Starke County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Starke 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 90% of counties in Indiana
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 81% of counties in Indiana
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 90% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Starke County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,365 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 74.9 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.16% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.2 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,983 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Starke County declined by 0.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 23,365 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Starke County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.4% of residents. That is 1.9 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,525 19.4% -2.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,467 19.1% -2.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,994 21.4% +1.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,644 19.9% +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 50.0% of the people living in Starke County and men 50.0%.
- Women 50.0% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 50.0% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Starke County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Starke County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Starke County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,863 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.96% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Starke County is about 11% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Starke County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $213,571 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $712 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.0% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Starke County is about 25.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $712 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Starke County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 211 hours, about 8.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Starke County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.3 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 50.7 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 211 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,548 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 4.8% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,311 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 712 | 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 Starke County is 25 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
Starke County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Starke County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.2% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.59 | 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
Starke County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Starke County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.9 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.9% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.6% | 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).
Starke County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Starke County, IN is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 23,365 residents against a local median of 79,101. Starke County, IN's commute, at 25.3 min, runs 29% above the 19.6 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $213,571 against a local median of $184,795, 16% above it. The counties themselves spread 7.0 min on commute, so Starke County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Starke County, IN has the 5th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starke County, IN | 23,365 | $63,863 #4/5 | $213,571 #2/5 | 25.3 min #5/5 |
| LaPorte County, IN | 111,917 | $70,422 | $205,529 | 21.0 min |
| Marshall County, IN | 46,284 | $71,929 | $164,062 | 18.2 min |
| Fulton County, IN | 20,312 | $61,794 | $32,777 | 18.2 min |
| Porter County, IN | 174,798 | $86,949 | $279,292 | 25.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Starke County, Indiana.
What is the population of Starke County, Indiana?
About 23,365 people live in Starke County, Indiana, in 8,983 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 40.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Starke County, Indiana urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Starke County, Indiana has 75 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Starke County, Indiana an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.3 times the median household income ($213,571 against $63,863), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $712 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Starke County, Indiana?
Unemployment in Starke County, Indiana is only 3.4%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Starke County, Indiana?
12.2% of adults in Starke County, Indiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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