Marion County, Indiana
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Marion County is located in the U.S. state of
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. The 2020 United States census reported a population of 977,203, making it the 54th-most populous county in the U.S., the most populous county in the state, and the main population center of the 11-county Indianapolis–Carmel–Greenwood MSA in central Indiana.
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
, the
state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital city, 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 ...
, and most populous city. Marion County is consolidated with Indianapolis through an entity known as Unigov.


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 ( 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, respectively. Marion County has two Indiana State Parks, Fort Harrison State Park and
White River State Park White River State Park is an urban park in downtown Indianapolis, downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Situated along the eastern and western banks of its namesake White River (Indiana), White River, the park covers . The park is home to numerous att ...
, 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 - west * Boone County - northwest


Transportation


Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Transit

* Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority * IndyGo ( Red Line Purple Line) * Indianapolis Union Station *
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
(''
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
'') * Barons Bus Lines * Burlington Trailways * Flixbus * Greyhound Lines * Miller Transportation


Airports

* KIND -
Indianapolis International Airport Indianapolis International Airport is an international airport located southwest of Downtown Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority, and the airport serves over 5 ...
* KEYE - Eagle Creek Airpark * 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 (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...
, by the Treaty of St. Mary's. It is named for
Francis Marion Brigadier general (United States), 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 t ...
, a brigadier general from
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. 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, 11.8% were Irish, 8.4% were English, 6.6% were American, and 5.2% were Subsaharan African. 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 ...
, 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 local government in the United States, United States local government, a consolidated city-county (#Terminology, see below for alternative terms) is formed when one or more city, cities and their surrounding County (United States), county (Lis ...
government, known as Unigov, 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

*
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...


Excluded cities and town

* Beech Grove * Lawrence *
Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
*
Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...


Included towns

* Clermont * Crows Nest * Cumberland (western portion) * Homecroft * Meridian Hills * North Crows Nest * Rocky Ripple * 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

The northern two-thirds of Marion County is in Indiana's 7th congressional district, which is held by Democrat André Carson.
Indiana's 6th congressional district Indiana's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. The district takes in a portion of eastern and central Indiana as of the 2020 census, including Columbus, Indiana, Columbus and Richmond, Indiana, Ric ...
, which runs along the southern third of the county, is held by Republican Jefferson Shreve. 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 mem ...
, 86th through 100th districts, with ten seats held by Democrats and five by Republicans. In the
State Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...
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 ...
is the combined legislative body of
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
and Marion County. The consolidated government, known as Unigov, 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 Joseph Hadden Hogsett (born November 2, 1956) is an American attorney, prosecutor, and politician who is the 49th mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to being elected mayor, Hogsett served as the secretary of state of Indiana from 1989 to 1994 ...
(D) * Auditor: Myla A. Eldrige (D) * Clerk: Kate Sweeney Bell (D) * Coroner: Alfarena (Alfie) McGinty (D) * Assessor: Joseph P. O'Connor (D) * Prosecutor: Ryan Mears (D) * Recorder: Faith Kimbrough (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 the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
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 served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
became the first Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson 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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
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, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
won it with 58 percent in 2016, and
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
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, and in the 2020 and 2024 elections, it was the most Democratic county in the entire state. 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 * Decatur Township Metropolitan School District * Franklin Township Community School Corporation * Indianapolis Public Schools * 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 Deaf


See also

* Marion County Fair (Indiana) *
List of counties in Indiana There are 92 counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. Each county serves as the local level of government within its borders. Although Indiana was organized into the United States since the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, its land was not always a ...
* List of places named for Francis Marion *
List of the most populous counties in the United States This is a list of the 100 most populous of the 3,144 counties in the United States based on the national decennial US census conducted on April 1, 2020, and vintage Census population estimates for July 1, 2024. Many of the counties on the list ...


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