Dubois County, Indiana

Dubois County
County
The Dubois County courthouse in Jasper, Indiana
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°22′N86°53′W / 38.36°N 86.88°W / 38.36; -86.88
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	December 20, 1818
Named for	Toussaint Dubois
Seat	Jasper
Largest city	Jasper
Area
• Total	435.33 sq mi (1,127.5 km2)
• Land	427.27 sq mi (1,106.6 km2)
• Water	8.06 sq mi (20.9 km2)  1.85%
Population  (2020)
• Total	43,637
• Estimate  (2023)	43,546
• Density	97.4/sq mi (37.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	8th
Indiana county number 19

Dubois County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 43,637. ^[1] The county seat is Jasper. ^[2] Dubois County is now the sole county of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Dubois County was formed on December 20, 1818, from Orange, Pike and Perry counties. It is named for Toussaint Dubois, ^[3] a Frenchman who fought in the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812. Dubois was a merchant who lived mainly in Vincennes. He drowned in 1816 while crossing the Little Wabash River near Lawrenceville, Illinois. ^[4]

In 1818, as many as half of the residents of the county died of milk sickness. ^[5] The plant contains the potent toxin temetrol, which is passed through the milk. ^[6] The migrants from the East were unfamiliar with the Midwestern plant and its effects. ^[7]

Dubois County switched to the Central Time Zone on April 2, 2006, and returned to the Eastern Time Zone on November 4, 2007; both changes were controversial as Huntingburg wished to remain on Central Time while Jasper never wanted to leave Eastern Time. ^{[8] [9]}

The original county seat was Portersville. In 1830, the county seat was moved south to Jasper.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 435.33 square miles (1,127.5 km²), of which 427.27 square miles (1,106.6 km²) (or 98.15%) is land and 8.06 square miles (20.9 km²) (or 1.85%) is water. ^[10]

Cities

• Jasper
• Huntingburg

Towns

• Birdseye
• Ferdinand
• Holland

Census-designated places

• Dubois

Other unincorporated places

• Ireland
• Bretzville
• Celestine
• Crystal
• Cuzco
• Duff
• Ellsworth
• Haysville
• Hillham
• Johnsburg
• Kellerville
• Kyana
• Mentor
• Millersport
• Portersville
• Schnellville
• Saint Anthony
• Saint Henry
• Saint Marks
• Zoar

Townships

• Bainbridge
• Boone
• Cass
• Columbia
• Ferdinand
• Hall
• Harbison
• Jackson
• Jefferson
• Madison
• Marion
• Patoka

Adjacent counties

• Martin County (north)
• Orange County (northeast)
• Crawford County (east)
• Perry County (southeast/CT Border)
• Spencer County (south/CT Border)
• Warrick County (southwest/CT Border)
• Pike County (west)
• Daviess County (northwest)

Climate and weather

Jasper, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3     38 20     2.8     44 24     4.1     54 33     4.7     65 43     5.3     74 52     4.7     82 61     4.4     86 66     4.1     85 63     3.6     79 56     3.2     67 44     4.3     55 35     3.5     43 25 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [11]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     77     3 −7     71     7 −4     104     12 1     118     18 6     134     23 11     119     28 16     111     30 19     105     29 17     90     26 13     80     19 7     109     13 2     89     6 −4 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Jasper 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 −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.81 inches (71 mm) in February to 5.29 inches (134 mm) in May. ^[11]

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

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

County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms. 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. ^{[12] [13]}

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government. ^{[12] [13]}

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court. ^[13]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county. ^[13]

Dubois County is part of Indiana's 8th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Larry Bucshon. It is also part of Indiana Senate districts 47 and 48, ^[14] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 63, 73 and 74. ^[15]

