Hancock County, Indiana

Hancock County
County
Hancock County courthouse in Greenfield
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°49′N85°46′W / 39.82°N 85.77°W / 39.82; -85.77
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	March 1, 1828
Named for	John Hancock
Seat	Greenfield
Largest city	Greenfield
Area
• Total	307.02 sq mi (795.2 km2)
• Land	306.02 sq mi (792.6 km2)
• Water	1.01 sq mi (2.6 km2)  0.33%
Population  (2020)
• Total	79,840
• Density	260/sq mi (100/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	www.hancockcoingov.org
Indiana county number 30

Hancock County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 United States Census recorded a population of 79,840. ^[1] The county seat is Greenfield. ^[2]

Hancock County is included in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

The terrain of Hancock County is low rolling hills, sloping to the south and southwest, carved by drainages. All available area is devoted to agriculture or urban development. ^[3] The highest point is a small prominence in NW Shirley, at 1,040 ft (320 m) ASL. ^[4] According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 307.02 square miles (795.2 km²), of which 306.02 square miles (792.6 km²) (or 99.67%) is land and 1.01 square miles (2.6 km²) (or 0.33%) is water. ^[5]

Adjacent counties

• Madison County - north
• Henry County - east
• Rush County - southeast
• Shelby County - south
• Marion County - west
• Hamilton County - northwest

Major highways

• Interstate 70
• U.S. Route 36
• U.S. Route 40
• U.S. Route 52
• State Road 9
• State Road 13
• State Road 67
• State Road 109
• State Road 234
• State Road 238

Airport

• KMQJ - Indianapolis Regional Airport

History

Indiana was admitted as a state to the United States on December 11, 1816, although much of its territory was still disputed or held by native peoples at that time. These indigenous claims were quickly reduced and removed by various treaties. The 1818 Treaty with the Delaware Indians brought most of central Indiana into state control, and Madison County was organized on a portion of that area. The lower portion of Madison County was quickly settled, and by the late 1820s the inhabitants were petitioning for a separate county government. Accordingly, a portion of the county was partitioned on March 1, 1828, to form Hancock County. Greenfield was named as the county seat on April 11. The county name recognized John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, who had signed his name prominently to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. ^{[6] [7]} The county has retained its original borders since its 1828 creation.

Climate and weather

Greenfield, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.5     34 17     2.4     39 20     3.3     50 30     4.1     62 40     4.7     73 51     4.5     82 61     4.9     85 64     4     84 62     3.2     78 55     3.1     65 43     3.9     51 33     3.1     39 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [8]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     63     1 −8     60     4 −7     85     10 −1     103     17 4     119     23 11     114     28 16     123     29 18     102     29 17     80     26 13     77     18 6     99     11 1     78     4 −5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Greenfield have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.37 inches (60 mm) in February to 4.85 inches (123 mm) in July. ^[8]

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

Hancock County Sheriff's Department
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Hancock County, Indiana, Indiana, United States
Legal jurisdiction	As per operations jurisdiction
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Agency executive	Michael Shepherd, Sheriff

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 legislative branch of the county government; controls the county's spending and revenue collection. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve staggered 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. ^{[9] [10]}

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners carry out the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government. ^{[9] [10]}

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. ^[10]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. They are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county. ^[10]

Hancock County is part of Indiana's 5th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 28; ^[11] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 29 and 53. ^[12]

United States presidential election results for Hancock County, Indiana ^[13]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	29,288	65.69%	14,312	32.10%	984	2.21%
2020	28,996	67.40%	12,895	29.97%	1,129	2.62%
2016	25,074	68.76%	8,904	24.42%	2,490	6.83%
2012	22,796	69.41%	9,319	28.37%	728	2.22%
2008	22,008	64.25%	11,874	34.67%	371	1.08%
2004	20,771	74.54%	6,912	24.80%	184	0.66%
2000	15,943	69.47%	6,503	28.34%	504	2.20%
1996	12,907	60.23%	6,123	28.57%	2,398	11.19%
1992	11,072	53.65%	4,752	23.02%	4,815	23.33%
1988	13,374	71.21%	5,355	28.51%	51	0.27%
1984	12,880	73.58%	4,550	25.99%	74	0.42%
1980	12,093	66.67%	5,124	28.25%	921	5.08%
1976	10,072	61.31%	6,191	37.69%	164	1.00%
1972	11,019	77.87%	3,069	21.69%	62	0.44%
1968	7,516	56.23%	3,902	29.19%	1,948	14.57%
1964	6,370	49.03%	6,573	50.59%	50	0.38%
1960	7,543	60.21%	4,930	39.35%	55	0.44%
1956	6,962	59.93%	4,600	39.60%	55	0.47%
1952	6,964	59.94%	4,539	39.07%	116	1.00%
1948	4,721	48.05%	4,948	50.36%	157	1.60%
1944	5,139	51.71%	4,652	46.81%	147	1.48%
1940	5,283	48.98%	5,417	50.23%	85	0.79%
1936	4,174	41.00%	5,962	58.57%	44	0.43%
1932	4,055	40.22%	5,836	57.89%	190	1.88%
1928	4,788	56.49%	3,626	42.78%	62	0.73%
1924	4,063	47.27%	4,364	50.77%	168	1.95%
1920	4,422	46.16%	4,958	51.76%	199	2.08%
1916	2,138	41.56%	2,779	54.02%	227	4.41%
1912	738	14.77%	2,594	51.90%	1,666	33.33%
1908	2,472	43.50%	3,040	53.49%	171	3.01%
1904	2,633	46.39%	2,806	49.44%	237	4.18%
1900	2,295	43.03%	2,930	54.93%	109	2.04%
1896	2,236	43.22%	2,886	55.79%	51	0.99%
1892	1,932	42.65%	2,329	51.41%	269	5.94%
1888	1,986	44.68%	2,376	53.45%	83	1.87%

