Rush County, Indiana Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Rush County, Indiana, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Rush County, Indiana. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Rush County, Indiana. The estimated population of Rush County, Indiana is 16,706 people, with a median age of 42.1.

We can look at the total population in Rush County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
16,706
+0.44%
-0.35%
2020
16,632
 -0.05% -
2019
16,641
 -0.38% -
2018
16,704
 -0.36% -
2017
16,765
 - -

Population of Rush County, Indiana by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
95.3%
96.1%
 -0.83%
Black/African American
0.6%
1.4%
 -57.14%
Native
0%
0%
 0.00%
Hispanic
1.8%
1.5%
 +20.00%
Asian
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.1%
0.7%
 +200.00%
Other
0.1%
0.3%
 -66.67%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Rush County, Indiana by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 42.1 -0.94% 41.2 -2.37% 43 0%
2020 42.5 +1.92% 42.2 +2.68% 43 +1.9%
2019 41.7 +0.24% 41.1 -0.24% 42.2 +0.24%
2018 41.6 0% 41.2 -0.96% 42.1 +0.96%
2017 41.6 - 41.6 - 41.7 -

The median age of Rush County, Indiana gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 914 +8.1% 940 -5.64% 988 884
10 to 19 1,200 +4.03% 1,204 -4.93% 1,236 1,143
20 to 29 945 +1.64% 926 +0.37% 960 929
30 to 39 911 -1.51% 977 -22.12% 893 773
40 to 49 1,119 -11.13% 998 +11.75% 994 1,115
50 to 59 1,342 -2.69% 1,249 -0.11% 1,303 1,243
60 to 69 896 +10.88% 1,032 -2.26% 996 1,006
70+ 896 +13.98% 1,216 0.15% 1,027 1,216

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Rush County, Indiana is $58,887.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Rush County.

  • Under 25
    $58,958.00
  • 25 to 44
    $67,140.00
  • 45 to 64
    $71,733.00
  • 65 and over
    $44,863.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Rush County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Rush County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Rush County, Indiana is currently $67,497.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

1.60% of households in Rush County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Rush County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    17.84%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    23.47%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    20.63%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    16.88%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    15.63%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3.96%
  • $200,000 or more
    1.60%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Rush County is $27,287.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Rush County by the total population of Rush County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Rush County, Indiana, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Rush County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    9.53%
  • Bachelor's degree
    16.60%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.45%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    62.94%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.48%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Rush County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Rush County over the age of 16 is 13,383.

Of those people, a total of 60.10% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Rush County is 56.10%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 928 32.00% 29.60%
20 to 24 years 936 78.10% 9.80%
25 to 29 years 953 90.70% 3.00%
30 to 34 years 892 83.70% 12.70%
35 to 44 years 1,844 77.80% 9.50%
45 to 54 years 2,210 83.60% 4.20%
55 to 59 years 1,375 70.80% 1.70%
60 to 64 years 1,248 58.10% 3.20%
65 to 74 years 1,722 21.10% 0.00%
75 years and over 1,275 5.00% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Rush County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 12,990 60.30% 6.80%
Black or African American 97 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 16 100.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 19 89.50% 0.00%
Two or more races 261 70.50% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 205 47.30% 14.40%
Not Hispanic or Latino 12,789 60.50% 6.70%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Rush County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Rush County is 7,512, with median earnings of $38,361.00.

Women in Rush County, Indiana earning approximately 68.30% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 7,512 $38,361.00
Male 4,047 $46,219.00
Female 3,465 $31,581.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 640 $66,119.00
Business and Financial 426 $37,042.00
Computer and Mathematical 105 $73,342.00
Architecture and Engineering 93 $57,138.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 24 $12,143.00
Community and Social Service 79 $40,257.00
Legal 69 $41,719.00
Educational and Library 228 $40,272.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 111 $34,183.00
Healthcare Practitioners 367 $52,148.00
Healthcare Support 312 $15,441.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 60 $46,923.00
Law Enforcement 31 $47,250.00
Food Preparation and Serving 284 $11,288.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 318 $31,438.00
Personal Care and Service 139 $16,563.00
Sales 583 $28,063.00
Office and Administrative Support 765 $31,954.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 39 $55,179.00
Construction and Extraction 452 $43,532.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 479 $46,161.00
Production 1,328 $39,886.00
Transportation and Material Moving 357 $54,125.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 478 $66,194.00 162 $59,688.00
Business and Financial 126 $40,250.00 300 $37,000.00
Computer and Mathematical 85 $72,832.00 20 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 79 $57,969.00 14 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 10 $0.00 14 $0.00
Community and Social Service 18 $26,750.00 61 $40,919.00
Legal 0 $0.00 69 $41,719.00
Educational and Library 30 $63,438.00 198 $37,917.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 82 $33,654.00 29 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 82 $51,719.00 285 $60,781.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 312 $15,441.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 60 $46,923.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 31 $47,250.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 124 $8,304.00 160 $12,246.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 192 $32,794.00 126 $4,394.00
Personal Care and Service 8 $0.00 131 $16,979.00
Sales 271 $37,139.00 312 $16,389.00
Office and Administrative Support 118 $43,906.00 647 $30,377.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 38 $55,238.00 1 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 446 $43,651.00 6 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 468 $46,129.00 11 $0.00
Production 866 $41,923.00 462 $38,245.00
Transportation and Material Moving 299 $60,087.00 58 $33,636.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 6,642 households in Rush County, with an average household size of 2.49 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 4,478 families in Rush County with an average family size of 2.98 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 3,402 410 666 2,164
Average Household Size 3.11 2.91 3.05 1.26
Total Families 3,402 410 666 0
Average Household Size 3.08 2.47 2.79 0

Poverty

Of the 4,478 families in Rush County, 7.30% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Rush County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 7,364 housing units in Rush County, Indiana.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 6,642 90.20%
Vacant 722 9.80%

25.67% of the total 7,364 housing units in Rush County are rental units. This is approximately 1,890 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 4,617 are occupied by the owner - or 62.70% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Rush County is $755.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Rush County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    135
  • Less than $500
    302
  • $500 to $999
    1,201
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    358
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    29
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Rush County is $124,800.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Rush County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    358
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,354
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    974
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    715
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    597
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    509
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    110
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Rush County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Rush County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    2,948
  • 1940 to 1949
    576
  • 1950 to 1959
    781
  • 1960 to 1969
    604
  • 1970 to 1979
    610
  • 1980 to 1989
    513
  • 1990 to 1999
    697
  • 2000 to 2009
    549
  • 2010 to 2013
    86
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Rush County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    261
  • 1 vehicle available
    2,017
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,603
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,761

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Rush County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Rush County that commute to work in a particular way.

25.6 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Rush County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    435
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    862
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    613
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    951
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    867
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    540
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    769
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    279
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    343
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    664
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    526
  • 90 or more minutes
    76

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Rush County, Indiana in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Rush County, Indiana

We have data for 16 places in Rush County, Indiana. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.