Marion County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Marion 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 86% of counties in Indiana
-
C
Income Below average
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 88% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Marion County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 971,946 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2413.3 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.52% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.0 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 398,956 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Marion County grew by 10.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 971,946 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Marion County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.7% of residents. That is 2.5 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 228,525 23.5% +1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 230,539 23.7% +2.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 173,691 17.9% -1.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 132,857 13.7% -3.1 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 51.5% of the people living in Marion County and men 48.5%.
- Women 51.5% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 48.5% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Marion County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Marion County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Marion County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,629 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.45% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Marion County is about 7% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Marion County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $146,421 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,152 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 56.5% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Marion County is about 10.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,152 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Marion County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 188 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Marion County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.5 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.0 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 188 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,814 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.9% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 15,388 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,625 | 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 Marion County is 23 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
Marion County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Marion County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.0% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.39 | 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
Marion County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Marion County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.0 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.5% | 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).
Marion County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Marion County, IN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 971,946 residents against a local median of 166,315. Marion County, IN's median home price, at $146,421, runs 39% below the $239,673 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $66,629 against a local median of $101,287, 34% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 34% below the local median it puts Marion County, IN at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $223,357 on median home price, so Marion County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Marion County, IN has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, IN | 971,946 | $66,629 #6/6 | $146,421 #6/6 | 22.5 min #1/6 |
| Johnson County, IN | 166,315 | $90,779 | $161,827 | 23.5 min |
| Hamilton County, IN | 365,056 | $121,444 | $339,003 | 23.5 min |
| Hancock County, IN | 84,037 | $95,052 | $385,184 | 26.2 min |
| Hendricks County, IN | 183,344 | $101,287 | $213,414 | 23.5 min |
| Boone County, IN | 74,718 | $111,507 | $239,673 | 22.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Marion County, Indiana.
How many people live in Marion County, Indiana?
About 971,946 people live in Marion County, Indiana, in 398,956 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 33.0, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Marion County, Indiana urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Marion County, Indiana has 2,413 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 28 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Marion County, Indiana?
The median home costs 2.2 times the median household income ($146,421 against $66,629), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,152 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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