Rush County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Rush 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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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 82% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Rush County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,739 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 41.0 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.10% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.6 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,746 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Rush County declined by 3.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16,739 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Rush County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.2% of residents. That is 2.7 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,365 20.1% -2.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,151 18.8% -2.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,715 22.2% +2.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,113 18.6% +1.9 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 50.6% of the people living in Rush County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 49.4% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Rush County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Rush County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Rush County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,628 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.84% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Rush County is about 6% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Rush County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $116,203 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $872 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.9% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Rush County is about 11.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $872 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Rush 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 187 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Rush County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.4 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.9 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 187 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,796 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.6% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,131 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 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 Rush County is 22 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
Rush County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Rush County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.3% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.46 | 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
Rush County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Rush County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.7 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.8% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.8% | 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).
Rush County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Rush County, IN is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 16,739 residents against a local median of 45,265. Where Rush County, IN breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 32% below the local median of $171,773 at $116,203.
The counties themselves spread $319,461 on median home price, so Rush County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Rush County, IN has the 4th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rush County, IN | 16,739 | $67,628 #4/6 | $116,203 #4/6 | 22.4 min #5/6 |
| Fayette County, IN | 23,334 | $59,417 | $65,723 | 20.5 min |
| Decatur County, IN | 26,422 | $71,462 | $202,778 | 20.0 min |
| Henry County, IN | 48,970 | $63,356 | $74,928 | 20.7 min |
| Shelby County, IN | 45,265 | $72,014 | $171,773 | 21.3 min |
| Hancock County, IN | 84,037 | $95,052 | $385,184 | 26.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Rush County, Indiana.
How big is Rush County, Indiana by population?
About 16,739 people live in Rush County, Indiana, in 6,746 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 43.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Rush County, Indiana mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Rush County, Indiana has 41 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 47% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Rush County, Indiana?
The median home costs 1.7 times the median household income ($116,203 against $67,628), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $872 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Rush County, Indiana?
14.3% of adults in Rush 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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