St. Joseph County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
St. Joseph 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.
-
C
Health Below average
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C
Income Below average
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 89% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | St. Joseph County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 273,015 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 592.1 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.24% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.7 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 107,242 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in St. Joseph County grew by 2.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 273,015 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in St. Joseph County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.1% of residents. That is 1.9 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 65,847 24.1% +1.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 56,004 20.5% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 50,245 18.4% -1.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 44,471 16.3% -0.4 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 St. Joseph County and men 48.9%.
- Women 51.1% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 48.9% Indiana 49.6%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in St. Joseph County
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Economy
St. Joseph County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | St. Joseph County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,946 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.76% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in St. Joseph County is about 7% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | St. Joseph County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $121,815 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,062 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.0% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in St. Joseph County is about 9.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,062 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in St. Joseph County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 155 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | St. Joseph County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.6 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.2 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 155 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,806 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.7% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,633 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,642 | 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 St. Joseph County is 19 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
St. Joseph County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | St. Joseph County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.9% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.44 | 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
St. Joseph County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | St. Joseph County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.5 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.4% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.7% | 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).
St. Joseph County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
St. Joseph County, IN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 273,015 residents against a local median of 51,520. St. Joseph County, IN's median home price, at $121,815, runs 26% below the $164,062 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $99,726 on median home price, so St. Joseph County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. St. Joseph County, IN has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, IN | 273,015 | $66,946 #5/6 | $121,815 #5/6 | 18.6 min #3/6 |
| Marshall County, IN | 46,284 | $71,929 | $164,062 | 18.2 min |
| Cass County, MI | 51,520 | $70,806 | $113,846 | 22.1 min |
| Elkhart County, IN | 207,132 | $69,750 | $152,902 | 17.9 min |
| LaPorte County, IN | 111,917 | $70,422 | $205,529 | 21.0 min |
| Starke County, IN | 23,365 | $63,863 | $213,571 | 25.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about St. Joseph County, Indiana.
How many people live in St. Joseph County, Indiana?
About 273,015 people live in St. Joseph County, Indiana, in 107,242 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 37.7, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is St. Joseph County, Indiana mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, St. Joseph County, Indiana has 592 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 6.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is St. Joseph County, Indiana an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.8 times the median household income ($121,815 against $66,946), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,062 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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