Sullivan County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sullivan 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
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D
Income Well below averageAmong the 5 least wealthy counties in Indiana
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 84% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sullivan County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,780 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 45.8 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.15% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.8 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,832 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sullivan County declined by 2.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,780 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sullivan County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.7% of residents. That is 0.5 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,166 20.0% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,508 21.7% +0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,398 21.2% +1.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,971 19.1% +2.4 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 46.2% of the people living in Sullivan County and men 53.8%.
- Women 46.2% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 53.8% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sullivan County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sullivan County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Sullivan County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,359 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.56% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sullivan County is about 20% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Sullivan County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $91,229 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $829 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.4% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sullivan County is about 9.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $829 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sullivan County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 184 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sullivan County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.1 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.3 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 184 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,718 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.6% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,435 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 615 | 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 Sullivan 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
Sullivan County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Sullivan County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.5% | 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
Sullivan County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Sullivan County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.1% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.0% | 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).
Sullivan County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Sullivan County, IN is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 20,780 residents against a local median of 35,997. Sullivan County, IN's commute, at 22.1 min, runs 31% above the 16.9 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 11.6 min on commute, so Sullivan County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sullivan County, IN has the 3rd lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, IN | 20,780 | $57,359 #3/4 | $91,229 #2/4 | 22.1 min #3/4 |
| Vigo County, IN | 106,109 | $52,462 | $64,620 | 16.9 min |
| Knox County, IN | 35,997 | $61,328 | $90,926 | 15.8 min |
| Clay County, IN | 26,409 | $70,786 | $206,944 | 27.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sullivan County, Indiana.
What is the population of Sullivan County, Indiana?
About 20,780 people live in Sullivan County, Indiana, in 7,832 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Sullivan County, Indiana?
Averaged over its land area, Sullivan County, Indiana has 46 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 53% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Sullivan County, Indiana an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.6 times the median household income ($91,229 against $57,359), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $829 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Sullivan County, Indiana?
13.5% of adults in Sullivan 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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