- List of counties in Indiana
-
Indiana counties
The U.S. state of Indiana has 92 counties. 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. Eventually, land was purchased from Native Americans by treaties and Indian removals. The oldest counties are generally in the south near the Ohio River, whereas newer ones were in the north in territory acquired later. The oldest and newest counties in Indiana are Knox County, created in 1790, and Newton County, created in 1859.
As of the 2000 United States Census, the population of Indiana was 6,045,485, the average population of Indiana's 92 counties is 65,712, with Marion County as the most populous (860,454), and Ohio County (5,623) the least. The average land area is 396 square miles (1,030 km2). The largest county is Allen (657 sq. mi., 1,702 km²) and the smallest is Ohio (87 sq. mi., 225 km²).[1] 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.[2]
County government in Indiana consists of two bodies, the county council and the commissioners. Government of Indiana#County government
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.[3]
List of counties
County FIPS code
[4]County seat
[1][5]Established
[1][5]Origin Etymology
[5]Population
[1][6]Area
[1]Map Adams County 001 Decatur February 7, 1836 Adams New Purchase U.S. President John Quincy Adams 33,625 339 sq mi
(878 km2)
Allen County 003 Fort Wayne December 12, 1823 Delaware New Purchase Col. John Allen, Kentucky state senator[7] 331,849 657 sq mi
(1,702 km2)
Bartholomew County 005 Columbus January 8, 1821 Jackson County and Delaware New Purchases Lt. Col. Joseph Bartholomew, a hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe[7] 71,435 407 sq mi
(1,054 km2)
Benton County 007 Fowler February 18, 1840 Jasper County Thomas H. Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri 9,421 406 sq mi
(1,052 km2)
Blackford County 009 Hartford City February 15, 1838 Jay County Judge Isaac Blackford, Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives and Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court 14,048 165 sq mi
(427 km2)
Boone County 011 Lebanon January 29, 1830 Adams and Wabash New Purchases Frontiersman Daniel Boone 46,107 423 sq mi
(1,096 km2)
Brown County 013 Nashville February 3, 1836 Bartholomew County
Jackson County
Monroe CountyGeneral Jacob Brown, hero of the War of 1812[7] 14,957 312 sq mi
(808 km2)
Carroll County 015 Delphi January 17, 1828 Adams and Wabash New Purchases Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence 20,165 372 sq mi
(963 km2)
Cass County 017 Logansport December 18, 1828 Non-county Area Gen. Lewis Cass, Governor of Michigan Territory and U.S. Secretary of State 40,930 413 sq mi
(1,070 km2)
Clark County 019 Jeffersonville February 3, 1801 Knox County General George Rogers Clark, American Revolutionary War hero 96,472 375 sq mi
(971 km2)
Clay County 021 Brazil February 12, 1825 Owen County
Putnam County
Sullivan County
Vigo CountyU.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay 26,556 358 sq mi
(927 km2)
Clinton County 023 Frankfort January 29, 1830 Adams and Wabash New Purchases DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York 33,866 405 sq mi
(1,049 km2)
Crawford County 025 English January 29, 1818 Orange County
Harrison County
Perry CountyCol. William Crawford, surveyor of the Midwest and hero of the Indian Wars 10,743 306 sq mi
(793 km2)
Daviess County 027 Washington February 2, 1818 Knox County Col. Joseph H. Daviess[7], hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 30,820 431 sq mi
(1,116 km2)
Dearborn County 029 Lawrenceburg March 7, 1803 Clark County, IN; Hamilton County, OH U.S. Secretary of War Henry Dearborn 46,109 305 sq mi
(790 km2)
Decatur County 031 Greensburg December 12, 1821 Delaware New Purchase Commodore Stephen Decatur, hero of the War of 1812 24,555 373 sq mi
(966 km2)
DeKalb County 033 Auburn February 7, 1835 Non-county Area Johann de Kalb, German noble who trained colonial soldiers for the American Revolutionary War 40,285 363 sq mi
(940 km2)
Delaware County 035 Muncie January 26, 1827[8] Delaware New Purchase Delaware Native American people 118,769 393 sq mi
(1,018 km2)
Dubois County 037 Jasper December 20, 1817 Perry County
Pike CountyToussaint Dubois[7], hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 39,674 430 sq mi
(1,114 km2)
Elkhart County 039 Goshen January 29, 1830 Non-county Area Disputed, but possibly the Elkhart Native American people 182,791 464 sq mi
(1,202 km2)
Fayette County 041 Connersville January 29, 1818 Franklin Wayne County and Non-county Area Marquis de la Fayette, French noble who trained colonial soldiers in the American Revolutionary War 25,588 215 sq mi
