Howard County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Howard 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 average
-
C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 74% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Howard County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 83,752 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 285.1 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.15% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.3 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 35,593 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Howard County grew by 0.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 83,752 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Howard County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.2% of residents. That is 0.7 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 16,744 20.0% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 16,092 19.2% -2.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 16,955 20.2% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 16,254 19.4% +2.7 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 51.7% of the people living in Howard County and men 48.3%.
- Women 51.7% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 48.3% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Howard County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Howard County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Howard County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,338 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.26% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Howard County is about 11% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Howard County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $29,604 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $937 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.6% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Howard County is about 2.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $937 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Howard County spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 132 hours, about 5.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Howard County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.9 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 31.7 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 132 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,098 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.0% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,020 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,150 | 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 Howard County is 16 minutes, shorter 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
Howard County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Howard County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.0% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.32 | 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
Howard County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Howard County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.0 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.9% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.5% | 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).
Howard County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Howard County, IN is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 83,752 residents against a local median of 36,696. Howard County, IN's median home price, at $29,604, runs 77% below the $129,296 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 15.9 min against a local median of 21.2 min, 25% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 25% below the local median it puts Howard County, IN at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $285,003 on median home price, so Howard County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Howard County, IN has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County, IN | 83,752 | $64,338 #3/5 | $29,604 #5/5 | 15.9 min #1/5 |
| Miami County, IN | 35,712 | $61,107 | $57,177 | 21.0 min |
| Cass County, IN | 37,680 | $56,927 | $54,000 | 17.0 min |
| Clinton County, IN | 32,944 | $65,223 | $201,415 | 21.4 min |
| Hamilton County, IN | 365,056 | $121,444 | $339,003 | 23.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Howard County, Indiana.
How big is Howard County, Indiana by population?
About 83,752 people live in Howard County, Indiana, in 35,593 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 41.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Howard County, Indiana?
Averaged over its land area, Howard County, Indiana has 285 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.3 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Howard County, Indiana an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($29,604 against $64,338), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $937 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Howard County, Indiana?
19.0% of adults in Howard County, Indiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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