United States presidential election results for Dubois County, Indiana ^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	14,983	69.81%	5,944	27.69%	537	2.50%
2020	15,033	68.94%	6,292	28.85%	481	2.21%
2016	13,365	66.51%	5,389	26.82%	1,341	6.67%
2012	11,654	62.75%	6,522	35.12%	395	2.13%
2008	9,526	51.23%	8,748	47.05%	319	1.72%
2004	11,726	68.71%	5,210	30.53%	130	0.76%
2000	10,134	65.36%	5,090	32.83%	280	1.81%
1996	6,840	44.85%	6,499	42.62%	1,911	12.53%
1992	6,785	42.44%	5,878	36.76%	3,326	20.80%
1988	9,995	62.28%	5,954	37.10%	99	0.62%
1984	9,391	62.77%	5,423	36.25%	148	0.99%
1980	6,775	47.46%	6,700	46.93%	801	5.61%
1976	6,383	45.97%	7,385	53.19%	116	0.84%
1972	6,637	50.36%	6,365	48.30%	177	1.34%
1968	5,865	43.24%	6,725	49.58%	973	7.17%
1964	3,800	27.26%	10,114	72.56%	25	0.18%
1960	5,117	38.32%	8,214	61.51%	22	0.16%
1956	6,942	57.19%	5,177	42.65%	20	0.16%
1952	6,538	53.47%	5,658	46.27%	31	0.25%
1948	4,295	39.30%	6,564	60.07%	69	0.63%
1944	4,855	47.78%	5,273	51.89%	34	0.33%
1940	4,729	44.01%	5,992	55.77%	24	0.22%
1936	3,011	29.07%	6,927	66.87%	421	4.06%
1932	2,357	23.58%	7,547	75.50%	92	0.92%
1928	3,301	35.18%	6,044	64.41%	39	0.42%
1924	2,708	30.53%	5,651	63.71%	511	5.76%
1920	3,738	46.18%	4,238	52.35%	119	1.47%
1916	1,492	32.07%	3,072	66.02%	89	1.91%
1912	666	14.81%	3,059	68.01%	773	17.19%
1908	1,397	28.88%	3,344	69.12%	97	2.00%
1904	1,413	30.77%	3,119	67.92%	60	1.31%
1900	1,362	29.65%	3,192	69.48%	40	0.87%
1896	1,215	28.64%	3,005	70.82%	23	0.54%
1892	1,081	26.12%	2,847	68.80%	210	5.07%
1888	1,220	28.88%	2,986	70.67%	19	0.45%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	1,168		—
1830	1,778		52.2%
1840	3,632		104.3%
1850	6,321		74.0%
1860	10,394		64.4%
1870	12,597		21.2%
1880	15,992		27.0%
1890	20,253		26.6%
1900	20,357		0.5%
1910	19,843		−2.5%
1920	19,915		0.4%
1930	20,553		3.2%
1940	22,579		9.9%
1950	23,785		5.3%
1960	27,463		15.5%
1970	30,934		12.6%
1980	34,238		10.7%
1990	36,616		6.9%
2000	39,674		8.4%
2010	41,889		5.6%
2020	43,637		4.2%
2023 (est.)	43,546	[17]	−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [18] 1790-1960 [19] 1900-1990 [20] 1990-2000 [21] 2010-2013 [1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 41,889 people, 16,133 households, and 11,459 families residing in the county. ^[22] The population density was 98.0 inhabitants per square mile (37.8/km²). There were 17,384 housing units at an average density of 40.7 per square mile (15.7/km²). ^[10] The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 3.1% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.0% of the population. ^[22] In terms of ancestry, 58.0% were German, 9.0% were American, 8.1% were Irish, and 6.7% were English. ^[23]

Of the 16,133 households, 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.0% were non-families, and 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 39.9 years. ^[22]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $64,286. Males had a median income of $42,078 versus $31,411 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,801. About 6.9% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over. ^[24]

2020 census

Dubois County Racial Composition ^[25]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	38,137	87.4%
Black or African American (NH)	190	0.44%
Native American (NH)	55	0.13%
Asian (NH)	247	0.56%
Pacific Islander (NH)	5	0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH)	857	2%
Hispanic or Latino	4,146	9.5%

Economy

Personal income

The median income for a household in the county was $44,169, and the median income for a family was $50,342. Males had a median income of $32,484 versus $23,526 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,225. About 2.90% of families and 6.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.30% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

Tourism

Patoka Lake is located along the county's eastern borders with both Crawford and Orange Counties. Several annual national bass fishing tournaments are held there. ^{[26] [27] [28]}

The Hoosier National Forest is located in the county. Part of it is protected.

Education

Public education in Dubois County is administered through four school corporations: ^[29]

• Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools
• Southeast Dubois School Corporation
• Southwest Dubois School Corporation
• Northeast Dubois County School Corporation

High Schools

• Jasper High School (Greater Jasper Schools, Jasper)
• Forest Park High School (Southeast Dubois Schools, Ferdinand)
• Southridge High School (Southwest Dubois Schools, Huntingburg)
• Northeast Dubois High School (Northeast Dubois Schools, Dubois)

Infrastructure

Major highways

• Interstate 64
• U.S. Route 231
• Indiana State Road 56
• Indiana State Road 64
• Indiana State Road 145
• Indiana State Road 161
• Indiana State Road 162
• Indiana State Road 164
• Indiana State Road 264
• Indiana State Road 545

See also

• List of public art in Dubois County, Indiana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dubois County, Indiana

References

1. "Dubois County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  109.
4. De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co. pp.  556.
5. "404 Not Found".{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
6. "Abraham Lincoln Biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
7. Daly, Walter J. (2006). "The "Slows": The Torment of Milk Sickness on the Midwest Frontier". Indiana Magazine of History. 102 (1): 29–40. JSTOR   27792690.
8. "Indianapolis Star". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
9. DOT Moves Five Indiana Counties from Central to Eastern Time Archived May 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
10. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
11. "Monthly Averages for Jasper, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
12. Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
13. Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
14. "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
15. "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
17. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
18. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
19. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
20. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
21. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
22. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
23. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
24. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
25. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Dubois County, Indiana".
26. "Patoka Lake". Anglers Channel. August 13, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
27. "Walker Hangs on for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Patoka Lake". Anglers Channel. May 22, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
28. "Patoka Lake Open". Professional Disc Golf Association. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
29. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Dubois County, IN" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved June 12, 2024. - Text list.

External links

• Dubois County Website

38°22′N86°53′W / 38.36°N 86.88°W / 38.36; -86.88