Dubois County, Indiana facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Dubois County
U.S. county
The Dubois County courthouse in Jasper, Indiana
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	December 20, 1818
Named for	Toussaint Dubois
Seat	Jasper
Largest city	Jasper
Area
• Total	435.33 sq mi (1,127.5 km²)
• Land	427.27 sq mi (1,106.6 km²)
• Water	8.06 sq mi (20.9 km²) 1.85%%
Population (2020)
• Total	43,637
• Estimate (2023)	43,546
• Density	97.4/sq mi (37.6/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	https://www.duboiscountyin.org/
Indiana county number 19

Dubois County is a county in the state of Indiana, USA. It's a great place with a rich history and friendly communities. As of 2020, about 43,637 people lived here. The main city and county seat is Jasper. Dubois County is also the center of the Jasper Micropolitan Area, which means it's an important area for jobs and businesses.

History of Dubois County

Dubois County was officially created on December 20, 1818. It was formed from parts of Orange, Pike, and Perry counties. The county is named after Toussaint Dubois. He was a brave Frenchman who fought in important wars for the United States. These included the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Tippecanoe, and the War of 1812. Toussaint Dubois was a merchant who lived in Vincennes. Sadly, he drowned in 1816 while crossing a river.

Early Challenges

In 1818, a serious illness called "milk sickness" affected many people in the county. About half of the residents became sick and died. This sickness came from a plant that had a strong poison called temetrol. When cows ate this plant, the poison got into their milk. People who drank the milk then became very ill. Many new settlers from the East didn't know about this dangerous plant.

Time Zone Changes

Dubois County has changed its time zone a few times. On April 2, 2006, it switched to the Central Time Zone. But then, on November 4, 2007, it moved back to the Eastern Time Zone. These changes caused some disagreements. For example, the town of Huntingburg wanted to stay on Central Time, while Jasper preferred Eastern Time.

Original County Seat

The very first county seat for Dubois County was a place called Portersville. But in 1830, the county seat was moved south to Jasper, where it remains today.

Geography and Places to See

Dubois County covers about 435 square miles. Most of this area, about 427 square miles, is land. The rest, about 8 square miles, is water.

Cities in Dubois County

Towns in Dubois County

Other Communities

Dubois (a special type of community called a Census-designated place)

Small Villages and Areas

Local Townships

Bainbridge
Boone
Cass
Columbia
Ferdinand
Hall
Harbison
Jackson
Jefferson
Madison
Marion
Patoka

Neighboring Counties

Dubois County shares its borders with several other counties:

Martin County (to the north)
Orange County (to the northeast)
Crawford County (to the east)
Perry County (to the southeast)
Spencer County (to the south)
Warrick County (to the southwest)
Pike County (to the west)
Daviess County (to the northwest)

Weather in Dubois County

Weather chart for Jasper, Indiana

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temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
77 3 -7	71 7 -4	104 12 1	118 18 6	134 23 11	119 28 16	111 30 19	105 29 17	90 26 13	80 19 7	109 13 2	89 6 -4
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

The weather in Jasper, the county seat, changes throughout the year. In January, the average low temperature is around 20°F. In July, the average high temperature reaches about 86°F. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -25°F in January 1994. The hottest was 104°F in July 1966. The county usually gets the most rain in May, with about 5.29 inches. February is the driest month, with about 2.81 inches of rain.

Politics and Voting

For a long time, before 1980, Dubois County mostly voted for the Democratic Party. They only voted Republican three times since 1888. However, since the 1980 election, the county has generally voted for the Republican Party.

