Wayne County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Wayne 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 85% of counties in Indiana
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 87% of counties in Indiana
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Wayne County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 66,397 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 164.2 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.19% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.1 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 26,974 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Wayne County declined by 2.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 66,397 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Wayne County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 20.3% of residents. That is 1.9 points below Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 13,479 20.3% -1.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 12,529 18.9% -2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 13,414 20.2% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 12,810 19.3% +2.6 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 51.3% of the people living in Wayne County and men 48.7%.
- Women 51.3% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 48.7% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Wayne County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Wayne County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Wayne County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,057 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.44% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Wayne County is about 22% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Wayne County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $62,500 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $815 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.2% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Wayne County is about 6.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $815 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Wayne County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 140 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Wayne County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.8 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.6 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 140 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,336 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.9% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,381 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,194 | 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 Wayne County is 17 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
Wayne County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Wayne County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.5% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.38 | 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
Wayne County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Wayne County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.1 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.3% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.2% | 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).
Wayne County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Wayne County, IN is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 66,397 residents against a local median of 32,576. Wayne County, IN's median home price, at $62,500, runs 26% below the $84,623 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 16.8 min against a local median of 20.6 min, 19% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 19% below the local median it puts Wayne County, IN at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $98,982 on median home price, so Wayne County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Wayne County, IN has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, IN | 66,397 | $56,057 #5/5 | $62,500 #5/5 | 16.8 min #1/5 |
| Fayette County, IN | 23,334 | $59,417 | $65,723 | 20.5 min |
| Randolph County, IN | 24,387 | $60,625 | $94,318 | 20.6 min |
| Preble County, OH | 40,765 | $69,933 | $164,705 | 22.9 min |
| Henry County, IN | 48,970 | $63,356 | $74,928 | 20.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Wayne County, Indiana.
How big is Wayne County, Indiana by population?
About 66,397 people live in Wayne County, Indiana, in 26,974 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Wayne County, Indiana urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Wayne County, Indiana has 164 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Wayne County, Indiana?
The median home costs 1.1 times the median household income ($62,500 against $56,057), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $815 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Wayne County, Indiana?
17.5% of adults in Wayne County, Indiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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