DeKalb County, Indiana

DeKalb County
County
The DeKalb County courthouse in Auburn, Indiana.
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°22′01″N85°03′32″W / 41.36694°N 85.05889°W / 41.36694; -85.05889
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	February 7, 1835 (authorized) 1837 (organized)
Named for	Johann, Baron de Kalb
Seat	Auburn
Largest city	Auburn
Area
• Total	363.85 sq mi (942.4 km2)
• Land	362.82 sq mi (939.7 km2)
• Water	1.03 sq mi (2.7 km2)  0.28%
Population  (2020)
• Total	43,265
• Estimate  (2023)	44,198
• Density	120/sq mi (46/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	DeKalb County Government
Indiana county number 17

DeKalb County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 43,265. ^[1] The county seat is Auburn. ^[2]

History

On February 7, 1835, the Indiana State Legislature passed an omnibus bill ^[3] that authorized the creation of thirteen counties in northeast Indiana on previously unorganized land (including the recent Wabash New Purchase). ^[4] The organization of the county's government commenced in 1837. ^[5] It was named for General Johann de Kalb, a Continental Army officer from Bavaria, who was killed at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina. ^{[6] [7]} The first settlers in the future DeKalb County were from New England, settling what was then known as the Northwest Territory.^{[ where? ][ citation needed ]} These people were "Yankee" migrants, descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. ^[8] In the 1870s immigrants from Ireland and Germany began arriving in DeKalb County, in large numbers. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

Geography

DeKalb County lies on the east side of Indiana; its east border abuts the western border of Ohio. Its low, rolling terrain is entirely devoted to agriculture or urban development. ^[12] Its highest point (1,060 feet/320 meters ASL) is a small rise in the NW portion of the county, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Fairfield Center. ^[13] The Saint Joseph River flows southwestward through the SE portion of the county, while the western part of the county is drained by Cedar Creek.

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 363.85 square miles (942.4 km²), of which 362.82 square miles (939.7 km²) (or 99.72%) is land and 1.03 square miles (2.7 km²) (or 0.28%) is water. ^[14]

Adjacent counties

• LaGrange County - northwest
• Steuben County - north
• Williams County, Ohio - northeast
• Defiance County, Ohio - southeast
• Allen County - south
• Noble County - west

Cities and towns

• Altona
• Ashley
• Auburn (county seat)
• Butler
• Corunna
• Garrett
• Hamilton
• Saint Joe
• Waterloo

Unincorporated communities

• Auburn Junction
• Butler Center
• Cedar
• Concord
• Fairfield Center
• Hopewell
• Moore
• Newville
• Orangeville
• Saint Johns
• Sedan
• Spencerville
• Summit

Townships

• Butler
• Concord
• Fairfield
• Franklin
• Grant
• Jackson
• Keyser
• Newville
• Richland
• Smithfield
• Spencer
• Stafford
• Troy
• Union
• Wilmington

Major highways

• Interstate 69
• U.S. Route 6
• State Road 1
• State Road 3
• State Road 4
• State Road 8
• State Road 101
• State Road 205
• State Road 327
• State Road 427

Climate and weather

Auburn, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.8     31 17     1.4     36 20     2.6     48 29     3.4     61 39     3.7     72 49     4.2     81 58     3.7     84 62     2.8     82 60     3.6     75 54     2.7     63 43     3.2     49 34     2.5     37 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [15]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     46     −1 −8     36     2 −7     65     9 −2     85     16 4     94     22 9     106     27 14     94     29 17     72     28 16     92     24 12     67     17 6     80     9 1     64     3 −5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Auburn 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 −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1984 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.42 inches (36 mm) in February to 4.17 inches (106 mm) in June. ^[15]

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

The county government is a constitutional body, granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and the Indiana Code.

County Council: The fiscal branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes. ^{[16] [17]}

Board of Commissioners: A three-member board of commissioners combines executive and non-fiscal legislative powers. Commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners also function as the county drainage board, exercising control over the construction and maintenance of legal drains. ^{[16] [17]}

Courts: DeKalb County has a Circuit Court (75th Judicial Circuit) and two Superior Courts. By local rule, approved by the Indiana Supreme Court, ^[18] the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court is currently limited to juvenile and domestic cases. Criminal, civil and domestic cases are heard in the two superior courts. Judges of each court are elected for six-year terms on partisan tickets.

County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each officer is elected to a four-year term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare a party affiliation and to be residents of the county. ^[17]

DeKalb County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Mark Souder in the United States Congress. ^[19] It is in Indiana Senate districts 13 and 14, ^[20] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 51, 52 and 85. ^[21]

