County profile

St. Joseph County

Indiana · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
273,040
Median household income
$66,868
People below poverty
14.2%
Median home value
$192,800

Income

The median income of households in St. Joseph County, Indiana was $66,868. An estimated 5.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 7.6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 5.2
$10,000 to $14,999 4
$15,000 to $24,999 6.8
$25,000 to $34,999 8.6
$35,000 to $49,999 12.6
$50,000 to $74,999 18.8
$75,000 to $99,999 12.9
$100,000 to $149,999 16.2
$150,000 to $199,999 7.5
$200,000 or more 7.6

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 61206
Female 47890

An estimated 77% of households received earnings. An estimated 32% of households received Social Security and an estimated 24 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,318. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 77
Social Security 32
Retirement income 24
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.6
Cash public assistance income 2.2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 14.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 19.7% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.7% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 13% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 14.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 19.7
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.7
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 13

In 2020-2024, 9.8 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 48.8% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 30.3% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 38.8% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024, 92.9% had health insurance coverage and 7.1% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 67.1% and public coverage was 37%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.6%.


In 2020-2024, St. Joseph County, Indiana had a total population of 273,040 - 139,662 (51.2%) females and 133,378 (48.8%) males. The median age was 36.7 years. An estimated 23.2% of the population was under 18 years, 33.4% was 19 to 44 years, 23.1% was 45 to 64 years, and 16.9 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 8507 8127
5 to 9 9186 8514
10 to 14 8914 8898
15 to 19 10471 10437
20 to 24 10306 10929
25 to 29 9145 9221
30 to 34 8994 9032
35 to 39 8765 9085
40 to 44 7996 7727
45 to 49 7376 7687
50 to 54 7665 8004
55 to 59 7881 8094
60 to 64 7680 8376
65 to 69 7604 8630
70 to 74 5402 5927
75 to 79 3583 4822
80 to 84 2254 2497
85 and over 1649 3655

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 71% were White; 12.5% were Black or African American; 6.3% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 2.7% were Asian; 5.8% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 10.3% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 10.5% of the people in St. Joseph County, Indiana were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 68.9% of the people in St. Joseph County, Indiana were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 107,252 households in St. Joseph County, Indiana. The average household size was 2.44 people.

Married-couple households made up 42.7% of the households in St. Joseph County, Indiana while cohabiting couple households made up 7.4% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 29.6% of all households, while 20.4% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.7% of households were male householders living alone, and 18% were female householders living alone, for a total of 33.7% of all households.

In St. Joseph County, Indiana, 27.2% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 31.4% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 42.7
Cohabiting Couples 7.4
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.4
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
29.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 45.3% of males and 42.3% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 40.6 34.6
Now married, except separated 45.3 42.3
Separated 1.1 1.6
Widowed 2.5 8.2
Divorced 10.5 13.2

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In St. Joseph County, Indiana, 4,051 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 40.6% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 93.1% of the people living in St. Joseph County, Indiana were U.S. natives. 63.3% of the St. Joseph County, Indiana population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 6.9% of St. Joseph County, Indiana residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 40.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 59.5 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of St. Joseph County, Indiana come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for St. Joseph County, Indiana.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 39
Asia 31.2
Europe 10.2
Africa 16
Northern America 3.4
Oceania 0.1

Language

Among people at least five years old living in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024, 11.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 6.7% of people at least five years old; 4% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 6.7
Other Indo-European languages 1.7
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1.7
Other languages 1.1

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 87.4 % of the people at least one year old living in St. Joseph County, Indiana were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 87.4
Different house, same county 6.9
Different county, same state 1.8
Different state 3.4
Abroad 0.6

Education

In 2020-2024, 91.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 33.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 8.4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in St. Joseph County, Indiana was 71,710 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 4,508 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 45,672. College or graduate school enrollment was 21,530.

Educational Attainment of People in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 8.4
High school diploma or equivalency 29.3
Some college, no degree 19.8
Associate's degree 8.8
Bachelor's degree 20.2
Graduate or professional degree 13.4

Disability

In St. Joseph County, Indiana, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 13.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.8% of people under 18 years old, to 11.4% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 31.4% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In St. Joseph County, Indiana, 59.9 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 36.7% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 85.2% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 10.7% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4.1 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 110,898 85.2
Federal, state, or local government workers 13,871 10.7
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 5,312 4.1

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in St. Joseph County, Indiana worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.5
Construction 5.3
Manufacturing 16.7
Wholesale trade 2.9
Retail trade 10.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.3
Information 1.4
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 9
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 28.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 7.6
Other Services, except public administration 4.5
Public administration 3.1

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 52,843 40.6
Service occupations 19,685 15.1
Sales and office occupations 26,145 20.1
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 9,777 7.5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 21,787 16.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 74.7% of St. Joseph County, Indiana workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 21.1 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 74.7
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1
Walked 3.3
Other means 1.7
Worked from home 10.7

In 2020-2024, St. Joseph County, Indiana had a total of 118,580 housing units. Of these housing units, 76.9% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 21.5% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 1.6% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 76.9
Apartments in multi-unit structures 21.5
Mobile homes 1.6
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

6.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 19.3% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in St. Joseph County, Indiana was 5.8 rooms, and of these housing units 61.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, St. Joseph County, Indiana had 107,252 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 11,328 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 69% while renters occupied 31%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.55 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.17.

3.9% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 11.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6.7% and another 18.5% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in St. Joseph County, Indiana:

House Heating Fuel Used in St. Joseph County, Indiana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 83.2
Electricity 15.7
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.2
All other fuels 0.5
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in St. Joseph County, Indiana was $192,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 60.4 % had a mortgage. 39.6% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,291 and for owners without a mortgage it was $479.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for St. Joseph County, Indiana was $1,062. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.