Hancock County, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hancock County
U.S. county
Hancock County courthouse in Greenfield
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	March 1, 1828
Named for	John Hancock
Seat	Greenfield
Largest city	Greenfield
Area
• Total	307.02 sq mi (795.2 km2)
• Land	306.02 sq mi (792.6 km2)
• Water	1.01 sq mi (2.6 km2)  0.33%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	79,840
• Density	260.048/sq mi (100.405/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Indiana county number 30

Hancock County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 United States Census recorded a population of 79,840. The county seat is Greenfield.

Hancock County is included in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

The terrain of Hancock County is low rolling hills, sloping to the south and southwest, carved by drainages. All available area is devoted to agriculture or urban development. The highest point is a small prominence in NW Shirley, at 1,040 ft (320 m) ASL. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 307.02 square miles (795.2 km²), of which 306.02 square miles (792.6 km²) (or 99.67%) is land and 1.01 square miles (2.6 km²) (or 0.33%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Airport

• KMQJ - Indianapolis Regional Airport

History

Indiana was admitted as a state to the United States on December 11, 1816, although much of its territory was still disputed or held by native peoples at that time. These indigenous claims were quickly reduced and removed by various treaties. The 1818 Treaty with the Delaware Indians brought most of central Indiana into state control, and Madison County was organized on a portion of that area. The lower portion of Madison County was quickly settled, and by the late 1820s the inhabitants were petitioning for a separate county government. Accordingly, a portion of the county was partitioned on March 1, 1828, to form Hancock County. Greenfield was named as the county seat on April 11. The county name recognized John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, who had signed his name prominently to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The county has retained its original borders since its 1828 creation.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Greenfield have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.37 inches (60 mm) in February to 4.85 inches (123 mm) in July.

Education

Hancock County is served by two library systems, the Fortville-Vernon Township Public Library and Hancock County Public Library.

The county's school districts include:

• Eastern Hancock County Community School Corporation
• Greenfield-Central Community Schools
• Mount Vernon Community School Corporation
• Southern Hancock County Community School Corporation

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States Census the population of Hancock County was 79,840.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 70,002 people, 26,304 households, and 19,792 families in the county. The population density was 228.8 inhabitants per square mile (88.3/km²). There were 28,125 housing units at an average density of 91.9 per square mile (35.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% white, 2.1% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.2% were German, 13.9% were Irish, 11.8% were English, and 11.8% were American.

Of the 26,304 households, 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.8% were non-families, and 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 39.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $69,734. Males had a median income of $53,565 versus $38,042 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,017. About 5.9% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Townships

Unincorporated communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Hancock (Indiana) para niños