United States presidential election results for DeKalb County, Indiana ^[22]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	14,377	72.50%	5,064	25.54%	390	1.97%
2020	14,237	72.43%	4,966	25.26%	453	2.30%
2016	12,054	70.92%	3,942	23.19%	1,000	5.88%
2012	10,587	64.71%	5,419	33.12%	354	2.16%
2008	9,780	56.95%	7,175	41.78%	219	1.28%
2004	10,468	67.96%	4,810	31.23%	125	0.81%
2000	8,701	63.12%	4,776	34.65%	308	2.23%
1996	6,851	51.36%	4,840	36.28%	1,648	12.35%
1992	6,682	44.48%	4,652	30.97%	3,688	24.55%
1988	9,018	65.75%	4,657	33.95%	41	0.30%
1984	8,769	64.82%	4,617	34.13%	142	1.05%
1980	7,886	56.53%	4,911	35.20%	1,153	8.27%
1976	7,860	55.17%	6,151	43.18%	235	1.65%
1972	8,834	66.44%	4,354	32.74%	109	0.82%
1968	7,650	56.93%	4,790	35.65%	998	7.43%
1964	6,210	44.71%	7,559	54.42%	120	0.86%
1960	8,957	62.66%	5,277	36.92%	61	0.43%
1956	9,061	66.75%	4,435	32.67%	79	0.58%
1952	8,713	64.66%	4,347	32.26%	416	3.09%
1948	6,941	54.86%	5,439	42.99%	272	2.15%
1944	7,479	60.38%	4,810	38.83%	98	0.79%
1940	7,676	57.17%	5,690	42.38%	60	0.45%
1936	5,848	44.89%	6,970	53.50%	209	1.60%
1932	5,590	43.06%	7,235	55.74%	156	1.20%
1928	7,373	64.04%	4,077	35.41%	64	0.56%
1924	6,093	54.63%	4,133	37.05%	928	8.32%
1920	6,514	56.35%	4,750	41.09%	296	2.56%
1916	2,898	43.53%	3,372	50.65%	387	5.81%
1912	1,125	18.11%	2,766	44.53%	2,320	37.35%
1908	2,991	42.41%	3,684	52.24%	377	5.35%
1904	3,416	49.97%	2,827	41.35%	593	8.67%
1900	3,218	46.11%	3,488	49.98%	273	3.91%
1896	3,137	45.56%	3,678	53.41%	71	1.03%
1892	2,499	40.02%	2,801	44.86%	944	15.12%
1888	2,879	46.28%	3,160	50.80%	182	2.93%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	1,968		—
1850	8,251		319.3%
1860	13,880		68.2%
1870	17,167		23.7%
1880	20,225		17.8%
1890	24,307		20.2%
1900	25,711		5.8%
1910	25,054		−2.6%
1920	25,600		2.2%
1930	24,911		−2.7%
1940	24,756		−0.6%
1950	26,023		5.1%
1960	28,271		8.6%
1970	30,837		9.1%
1980	33,606		9.0%
1990	35,324		5.1%
2000	40,285		14.0%
2010	42,223		4.8%
2020	43,265		2.5%
2023 (est.)	44,198	[23]	2.2%
US Decennial Census [24] 1790-1960 [25] 1900-1990 [26] 1990-2000 [27] 2010-2014 [28]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 42,223 people, 15,951 households, and 11,328 families in the county. ^[29] The population density was 116.4 inhabitants per square mile (44.9/km²). There were 17,558 housing units at an average density of 48.4 per square mile (18.7/km²). ^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. ^[29] In terms of ancestry, 36.3% were German, 10.9% were American, 10.8% were Irish, and 9.1% were English. ^[30]

Of the 15,951 households, 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.0% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 38.1 years. ^[29]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $55,280. Males had a median income of $44,880 versus $30,663 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,779. About 6.7% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over. ^[31]

2020 census

DeKalb County Racial Composition ^[32]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	40,232	93%
Black or African American (NH)	183	0.4%
Native American (NH)	67	0.15%
Asian (NH)	225	0.5%
Pacific Islander (NH)	39	0.1%
Other/Mixed (NH)	1,334	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	1,185	2.7%

Education

School districts

• DeKalb County Central United School District
• DeKalb County Eastern Community School District
• Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community School District
• Hamilton Community Schools

Private schools

• Lakewood Park Christian School
• St. Joseph's Catholic School (Garrett)
• Trinity Lutheran Church Preschool
• Zion Lutheran Pre-School (Garrett)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in DeKalb County, Indiana
• The Star , daily newspaper covering DeKalb County

References

1. "2020 Population and Housing State Data".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. John W Tyndall & OE Lesh, Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties, Indiana. pp. 284-6 (accessed 9 August 2020)
4. The counties are Dekalb, Fulton, Jasper, Jay, Kosciusko, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Stark, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley. Newton County was merged with Jasper County in 1839, and was re-authorized as a separate county in 1859.
5. "DeKalb County IN". STATS Indiana. Indiana Business Research Center. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
6. De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & Co. p.  555.
7. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p.  103.
8. Yankee Exodus: An Account of Migration from New England by Stewart Holbrook
9. Ford, Ira (January 1, 1920). History of Northeast Indiana: LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties. Lewis Publishing Co.
10. History of DeKalb County IN: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns ... and Biographies of Representative Citizens : Also a Condensed History of Indiana ... Inter-State Publishing Co. January 1, 1885.
11. Co., B. F. Bowen & (January 1, 1914). History of Dekalb County IN : with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families ... B.F. Bowen & Co.
12. DeKalb County IN (Google Maps, accessed 27 July 2020)
13. DeKalb County High Point, Indiana (PeakBagger.com, accessed 27 July 2020)
14. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
15. "Monthly Averages for Auburn IN". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
16. Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
17. Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
18. Local Rule 17-AR-1-1, approved March 9, 2007, by the Indiana Supreme Court.
19. "US Congressman Mark Souder". US Congress. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
20. "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
21. "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
22. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
23. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
24. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
25. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
26. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
27. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
28. "DeKalb County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
29. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
30. "Selected Social Characteristics in the US – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
31. "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
32. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – DeKalb County, Indiana".

External links

• DeKalb County Government
• Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor
• DeKalb County Visitors Bureau
• DeKalb County American History and Genealogy Project

41°22′01″N85°03′32″W / 41.36694°N 85.05889°W / 41.36694; -85.05889