(557 km2)
Floyd County 043 New Albany January 2, 1819 Clark and Harrison Counties Col. Either John Floyd, a War of 1812 hero and Governor of Virginia, or early settler and state legislator Davis Floyd[7] 78,823 148 sq mi
(383 km2)
Fountain County 045 Covington December 20, 1825 Montgomery County and Wabash New Purchase Major James Fontaine, a hero of the American Revolutionary War 17,954 396 sq mi
(1,026 km2)
Franklin County 047 Brookville February 1, 1811 Clark County
Dearborn County
Knox CountyWriter, orator, scholar, and founding father Benjamin Franklin 22,151 386 sq mi
(1,000 km2)
Fulton County 049 Rochester February 7, 1836 Non-county Area Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat 20,511 368 sq mi
(953 km2)
Gibson County 051 Princeton April 1, 1813 Knox County John Gibson, secretary of the Indiana Territory[7] 38,700 526 sq mi
(1,362 km2)
Grant County 053 Marion February 10, 1831 Formed from Madison County, Adams New Purchase and un-organized Captains Samuel and Moses Grant, former American soldiers and early settlers 73,403 414 sq mi
(1,072 km2)
Greene County 055 Bloomfield January 5, 1821 Sullivan County
Non-county AreaGen. Nathanael Greene, hero of the American Revolutionary War 32,157 522 sq mi
(1,352 km2)
Hamilton County 057 Noblesville January 8, 1823 Formed from Delaware New Purchase Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury and founding father 255,740 388 sq mi
(1,005 km2)
Hancock County 059 Greenfield March 1, 1828 Formed from Madison County John Hancock, first signer of the Declaration of Independence 55,391 306 sq mi
(793 km2)
Harrison County 061 Corydon December 1, 1808 Formed from Clark and Knox County William Henry Harrison, governor of Indiana Territory and U.S. President 34,325 485 sq mi
(1,256 km2)
Hendricks County 063 Danville December 20, 1824 Formed from Delaware and Wabash New Purchase Governor of Indiana William Hendricks[7] 104,093 408 sq mi
(1,057 km2)
Henry County 065 New Castle December 31, 1821 Formed from Delaware New Purchase Patrick Henry, attorney, orator, and founding father 48,508 393 sq mi
(1,018 km2)
Howard County 067 Kokomo January 15, 1844[9] Formed from un-organized Gen. Tilghman Howard, a U.S. Representative from Indiana 84,964 293 sq mi
(759 km2)
Huntington County 069 Huntington February 2, 1832 Formed from Adams New Purchase and un-organized Samuel Huntington, signer the Declaration of Independence 38,075 383 sq mi
(992 km2)
Jackson County 071 Brownstown January 1, 1816 Formed from Clark, Jefferson and Washington U.S. President Andrew Jackson 41,335 509 sq mi
(1,318 km2)
Jasper County 073 Rensselaer February 7, 1835 Formed from Wabash New Purchase Sgt. William Jasper, hero of the American Revolutionary War 30,043 560 sq mi
(1,450 km2)
Jay County 075 Portland February 7, 1835 Formed from Adams New Purchase John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court 21,806 384 sq mi
(995 km2)
Jefferson County 077 Madison November 23, 1810 Formed from Clark, Dearborn and Knox County U.S. President Thomas Jefferson 31,705 361 sq mi
(935 km2)
Jennings County 079 Vernon December 27, 1816 Formed from Jackson and Jefferson Counties Jonathan Jennings, the first Governor of Indiana 27,554 377 sq mi
(976 km2)
Johnson County 081 Franklin December 31, 1823 Formed from Delaware New Purchase John Johnson, first Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court 115,209 320 sq mi
(829 km2)
Knox County 083 Vincennes June 6, 1790 Original County U.S. Secretary of War Henry Knox 39,256 516 sq mi
(1,336 km2)
Kosciusko County 085 Warsaw February 7, 1835 Formed from un-organized Tadeusz Kościuszko, Polish-born hero of the American Revolutionary War and leader of a Polish nationalistic revolt against Russia 74,057 538 sq mi
(1,393 km2)
LaGrange County 087 LaGrange February 2, 1832 Formed from un-organized The ancestral estate of the Marquis de la Fayette, the French-born hero of the American Revolutionary War 34,909 387 sq mi
(1,002 km2)
Lake County 089 Crown Point January 28, 1837 Formed from Newton and Porter Counties Its location on Lake Michigan 484,564 380 sq mi
(984 km2)
LaPorte County 091 LaPorte January 29, 1832 Formed from St. Joseph and un-organized Means the port in French, which refers to the county's harbors on Lake Michigan 110,106 613 sq mi
(1,588 km2)
Lawrence County 093 Bedford January 7, 1818 Formed from Orange Capt. James Lawrence[7], hero of the War of 1812 45,922 449 sq mi
(1,163 km2)
Madison County 095 Anderson January 4, 1823 Formed from Delaware New Purchase U.S. President James Madison 133,358 452 sq mi
(1,171 km2)
Marion County 097 Indianapolis December 31, 1821 Formed from Delaware New Purchase Gen. Francis Marion, American Revolutionary War hero 860,454 396 sq mi
