Marion County is located in the U.S. state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. The

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

reported a population of 977,203, making it the largest county in the state and 51st most populated county in the country.

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

, the

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals * List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population * List of national capitals by area * List of capital c ...

, and

largest city The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metropo ...

. Marion County is consolidated with Indianapolis through an arrangement known as

Unigov Unigov is the colloquial name adopted by the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, to describe its consolidated city–county government. By an act of the Indiana General Assembly, Indianapolis consolidated with the government of Marion County in 197 ...

. Marion County is the central county of the Indianapolis–Carmel–Anderson MSA in

Central Indiana The geography of Indiana comprises the physical features of the land and relative location of U.S. State of Indiana. Indiana is in the north-central United States and borders on Lake Michigan. Surrounding states are Michigan to the north and nor ...

Geography

The low rolling hills of Marion County have been cleared of trees, and the area is completely devoted to municipal development or to agriculture, except for wooded drainages. The highest point (920 feet/279 meters ASL) is a small ridge at the county's northwest corner. According to the 2010 census, the county has an area of , of which (or 98.34%) is land and (or 1.66%) is water. The White River flows southwestward through the central part of the county; it is joined by Eagle Creek and Fall Creek, both of which have dams in the county forming Eagle Creek Reservoir and

Geist Reservoir Geist Reservoir is a reservoir in the northeastern part of metropolitan Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It was constructed in 1943 by damming Fall Creek to provide water for Indianapolis. Upon completion, Geist Reservoir was the second-lar ...

, respectively. Marion County has two Indiana State Parks,

Fort Harrison State Park Fort Harrison, sometimes called Fort Ben, is an Indiana state park located in Lawrence, Indiana, United States, and occupies part of the former site of Fort Benjamin Harrison. The park features a former Citizen's Military Training Camp, Civilian ...

and

White River State Park White River State Park is an urban park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Situated along the eastern and western banks of its namesake White River, the park covers . The park is home to numerous attractions, including the Eiteljorg Museum of A ...

, as well as many municipal parks.

Adjacent counties

* Hamilton County - north * Hancock County - east * Shelby County - southeast * Johnson County - south * Morgan County - southwest *

Hendricks County Hendricks County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 145,448. The county seat is the town of Danville. Hendricks County is the third largest county in the Indianapolis- Carmel-Ander ...

- west * Boone County - northwest

Transportation

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I-69 currently ends in Indianapolis at the I-465 interchange in the northeast section of the county. The extension connecting

and

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...

is expected to be completed in 2024.

Airports

* KIND -

Indianapolis International Airport Indianapolis International Airport is an international airport located seven miles (11 km) southwest of downtown Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. The ...

* KEYE -

Eagle Creek Airpark Eagle Creek Airpark is a public use airport located seven nautical miles (13 km) west of the central business district of Indianapolis, a city in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned by the Indianapolis Airport Authority and ...

* Post-Air Airport

History

Marion County was created on April 1, 1822, from part of the " New Purchase" lands that had been obtained from its inhabitants, the

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

, by the

Treaty of St. Mary's The Treaty of St. Mary's may refer to one of six treaties concluded in fall of 1818 between the United States and Natives of central Indiana regarding purchase of Native land. The treaties were *Treaty with the Wyandot, etc. *Treaty with the Wy ...

. It is named for

Francis Marion Brigadier-General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the Swamp Fox, was an American military officer, planter and politician who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the Ameri ...

, a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

from

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The state capital was moved to Indianapolis in Marion County from Corydon on January 10, 1825. This began a period of rapid growth in population.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Indianapolis have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in July.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 903,393 people, 366,176 households, and 218,338 families in the county. The population density was . There were 417,862 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 62.7% white, 26.7% black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 5.4% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.9% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 11.8% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 8.4% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, 6.6% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, and 5.2% were

Subsaharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African ...

n. Of the 366,176 households, 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.4% were non-families, and 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 33.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $54,142. Males had a median income of $42,215 versus $34,169 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,498. About 13.5% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Marion County has a

consolidated city-county In United States local government, a consolidated city-county is formed when one or more cities and their surrounding county ( parish in Louisiana, borough in Alaska) merge into one unified jurisdiction. As such it has the governmental powers o ...

government, known as

, in which only four municipalities retain full government autonomy (including a mayor and city council) as "excluded cities". The remaining municipalities within the county are "included towns" and exercise very limited authority, mainly in zoning and appointing their own police departments and maintaining some of their own municipal services and town identities. They retain the ability to levy taxes for these purposes.

Municipalities

Excluded cities in bold. * Beech Grove * Clermont * Crows Nest *

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

(western portion) * Homecroft *

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

Meridian Hills Meridian Hills is a community in Washington Township, Marion County, Indiana, about six and a half miles north of downtown Indianapolis and slightly southwest of the neighboring community of Williams Creek. It had a population of 1,616 at the 20 ...