Education

Hancock County is served by two library systems, the Fortville-Vernon Township Public Library and Hancock County Public Library. ^[14]

The county's school districts include: ^[15]

• Eastern Hancock County Community School Corporation
• Greenfield-Central Community Schools
• Mount Vernon Community School Corporation
• Southern Hancock County Community School Corporation

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	1,436		—
1840	7,535		424.7%
1850	9,698		28.7%
1860	12,802		32.0%
1870	15,123		18.1%
1880	17,123		13.2%
1890	17,829		4.1%
1900	19,189		7.6%
1910	19,030		−0.8%
1920	17,210		−9.6%
1930	16,605		−3.5%
1940	17,302		4.2%
1950	20,332		17.5%
1960	26,665		31.1%
1970	35,096		31.6%
1980	43,939		25.2%
1990	45,527		3.6%
2000	55,391		21.7%
2010	70,002		26.4%
2020	79,840		14.1%
2023 (est.)	86,166	[16]	7.9%
US Decennial Census [17] 1790-1960 [18] 1900-1990 [19] 1990-2000 [20] 2010-2013 [21]

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States Census the population of Hancock County was 79,840. ^[22]

Hancock County Racial Composition ^[22]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	71,106	89%
Black or African American (NH)	2,346	3%
Native American (NH)	121	0.15%
Asian (NH)	734	0.9%
Pacific Islander (NH)	42	0.05%
Other/Mixed (NH)	3,289	4.1%
Hispanic or Latino	2,202	2.75%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 70,002 people, 26,304 households, and 19,792 families in the county. ^[23] The population density was 228.8 inhabitants per square mile (88.3/km²). There were 28,125 housing units at an average density of 91.9 per square mile (35.5/km²). ^[5] The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% white, 2.1% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. ^[23] In terms of ancestry, 26.2% were German, 13.9% were Irish, 11.8% were English, and 11.8% were American. ^[24]

Of the 26,304 households, 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.8% were non-families, and 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 39.1 years. ^[23]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $69,734. Males had a median income of $53,565 versus $38,042 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,017. About 5.9% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over. ^[25]

Cities and towns

• Cumberland (extends into Marion County)
• Fortville
• Greenfield
• McCordsville
• New Palestine
• Shirley (extends into Henry County)
• Spring Lake
• Wilkinson

Townships

• Blue River
• Brandywine
• Brown
• Buck Creek
• Center
• Green
• Jackson
• Sugar Creek
• Vernon

Unincorporated communities

• Carrollton
• Charlottesville (extends into Rush County)
• Cleveland
• Eden
• Finly (also known as Carrollton)
• Gem
• Maxwell
• Milners Corner
• Mohawk
• Mount Comfort
• Nashville
• Philadelphia
• Pleasant Acres
• Riley
• Stringtown
• Warrington
• Westland
• Willow Branch
• Woodbury

See also

• Daily Reporter , daily newspaper covering Hancock County (published in Greenfield)
• Edward E. Moore, Indiana state senator and Los Angeles City Council member
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hancock County, Indiana

References

1. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Hancock County, Indiana; Hamilton County, Indiana; Hamilton County, Florida; United States". www.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Hancock County IN" (Google Maps - accessed 27 December 2019)
4. "Hancock County IN" (peakbagger.com - accessed 27 December 2019)
5. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
6. De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co. pp.  561.
7. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p.  148.
8. "Monthly Averages for Greenfield IN". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
9. Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
10. Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
11. "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
12. "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
13. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
14. "Indiana public library directory" (PDF). Indiana State Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
15. ""2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Hancock County, IN" (PDF)" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
16. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
17. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
18. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
19. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
20. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
21. "Hancock County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
22. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Hancock County, Indiana".
23. "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.
24. "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.
25. "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.

External links

• Hancock County Official Website

39°49′N85°46′W / 39.82°N 85.77°W / 39.82; -85.77