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Jay County, Indiana facts for kids

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Jay County
Jay County Courthouse
Jay County Courthouse
Map of Indiana highlighting Jay County
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Map of the United States highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Indiana
Founded 7 February 1835 (authorized)
1836 (organized)
Named for John Jay
Seat Portland
Largest city Portland
Area
 • Total 384.08 sq mi (994.8 km2)
 • Land 383.90 sq mi (994.3 km2)
 • Water 0.18 sq mi (0.5 km2)  0.05%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 20,478
 • Density 54/sq mi (20.9/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 3rd
Indiana county number 38
Jay County Sheriff's Department
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction Jay, Indiana, United States
Legal jurisdiction As per operations jurisdiction
General nature
Operational structure
Agency executives
  • Dwane Ford, Sheriff
  • Patrick Wells, Chief Deputy
Facilities
Jails 1

Jay County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 20,478. The county seat is Portland.

History

Jay County was formed in 1836. It is the only county in the United States named for John Jay, co-author of The Federalist Papers, Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Articles of Confederation, and first Chief Justice of the United States. John Jay died in 1829.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 384.08 square miles (994.8 km2), of which 383.90 square miles (994.3 km2) (or 99.95%) is land and 0.18 square miles (0.47 km2) (or 0.05%) is water.

Cities and towns

Townships

  • Bearcreek
  • Greene
  • Jackson
  • Jefferson
  • Knox
  • Madison
  • Noble
  • Penn
  • Pike
  • Richland
  • Wabash
  • Wayne

Unincorporated communities

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau

  • US 27
  • SR 1
  • SR 18
  • SR 26
  • SR 67
  • SR 167

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Portland, Indiana
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.9
 
32
15
 
 
1.9
 
37
18
 
 
2.6
 
48
27
 
 
3.6
 
60
38
 
 
3.9
 
71
49
 
 
4.1
 
80
59
 
 
4.4
 
84
62
 
 
4
 
82
60
 
 
2.7
 
76
52
 
 
2.6
 
64
40
 
 
3
 
50
32
 
 
2.5
 
37
21
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in Portland have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 102 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.87 inches (47 mm) in January to 4.40 inches (112 mm) in July.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 3,863
1850 7,047 82.4%
1860 11,399 61.8%
1870 15,000 31.6%
1880 19,282 28.5%
1890 23,478 21.8%
1900 26,818 14.2%
1910 24,961 −6.9%
1920 23,318 −6.6%
1930 20,846 −10.6%
1940 22,601 8.4%
1950 23,157 2.5%
1960 22,572 −2.5%
1970 23,575 4.4%
1980 23,239 −1.4%
1990 21,512 −7.4%
2000 21,806 1.4%
2010 21,253 −2.5%
2020 20,478 −3.6%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,253 people, 8,133 households, and 5,647 families in the county. The population density was 55.4 inhabitants per square mile (21.4/km2). There were 9,221 housing units at an average density of 24.0 per square mile (9.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.0% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.1% were German, 13.1% were American, 11.7% were English, and 11.6% were Irish.

Of the 8,133 households, 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age was 39.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $47,926. Males had a median income of $38,142 versus $26,928 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,946. About 10.0% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Jay para niños

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