Rush County, Indiana Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Rush County
U.S. county
The Rush County Courthouse in Rushville
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	1822
Named for	Benjamin Rush
Seat	Rushville
Largest city	Rushville
Area
• Total	408.46 sq mi (1,057.9 km²)
• Land	408.12 sq mi (1,057.0 km²)
• Water	0.34 sq mi (0.9 km²) 0.08%%
Population (2020)
• Total	16,752
• Density	41.0126/sq mi (15.8350/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Indiana county number 70

Aerial view of Rushville

Rush County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. In the 2020 United States Census, the population was 16,752. The county seat (and only city) is Rushville.

History
Geography
Climate and weather
Demographics
- 2010 Census
See also

History

When the Indiana Territory was granted statehood (December 20, 1816), there were no settlers on the lands of the future Rush County. However, this changed quickly, and by 1821 the newly founded settlements were desirous of being organized into a county unit. Accordingly, the state legislature passed an act dated December 31, 1821, which authorized Rush County, effective April 1, and further authorized the first commissioners (pro tem) to begin organizing the county's governing structure on June 3, 1822. The act also authorized six townships to cover the county; subsequent growth through the years has caused the number of townships to double. It was named for Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the 1776 Declaration of Independence. That same summer (1822) the future town (and county seat) of Rushville was platted and laid out.

Geography

In the 1820s the low rolling hills of Rush County were generously covered with trees, usually walnut and sugar maples. By 1879 Rush County was the state's largest producer of maple syrup. However, logging and clearing for agriculture have completely removed the trees, except for stands in drainages, and the available land is completely devoted to agriculture or urban development. The Big Blue River drains the upper part of the county, flowing to the southwest. The Little Blue River flows southwest to drain the central part of the county, and Flatrock River flows south-southwest through the lower central part of the county. The terrain's highest point (1,135 feet/346 m ASL) is an isolated rise at the county's east boundary, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) SSW of Glenwood. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 408.46 square miles (1,057.9 km²), of which 408.12 square miles (1,057.0 km²) (or 99.92%) is land and 0.34 square miles (0.88 km²) (or 0.08%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Henry County - north
Fayette County - east
Franklin County - southeast
Decatur County - south
Shelby County - west
Hancock County - northwest

Cities and towns

Carthage
Glenwood
Rushville (city/county seat)

Census-designated places

Unincorporated towns

Townships

Anderson
Center
Jackson
Noble
Orange
Posey
Richland
Ripley
Rushville
Union
Walker
Washington

Major highways

/ Interstate 74/U.S. Route 421**
U.S. Route 52
Indiana State Road 3
Indiana State Road 44
Indiana State Road 140
Indiana State Road 244

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Rushville, 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
67 1 -8	65 4 -6	81 10 -1	107 17 4	129 23 10	110 27 16	111 29 17	91 28 16	73 25 12	72 18 6	91 11 1	78 4 -4
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Rushville have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 108 °F (42 °C) was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.55 inches (65 mm) in February to 5.06 inches (129 mm) in May.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	9,707	—
1840	16,456	69.5%
1850	16,445	−0.1%
1860	16,193	−1.5%
1870	17,626	8.8%
1880	19,238	9.1%
1890	19,034	−1.1%
1900	20,148	5.9%
1910	19,349	−4.0%
1920	19,241	−0.6%
1930	19,412	0.9%
1940	18,927	−2.5%
1950	19,799	4.6%
1960	20,393	3.0%
1970	20,352	−0.2%
1980	19,604	−3.7%
1990	18,129	−7.5%
2000	18,261	0.7%
2010	17,392	−4.8%
2020	16,752	−3.7%
2023 (est.)	16,847	−3.1%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 17,392 people, 6,767 households, and 4,803 families in the county. The population density was 42.6 inhabitants per square mile (16.4/km²). There were 7,508 housing units at an average density of 18.4 per square mile (7.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.4% white, 0.8% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.4% were German, 16.8% were American, 12.0% were Irish, and 11.9% were English.

Of the 6,767 households, 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.0% were non-families, and 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 40.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $52,874. Males had a median income of $41,581 versus $30,035 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,215. About 10.3% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Rush County, Indiana facts for kids

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