* North Crows Nest * Rocky Ripple *

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

* Spring Hill * Warren Park * Williams Creek * Wynnedale

Townships

Marion County has nine townships roughly organized into a grid-like, three-by-three pattern. This arrangement can be seen below, with the top being north.

Politics

Most of Marion County is in Indiana's

7th 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...

congressional district, which is held by Democrat

André Carson André D. Carson (born October 16, 1974) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, his district includes the southern four-fifths of Indianapolis, including Downtown Indianap ...

Indiana's 5th congressional district Indiana's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana that takes the north side of Indianapolis as well as its eastern and northern suburbs, including Marion, Carmel, Anderson, Noblesville, Fishers, ...

, which runs along the northern edge of the county, is held by Republican

Victoria Spartz Victoria Spartz ( Kulheyko; uk, Вікторія Кульгейко , Viktoriya Kul'heyko; born October 6, 1978) is a Ukrainian-born American politician and businesswoman who is the U.S. representative for . A member of the Republican Party, s ...

. The county is represented by 15 seats in the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

, 86th through 100th districts, with ten seats held by Democrats and five by Republicans. In the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

Marion County is divided among nine districts, which are held by two Democrats and seven Republicans. The Senate districts are numbered 28 through 36. The

Indianapolis City-County Council The City-County Council of Indianapolis and Marion County is the legislative body of the combined government of the city of Indianapolis and the county of Marion in the state of Indiana. The council was established as part of the consolidation o ...

is the combined

legislative body A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

and Marion County. The consolidated government, known as

, was formally established in 1970 upon the merger of the city government with the county government. The council passes ordinances for the city and county, and makes appointments to certain boards and commissions. ;County elected officials * Mayor (County Executive): Joe Hogsett (D) * Auditor: Julie Voorhies (D) * Clerk: Myla A. Eldrige (D) * Coroner: Dr. Lee Sloan (D) * Assessor: Joseph P. O'Connor (D) * Prosecutor: Ryan Mears (D) * Recorder: Kate Sweeney Bell (D) * Sheriff: Kerry J. Forestal (D) * Surveyor: Debra S. Jenkins (D) * Treasurer: Barbara A. Lawrence (D) The Auditor, Assessor, and Treasurer form the county's Board of Commissioners. For most of the 20th century, Marion County was considered one of the most conservative urban counties in the nation. Between 1896 and 2000, it went Democratic only four times, in the national landslides of 1932, 1936 and 1964 as well as 1912 when

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

won a plurality in the county. The Republican edge began to lessen considerably in the 1990s, and in 2004

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

became the first Democrat since

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

in 1964 to carry the county. The trend continued in 2008 and 2012 with

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

showing strongly in Marion County, winning 63% and 60% of the vote respectively.

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

won it with 58 percent in 2016, and Joe Biden took 63 percent in 2020. Biden’s 247,772 votes is the highest number of votes a candidate has ever received in the county. It is now one of the few Democratic bastions in traditionally heavily Republican central Indiana. The six northern and central townships lean more Democratic, especially Center township containing Downtown Indianapolis, and Pike Township in the northwestern corner with an African-American majority. In contrast, the three less-populated southern townships with a higher Caucasian population (Decatur, Perry and Franklin) lean more Republican.

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> *

Beech Grove City Schools Beech Grove City Schools is the public school district serving the city of Beech Grove, Indiana. The district has five schools, with a total of 2,293 students. The district superintendent is Dr. Paul Kaiser. Schools *Hornet Park Elementary ...

* Decatur Township Metropolitan School District *

Franklin Township Community School Corporation Franklin Township Community School Corporation (FTCSC) is a public school district in Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is responsible for seven elementary schools, two intermediate schools, one junior high, and one ...

Indianapolis Public Schools Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) is the largest school district in Indianapolis, and the second largest school district in the state of Indiana as of 2021, behind Fort Wayne Community Schools. The district's headquarters are in the John Morton ...

* Lawrence Township Metropolitan School District * Perry Township Metropolitan School District * Pike Township Metropolitan School District * Speedway School Town * Warren Township Metropolitan School District * Washington Township Metropolitan School District * Wayne Township Metropolitan School District It also has the following state-operated schools: *

Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, or ISBVI, established in 1847 as the Indiana School for the Blind and also known as the Indiana Institution for the Education of the Blind, is a residential school for Indiana youth that are ...

Indiana School for the Deaf Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD) is a fully accredited school for the deaf and hard of hearing, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It won the best deaf school in America in 2011 and 2014. History When the first school for the Deaf was establi ...

References

External links

Indianapolis and Marion County Official Website

Marion County Sheriff's Office Official Website

Marion County InDepth Profile: STATS Indiana

County Highlights: Marion County: Hoosiers by the Numbers
{{Coord, 39.78, -86.14, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IN_source:UScensus1990 1822 establishments in Indiana Indiana counties Indianapolis metropolitan area Populated places established in 1822