended". Indiana Legislature. 1851. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
  5. ^ "FIPS Publication 6-4". National Institute of Standards and Technology. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
  6. ^ "Indiana License Plates, 1969-Present". February 28, 2016.
  7. ^ "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  8. ^ a b "Origin of Indiana County Names". Indiana Historical Bureau. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  9. ^ "Origin of Indiana County Names". January 4, 2009.
  10. ^ "Indiana BMV website". February 28, 2016.
  11. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Indiana". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "Indiana -- County". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe
  14. ^ Delaware County was originally formed on January 1, 1820, but for lack of population it was dissolved shortly thereafter. (Funk, p. 192)
  15. ^ Hadley, John V. History of Hendricks County, Indiana . . BF Brown Co., Indianapolis. p. 8 (1914)
  16. ^ Originally named Richardville County for Chief Richardville, but renamed in 1872 (Funk, p. 193)
  17. ^ Originally organized February 7, 1835, but merged with Jasper County in 1839 and recreated later. (Funk, p. 193)
  18. ^ "Welcome to Putnam County, Indiana/History]". The USGenWeb Project. 1910. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  19. ^ Originally formed January 20, 1820, but soon dissolved for lack of population. (Funk, p. 194)
Sources
  • Funk, Arville (1983) [1969]. A Sketchbook of Indiana History. Rochester, Indiana: Christian Book Press. pp. 192–194.
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