Washington County, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Washington County
U.S. county
Washington County courthouse in Salem
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	1814
Named for	George Washington
Seat	Salem
Largest city	Salem
Area
• Total	516.60 sq mi (1,338.0 km2)
• Land	513.72 sq mi (1,330.5 km2)
• Water	2.87 sq mi (7.4 km2)  0.56%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	28,182
• Estimate  (2023)	28,205
• Density	54.5528/sq mi (21.0630/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Indiana county number 88

Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 28,182. The county seat (and the county's only incorporated city) is Salem. Washington County is part of the Louisville metropolitan area.

History

Early settlers

As early as 1802, a man named Frederick Royce lived among the Ox Indians at a place known as the Lick, two miles east of Salem and is probably the first white man to inhabit this county. He was a hunter-trader and salt manufacturer. In 1803, Thomas Hopper was the first to settle in this county near Hardinsburg.

Washington County was formed in 1814. It was named for U.S. President George Washington.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 516.60 square miles (1,338.0 km²), of which 513.72 square miles (1,330.5 km²) (or 99.44%) is land and 2.87 square miles (7.4 km²) (or 0.56%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Jackson County (north)
• Scott County (northeast)
• Clark County (southeast)
• Floyd County (south-southeast)
• Harrison County (south)
• Crawford County (southwest)
• Orange County (west)
• Lawrence County (northwest)

Cities and towns

Census-designated place

• Fredericksburg

Unincorporated towns

Townships

Major highways

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Salem have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −32 °F (−36 °C) was recorded in February 1951 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.87 inches (73 mm) in October to 4.86 inches (123 mm) in May.

Five people were reported killed in Washington County during the Early March 2012 tornado outbreak. The fifth, a 15-month-old from the same family, had been found in a field, and died later in hospital.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 28,262 people, 10,850 households, and 7,799 families in the county. The population density was 55.0 inhabitants per square mile (21.2/km²). There were 12,220 housing units at an average density of 23.8 per square mile (9.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.2% were German, 14.3% were American, 13.7% were Irish, and 9.6% were English.

Of the 10,850 households, 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.1% were non-families, and 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 39.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $45,500. Males had a median income of $38,100 versus $28,092 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,278. About 12.2% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The county is served by 3 school districts:

• Salem Community Schools
• East Washington School Corporation
• South Central Area Special Ed
• West Washington School Corporation.

East Washington School Corporation (Superintendent:Steve Darnell) includes:

• East Washington Elementary School
• East Washington Middle School
• Eastern High School

Salem Community Schools (Superintendent:Dr. D. Lynn Reed) includes:)

• Salem High School
• Salem Middle School
• Bradie Shrum Elementary School

West Washington School Corporation (Superintendent:Gerald Jackson) includes:)

• West Washington Elementary School
• West Washington Junior/Senior High School

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Washington (Indiana) para niños