(1,026 km2)
Marshall County 099 Plymouth February 7, 1835 Formed from St. Joseph County U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall 45,128 444 sq mi
(1,150 km2)
Martin County 101 Shoals January 17, 1820 Formed from Daviess and Dubois Counties Major John T. Martin, hero of the War of 1812 10,369 336 sq mi
(870 km2)
Miami County 103 Peru January 30, 1833 Formed from Cass County and un-organized Miami Native American people 36,082 376 sq mi
(974 km2)
Monroe County 105 Bloomington January 14, 1818 Formed from Orange County U.S. President James Monroe 120,563 394 sq mi
(1,020 km2)
Montgomery County 107 Crawfordsville December 21, 1822 Formed from Wabash New Purchase Gen. Richard Montgomery, hero of the American Revolutionary War 37,629 505 sq mi
(1,308 km2)
Morgan County 109 Martinsville December 31, 1822 Formed from Delaware and Wabash New Purchase Gen. Daniel Morgan, hero of the American Revolutionary War 66,689 406 sq mi
(1,052 km2)
Newton County 111 Kentland December 8, 1859[10] Formed from Jasper County Sgt. John Newton, hero of the American Revolutionary War 14,566 402 sq mi
(1,041 km2)
Noble County 113 Albion February 7, 1835 Formed from un-organized U.S. Senator James Noble or Governor of Indiana Noah Noble, brothers 46,275 411 sq mi
(1,064 km2)
Ohio County 115 Rising Sun January 4, 1844 Formed from Dearborn County The Ohio River 5,623 87 sq mi
(225 km2)
Orange County 117 Paoli February 1, 1816 Formed from Gibson, Knox and Washington Orange County, North Carolina, in turn named for the Dutch Protestant House of Orange 19,306 400 sq mi
(1,036 km2)
Owen County 119 Spencer December 21, 1818 Formed from Daviess and Sullivan County Abraham Owen[7], hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 21,786 385 sq mi
(997 km2)
Parke County 121 Rockville January 9, 1821 Formed from Vigo County Benjamin Parke, a delegate of Indiana Territory to the U.S. Congress[7] 17,241 445 sq mi
(1,153 km2)
Perry County 123 Tell City November 1, 1814 Formed from Gibson and Warrick Counties Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, hero of the War of 1812 18,899 381 sq mi
(987 km2)
Pike County 125 Petersburg December 21, 1816 Formed from Gibson and Perry County Zebulon M. Pike, explorer of the American West 12,837 336 sq mi
(870 km2)
Porter County 127 Valparaiso February 7, 1835 Formed from un-organized Capt. David Porter, hero of the War of 1812 146,798 418 sq mi
(1,083 km2)
Posey County 129 Mount Vernon November 11, 1814 Formed from Warrick County Thomas Posey, governor of Indiana Territory 27,061 408 sq mi
(1,057 km2)
Pulaski County 131 Winamac February 7, 1835 Formed from un-organized Kazimierz Pułaski, Polish-born noble who lead the colonial cavalry in the American Revolutionary War 13,755 434 sq mi
(1,124 km2)
Putnam County 133 Greencastle December 31, 1822 Formed from Owen County and Wabash New Purchase Gen. Israel Putnam, hero of the American Revolutionary War 36,019 480 sq mi
(1,243 km2)
Randolph County 135 Winchester January 10, 1818 Formed from Wayne County Randolph County, North Carolina, which is itself named for first President of the Continental Congress Peyton Randolph 27,401 453 sq mi
(1,173 km2)
Ripley County 137 Versailles December 27, 1816 Formed from Dearborn and Jefferson County Gen. Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, hero of the War of 1812 26,523 446 sq mi
(1,155 km2)
Rush County 139 Rushville December 31, 1821 Formed from Delaware New Purchase Dr. Benjamin Rush, signer the Declaration of Independence 18,261 408 sq mi
(1,057 km2)
St. Joseph County 141 South Bend January 29, 1830 Formed from un-organized St. Joseph River, which flows through it toward Lake Michigan 301,559 457 sq mi
(1,184 km2)
Scott County 143 Scottsburg January 12, 1820 Formed from Clark, Jefferson, Jennings and Washington Counties Charles Scott, Governor of Kentucky 22,960 190 sq mi
(492 km2)
Shelby County 145 Shelbyville December 31, 1821 Formed from Delaware New Purchase Gen. Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky 43,445 413 sq mi
(1,070 km2)
Spencer County 147 Rockport January 10, 1818 Formed from Perry and Warrick Counties Capt. Spier Spencer[7], hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 20,391 399 sq mi
(1,033 km2)
Starke County 149 Knox February 7, 1835 Formed from St. Joseph County and un-organized Gen. John Stark, hero of the American Revolutionary War 23,556 309 sq mi
(800 km2)
Steuben County 151 Angola February 7, 1837 Formed from un-organized Baron Frederick von Steuben, Prussian-born noble who trained colonial soldiers during the American Revolutionary War 33,214 309 sq mi
(800 km2)
