Marion County, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marion County
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The City-County Building in Indianapolis
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Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
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 Indiana's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Indiana |
| Founded | April 1, 1822 |
| Named for | Francis Marion |
| Seat | Indianapolis |
| Largest city | Indianapolis |
| Area | |
| • Total | 403.01 sq mi (1,043.8 km2) |
| • Land | 396.30 sq mi (1,026.4 km2) |
| • Water | 6.71 sq mi (17.4 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 977,203 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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968,460  |
| • Density | 2,424.761/sq mi (936.206/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 6th, 7th |
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Marion County is located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 United States census reported a population of 977,203, making it the 54th-most populous county in the U.S., the most populous county in the state, and the main population center of the 11-county Indianapolis–Carmel–Greenwood MSA in central Indiana. Indianapolis is the county seat, the state capital, and most populous city. Marion County is consolidated with Indianapolis through an arrangement known as Unigov.
Contents
Geography
The low rolling hills of Marion County have been cleared of trees, and the area is completely devoted to municipal development or to agriculture, except for wooded drainages. The highest point (920 feet/280 meters ASL) is a small ridge at the county's northwest corner.
According to the 2010 census, the county has an area of 403.01 square miles (1,043.8 km2), of which 396.30 square miles (1,026.4 km2) (or 98.34%) is land and 6.71 square miles (17.4 km2) (or 1.66%) is water.
The White River flows southwestward through the central part of the county; it is joined by Eagle Creek and Fall Creek, both of which have dams in the county forming Eagle Creek Reservoir and Geist Reservoir, respectively.
Marion County has two Indiana State Parks, Fort Harrison State Park and White River State Park, as well as many municipal parks.
Adjacent counties
- Hamilton County - north
- Hancock County - east
- Shelby County - southeast
- Johnson County - south
- Morgan County - southwest
- Hendricks County - west
- Boone County - northwest
Transportation
Major highways
I-65
I-69
I-70
I-74
I-465
US 31
US 36
US 40
US 52
US 136
US 421
SR 67
SR 134
SR 135
Transit
- Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority
- IndyGo Red Line
- Indianapolis Union Station
- Amtrak Cardinal
- Barons Bus Lines
- Burlington Trailways
- Flixbus
- Greyhound Lines
- Miller Transportation
Airports
- KIND - Indianapolis International Airport
- KEYE - Eagle Creek Airpark
- Post-Air Airport
History
Marion County was created on April 1, 1822, from part of the "New Purchase" lands that had been obtained from its inhabitants, the Lenape, by the Treaty of St. Mary's. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War.
The state capital was moved to Indianapolis in Marion County from Corydon on January 10, 1825. This began a period of rapid growth in population.
Climate and weather
| Weather chart for Indianapolis, Indiana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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3.1
36
21
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2.4
41
24
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3.7
52
34
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4.3
64
43
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4.8
73
54
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5
82
63
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4.4
86
66
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3.2
84
65
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3.1
78
57
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3.2
66
46
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3.5
52
35
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2.9
40
26
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: The Weather Channel |
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Metric conversion
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In recent years, average temperatures in Indianapolis 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 −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.05 inches (52 mm) in January to 4.78 inches (121 mm) in July.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 7,192 | — | |
| 1840 | 16,080 | 123.6% | |
| 1850 | 24,103 | 49.9% | |
| 1860 | 39,855 | 65.4% | |
| 1870 | 71,939 | 80.5% | |
| 1880 | 102,782 | 42.9% | |
| 1890 | 141,156 | 37.3% | |
| 1900 | 197,227 | 39.7% | |
| 1910 | 263,661 | 33.7% | |
| 1920 | 348,061 | 32.0% | |
| 1930 | 422,666 | 21.4% | |
| 1940 | 460,926 | 9.1% | |
| 1950 | 551,777 | 19.7% | |
| 1960 | 697,567 | 26.4% | |
| 1970 | 792,299 | 13.6% | |
| 1980 | 765,233 | −3.4% | |
| 1990 | 797,159 | 4.2% | |
| 2000 | 860,454 | 7.9% | |
| 2010 | 903,393 | 5.0% | |
| 2020 | 977,203 | 8.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 968,460 | 7.2% | |
| US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2019 |
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| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 592,540 | 537,905 | 493,665 | 68.86% | 59.54% | 50.52% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 206,716 | 238,454 | 265,659 | 24.02% | 26.40% | 27.19% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1,824 | 1,954 | 1,752 | 0.21% | 0.22% | 0.18% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 12,198 | 18,119 | 39,827 | 1.42% | 2.01% | 4.08% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 308 | 333 | 374 | 0.04% | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 1,676 | 2,320 | 5,373 | 0.19% | 0.26% | 0.55% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 11,902 | 19,842 | 41,267 | 1.38% | 2.20% | 4.22% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 33,290 | 84,466 | 129,286 | 3.87% | 9.35% | 13.23% |
| Total | 860,454 | 903,393 | 977,203 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2010 census
As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 903,393 people, 366,176 households, and 218,338 families in the county. The population density was 2,279.6 inhabitants per square mile (880.2/km2). There were 417,862 housing units at an average density of 1,054.4 per square mile (407.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 62.7% white, 26.7% black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 5.4% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.9% were German, 11.8% were Irish, 8.4% were English, 6.6% were American, and 5.2% were Subsaharan African.
Of the 366,176 households, 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.4% were non-families, and 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 33.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $54,142. Males had a median income of $42,215 versus $34,169 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,498. About 13.5% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
Marion County has a consolidated city-county government, known as Unigov, in which only four municipalities retain full government autonomy (including a mayor and city council) as "excluded cities". The remaining municipalities within the county are "included towns" and exercise very limited authority, mainly in zoning and appointing their own police departments and maintaining some of their own municipal services and town identities. They retain the ability to levy taxes for these purposes.
Municipalities
Excluded cities and town
Included towns
Townships
Marion County has nine townships roughly organized into a grid-like, three-by-three pattern. This arrangement can be seen below, with the top being north.
| Pike | Washington | Lawrence |
| Wayne | Center | Warren |
| Decatur | Perry | Franklin |
Education
School districts include:
- Beech Grove City Schools
- Decatur Township Metropolitan School District
- Franklin Township Community School Corporation
- Indianapolis Public Schools
- Lawrence Township Metropolitan School District
- Perry Township Metropolitan School District
- Pike Township Metropolitan School District
- Speedway School Town
- Warren Township Metropolitan School District
- Washington Township Metropolitan School District
- Wayne Township Metropolitan School District
It also has the following state-operated schools:
- Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
- Indiana School for the Deaf
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Marion (Indiana) para niños
