Blackford County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Blackford County, IN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 87% of counties in Indiana
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 91% of counties in Indiana
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 74% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Blackford County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,950 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 72.2 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.42% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.2 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,173 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Blackford County declined by 9.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,950 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Blackford County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.1% of residents. That is 2.6 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,301 19.3% -3.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,108 17.6% -3.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,643 22.1% +2.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,481 20.8% +4.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Indiana, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.1% of the people living in Blackford County and men 48.9%.
- Women 51.1% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 48.9% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Blackford County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Blackford County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Blackford County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,492 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.01% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Blackford County is about 27% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Blackford County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $16,458 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $698 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.9% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Blackford County is about 2.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $698 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Blackford County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Blackford County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.5 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.0 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 196 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,077 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.1% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,808 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 695 | 1,308 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Indiana:
Knox County (15.8 min), Howard County (15.9 min), Daviess County (16.3 min).
Slowest:
Crawford County (33.6 min), Brown County (32.6 min), Franklin County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Blackford County is 24 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Indiana.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Blackford County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Blackford County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.5% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.28 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.4), Boone County (0.4), Monroe County (0.3).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.1), Crawford County (0.2), Switzerland County (0.2).
Health
Blackford County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Blackford County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.6 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.3% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.1% | 22.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.8), Monroe County (0.8), Boone County (0.8).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.8), Daviess County (0.8), Switzerland County (0.8).
Blackford County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Blackford County, IN is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 11,950 residents against a local median of 36,800. The measure that sets Blackford County, IN apart most is median home price: $16,458, 77% below the local median of $72,934.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 23.5 min against a local median of 17.4 min, 35% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 35% above the local median it puts Blackford County, IN at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $116,020 on median home price, so Blackford County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Blackford County, IN has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackford County, IN | 11,950 | $52,492 #6/6 | $16,458 #6/6 | 23.5 min #6/6 |
| Delaware County, IN | 112,280 | $57,596 | $72,934 | 16.5 min |
| Wells County, IN | 28,420 | $70,823 | $157,916 | 20.4 min |
| Jay County, IN | 20,223 | $56,874 | $75,839 | 17.4 min |
| Grant County, IN | 66,295 | $53,252 | $45,724 | 16.3 min |
| Huntington County, IN | 36,800 | $67,617 | $41,897 | 18.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Blackford County, Indiana.
How big is Blackford County, Indiana by population?
About 11,950 people live in Blackford County, Indiana, in 5,173 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Blackford County, Indiana mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Blackford County, Indiana has 72 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Blackford County, Indiana?
The median home costs 0.3 times the median household income ($16,458 against $52,492), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $698 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Blackford County, Indiana?
Unemployment in Blackford County, Indiana is only 3.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Blackford County, Indiana?
13.5% of adults in Blackford County, Indiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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