Rush County, Indiana

Rush County, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1822
Named for	Benjamin Rush
Seat	Rushville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	408.46 sq mi (1,058 km²) 408.12 sq mi (1,057 km²) 0.34 sq mi (1 km²), 0.08%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	17,392 43/sq mi (16.45/km²)
Congressional district	6th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 70

Rushville from the air.

Rush County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 17,392. The county seat is Rushville.

History

Rush County was formed in 1822. It was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Rush, who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 408.46 square miles (1,057.9 km²), of which 408.12 square miles (1,057.0 km²) (or 99.92%) is land and 0.34 square miles (0.88 km²) (or 0.08%) is water.

Cities and towns

• Carthage
• Rushville

Unincorporated towns

• Arlington
• Manilla
• Mays
• Milroy
• Moscow

Townships

• Anderson
• Center
• Jackson
• Noble
• Orange
• Posey
• Richland
• Ripley
• Rushville
• Union
• Walker
• Washington

Adjacent counties

• Henry County (north)
• Fayette County (east)
• Franklin County (southeast)
• Decatur County (south)
• Shelby County (west)
• Hancock County (northwest)

Major highways

• U.S. Route 52
• Indiana State Road 3
• Indiana State Road 44
• Indiana State Road 244

Climate and weather

Rushville, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.6   34 17     2.6   39 21     3.2   50 30     4.2   62 39     5.1   73 50     4.3   81 60     4.4   84 63     3.6   83 61     2.9   77 53     2.9   65 42     3.6   51 33     3.1   39 24 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     67   1 -8     65   4 -6     81   10 -1     107   17 4     129   23 10     110   27 16     111   29 17     91   28 16     73   25 12     72   18 6     91   11 1     78   4 -4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Rushville have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 108 °F (42 °C) was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.55 inches (65 mm) in February to 5.06 inches (129 mm) in May.

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.

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.

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.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	9,707		—
1840	16,456		69.5%
1850	16,445		−0.1%
1860	16,193		−1.5%
1870	17,626		8.8%
1880	19,238		9.1%
1890	19,034		−1.1%
1900	20,148		5.9%
1910	19,349		−4.0%
1920	19,241		−0.6%
1930	19,412		0.9%
1940	18,927		−2.5%
1950	19,799		4.6%
1960	20,393		3.0%
1970	20,352		−0.2%
1980	19,604		−3.7%
1990	18,129		−7.5%
2000	18,261		0.7%
2010	17,392		−4.8%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division Census Quickfacts

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,261 people, 6,923 households, and 5,046 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 7,337 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.69% White, 0.60% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.5% were of American, 27.6% German, 12.7% English and 10.3% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 6,923 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.70% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,152, and the median income for a family was $42,633. Males had a median income of $32,491 versus $22,101 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,997. About 5.50% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.00% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Rush County, Indiana
• Edward E. Moore, Indiana state senator and Los Angeles City Council member