United States presidential election results for Dubois County, Indiana
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	14,983	69.81%	5,944	27.69%	537	2.50%
2020	15,033	68.94%	6,292	28.85%	481	2.21%
2016	13,365	66.51%	5,389	26.82%	1,341	6.67%
2012	11,654	62.75%	6,522	35.12%	395	2.13%
2008	9,526	51.23%	8,748	47.05%	319	1.72%
2004	11,726	68.71%	5,210	30.53%	130	0.76%
2000	10,134	65.36%	5,090	32.83%	280	1.81%
1996	6,840	44.85%	6,499	42.62%	1,911	12.53%
1992	6,785	42.44%	5,878	36.76%	3,326	20.80%
1988	9,995	62.28%	5,954	37.10%	99	0.62%
1984	9,391	62.77%	5,423	36.25%	148	0.99%
1980	6,775	47.46%	6,700	46.93%	801	5.61%
1976	6,383	45.97%	7,385	53.19%	116	0.84%
1972	6,637	50.36%	6,365	48.30%	177	1.34%
1968	5,865	43.24%	6,725	49.58%	973	7.17%
1964	3,800	27.26%	10,114	72.56%	25	0.18%
1960	5,117	38.32%	8,214	61.51%	22	0.16%
1956	6,942	57.19%	5,177	42.65%	20	0.16%
1952	6,538	53.47%	5,658	46.27%	31	0.25%
1948	4,295	39.30%	6,564	60.07%	69	0.63%
1944	4,855	47.78%	5,273	51.89%	34	0.33%
1940	4,729	44.01%	5,992	55.77%	24	0.22%
1936	3,011	29.07%	6,927	66.87%	421	4.06%
1932	2,357	23.58%	7,547	75.50%	92	0.92%
1928	3,301	35.18%	6,044	64.41%	39	0.42%
1924	2,708	30.53%	5,651	63.71%	511	5.76%
1920	3,738	46.18%	4,238	52.35%	119	1.47%
1916	1,492	32.07%	3,072	66.02%	89	1.91%
1912	666	14.81%	3,059	68.01%	773	17.19%
1908	1,397	28.88%	3,344	69.12%	97	2.00%
1904	1,413	30.77%	3,119	67.92%	60	1.31%
1900	1,362	29.65%	3,192	69.48%	40	0.87%
1896	1,215	28.64%	3,005	70.82%	23	0.54%
1892	1,081	26.12%	2,847	68.80%	210	5.07%
1888	1,220	28.88%	2,986	70.67%	19	0.45%

People of Dubois County

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	1,168	—
1830	1,778	52.2%
1840	3,632	104.3%
1850	6,321	74.0%
1860	10,394	64.4%
1870	12,597	21.2%
1880	15,992	27.0%
1890	20,253	26.6%
1900	20,357	0.5%
1910	19,843	−2.5%
1920	19,915	0.4%
1930	20,553	3.2%
1940	22,579	9.9%
1950	23,785	5.3%
1960	27,463	15.5%
1970	30,934	12.6%
1980	34,238	10.7%
1990	36,616	6.9%
2000	39,674	8.4%
2010	41,889	5.6%
2020	43,637	4.2%
2023 (est.)	43,546	4.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

In 2010, there were 41,889 people living in Dubois County. There were 16,133 households, which are groups of people living together. The population density was about 98 people per square mile. This means there were 98 people for every square mile of land.

Most people in the county, about 95.1%, were white. About 3.1% were from other races, and 0.9% were from two or more races. About 6.0% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin. Many people in Dubois County have German roots, about 58.0%.

The average age of people in the county was 39.9 years old. About 34.2% of households had children under 18 living with them.

2020 Census Information

Dubois County Racial Composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	38,137	87.4%
Black or African American (NH)	190	0.44%
Native American (NH)	55	0.13%
Asian (NH)	247	0.56%
Pacific Islander (NH)	5	0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH)	857	2%
Hispanic or Latino	4,146	9.5%

The 2020 census showed that the population had grown to 43,637 people. The racial makeup changed slightly. The percentage of people who are White (not Hispanic) was 87.4%. The percentage of people who are Hispanic or Latino increased to 9.5%.

Economy and Jobs

The average income for a household in Dubois County was $47,697. For families, it was $64,286. The average income per person was $24,801. This is called the per capita income. About 9.6% of all people in the county lived below the poverty line. This means their income was below a certain level set by the government.

Fun Places to Visit

Dubois County has some great spots for tourism and outdoor activities.

Patoka Lake is a large lake on the eastern side of the county. It's a popular place for fishing, and national bass fishing tournaments are held there.
The Hoosier National Forest is also located in the county. It's a beautiful forest where you can enjoy nature. Part of it is protected to keep it wild and natural.