Dubois County, Indiana Facts for Kids

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
Indiana county number 19

Dubois County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 43,637. The county seat is Jasper. Dubois County is now the sole county of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
Economy
- Personal income
- Tourism
Education
Infrastructure
- Major highways
See also

History

Dubois County was formed on December 20, 1818, from Orange, Pike and Perry counties. It is named for Toussaint Dubois, a Frenchman who fought in the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812. Dubois was a merchant who lived mainly in Vincennes. He drowned in 1816 while crossing the Little Wabash River near Lawrenceville, Illinois.

In 1818, as many as half of the residents of the county died of milk sickness. The plant contains the potent toxin temetrol, which is passed through the milk. The migrants from the East were unfamiliar with the Midwestern plant and its effects.

Dubois County switched to the Central Time Zone on April 2, 2006, and returned to the Eastern Time Zone on November 4, 2007; both changes were controversial as Huntingburg wished to remain on Central Time while Jasper never wanted to leave Eastern Time.

The original county seat was Portersville. In 1830, the county seat was moved south to Jasper.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 435.33 square miles (1,127.5 km²), of which 427.27 square miles (1,106.6 km²) (or 98.15%) is land and 8.06 square miles (20.9 km²) (or 1.85%) is water.

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Dubois

Other unincorporated places

Townships

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

Adjacent counties

Martin County (north)
Orange County (northeast)
Crawford County (east)
Perry County (southeast/CT Border)
Spencer County (south/CT Border)
Warrick County (southwest/CT Border)
Pike County (west)
Daviess County (northwest)

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Jasper, Indiana

2.8

4.1

4.7

5.3

4.7

4.4

4.1

3.6

3.2

4.3

3.5

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

In recent years, average temperatures in Jasper have ranged from a low of 20 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.81 inches (71 mm) in February to 5.29 inches (134 mm) in May.

Demographics

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

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 41,889 people, 16,133 households, and 11,459 families residing in the county. The population density was 98.0 inhabitants per square mile (37.8/km²). There were 17,384 housing units at an average density of 40.7 per square mile (15.7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 3.1% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 58.0% were German, 9.0% were American, 8.1% were Irish, and 6.7% were English.

Of the 16,133 households, 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.0% were non-families, and 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 39.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $64,286. Males had a median income of $42,078 versus $31,411 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,801. About 6.9% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

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%

Economy

Personal income

The median income for a household in the county was $44,169, and the median income for a family was $50,342. Males had a median income of $32,484 versus $23,526 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,225. About 2.90% of families and 6.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.30% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

Tourism

Patoka Lake is located along the county's eastern borders with both Crawford and Orange Counties. Several annual national bass fishing tournaments are held there.

The Hoosier National Forest is located in the county. Part of it is protected.