Sullivan County 153 Sullivan December 30, 1816 Formed from Knox General Daniel Sullivan, American Revolutionary War hero 21,751 447 sq mi
(1,158 km2)
Switzerland County 155 Vevay October 1, 1814 Formed from Dearborn and Jefferson County The home country of many of the early settlers, Switzerland 9,065 221 sq mi
(572 km2)
Tippecanoe County 157 Lafayette January 20, 1826 Formed from Wabash New Purchase and un-organized The Tippecanoe River and the Battle of Tippecanoe 148,955 500 sq mi
(1,295 km2)
Tipton County 159 Tipton January 15, 1844 Formed from Adams New Purchase and un-organized John Tipton[7], U.S. Senator 16,577 260 sq mi
(673 km2)
Union County 161 Liberty January 5, 1821 Parts of Fayette, Franklin and Wayne counties Named because it united sections of three adjacent counties into one new entity 7,349 162 sq mi
(420 km2)
Vanderburgh County 163 Evansville January 7, 1818 Gibson County
Posey County
Warrick CountyHenry Vanderburgh, a judge for Indiana Territory 188,922 235 sq mi
(609 km2)
Vermillion County 165 Newport January 2, 1824 Formed from Parke County and Wasbash New Purchase The Vermillion River 16,788 257 sq mi
(666 km2)
Vigo County 167 Terre Haute January 21, 1818 Formed from Sullivan County Francis Vigo, Italian-born colonial spy during the American Revolutionary War 105,848 403 sq mi
(1,044 km2)
Wabash County 169 Wabash January 30, 1833[11] Formed from Adams New Purchase and un-organized The Wabash River 34,960 413 sq mi
(1,070 km2)
Warren County 171 Williamsport January 19, 1827 Formed from Wabash New Purchase and un-organized Dr. Joseph Warren, American Revolutionary War hero 8,419 365 sq mi
(945 km2)
Warrick County 173 Boonville April 30, 1813 Knox County Capt. Jacob Warrick[7], hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 60,010 384 sq mi
(995 km2)
Washington County 175 Salem December 21, 1813 Clark, Harrison and Knox Counties U.S. President George Washington 27,223 514 sq mi
(1,331 km2)
Wayne County 177 Richmond November 27, 1810 Formed from Clark, Dearborn and Knox Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, hero of the American Revolutionary War 71,097 404 sq mi
(1,046 km2)
Wells County 179 Bluffton February 7, 1837 Formed from Adams New Purchase Capt. William A. Wells, Native American who became a hero in the War of 1812 27,600 370 sq mi
(958 km2)
White County 181 Monticello February 1, 1834 Formed from Wabash New Purchase and un-organized Capt. Isaac White[7], hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 25,267 505 sq mi
(1,308 km2)
Whitley County 183 Columbia City February 7, 1835 Formed from un-organized Col. William Whitley[7], hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 30,707 336 sq mi
(870 km2)
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e National Association of Counties. "NACo - Find a county". http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/state.cfm&statecode=in. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
- ^ "IN Const. art. XV, § 7". Indiana Legislature. 1851. pp. Constitution of the State of Indiana, as amended. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/const/art15.html. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
- ^ "FIPS Publish 6-4". National Institute of Standards and Technology. http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fip6-4.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ^ "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/codes/in.html. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ a b c "Origin of Indiana County Names". Indiana Historical Bureau. http://www.in.gov/history/2911.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ^ "Indiana -- County". U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_PL_U&-CONTEXT=gct&-mt_name=DEC_2000_PL_U_GCTPL_ST2&-tree_id=400&-redoLog=true&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=04000US18&-format=ST-2&-_lang=en. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe
- ^ Delaware County was originally formed on January 1, 1820, but for lack of population it was dissolved shortly thereafter. (Funk, p. 192)
- ^ Originally named Richardville County for Chief Richardville, but renamed in 1872 (Funk, p. 193)
- ^ Originally organized February 7, 1835 but merged with Jasper County in 1839 and recreated later. (Funk, p. 193)
- ^ Originally formed January 20, 1820 but soon dissolved for lack of population. (Funk, p. 194)
- Sources
- Funk, Arville (1969, revised 1983). A Sketchbook of Indiana History. Rochester, Indiana: Christian Book Press. pp. 192–194.
External links
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Categories:- Lists of U.S. counties by state
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