Jackson County, Indiana


Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 46,428. The county seat is Brownstown.

History

Jackson County was formed in 1816. It was named after General Andrew Jackson.
Jackson County was the site of the first recorded train robbery of a moving train in the United States. On October 6, 1866, the Reno Gang robbed an Ohio and Mississippi Railway train, making off with over $10,000.
Jackson County has the second longest 3-span covered bridge in the world; [Medora Covered Bridge|The Medora Covered Bridge]. After a recent project to completely refurbish the Medora Covered Bridge, the nearby town of Medora now holds an annual event at the bridge. The bridge is open for pedestrian traffic and site-seers. Another long neglected covered bridge, the Bells Ford Bridge, believed to have been the last remaining Post Truss bridge in the world, succumbed to neglect, collapsing into the White River on January 2, 2006.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Cities

Sources: National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau
In recent years, average temperatures in Brownstown have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.

Politics

Prior to 1952, Jackson County was a Democratic stronghold voting Republican only twice since 1888. But starting with the 1952 election it has become a Republican stronghold with Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 being the last Democrat to win the county, but Jimmy Carter came within just 5 votes of carrying the county in 1976.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 [United States census|2020 census], the county had a population of 46,428. The median age was 38.6 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.6 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 83.4% White, 1.1% Black or African American, 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.4% from some other race, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 13.5% of the population.
52.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 47.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 17,809 households in the county, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.6% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 19,069 housing units, of which 6.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.6% were owner-occupied and 29.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.2%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 42,376 people, 16,501 households, and 11,629 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 18,202 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 94.5% white, 0.8% Asian, 0.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.8% were German, 13.1% were American, 12.8% were Irish, and 9.2% were English.
Of the 16,501 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.5% were non-families, and 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 38.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $53,534. Males had a median income of $38,608 versus $30,030 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,498. About 7.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.