Putnam County, Indiana

IN · FIPS 18133 Republican

Located in Indiana, Putnam County has a population of 37,280 residents and a median age of 38.4 years, making it the #1,277 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 8.7%. The median home value is $218,900, and the median household income is $78,378, which is 4% above the national median.

37,280
Population
#1,277 of 3,222
$78,378
Median Income
+4.3% #655 of 3,222
38.4 years
Median Age
-1.3% #2,501 of 3,222
8.7%
Poverty Rate
-31.0% #504 of 3,222

Demographics

Putnam County has a population of 37,280, making it the #1,277 most populous county in the US. The median age is 38.4 years, which is 1.3% below the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

97.6%
Native Born
2.4%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Putnam County is $78,378, ranking #655 out of 3,222 counties — 4.3% above the national median. The poverty rate is 8.7% and unemployment stands at 3.1%.

Income#655
$78,378
+4.3%
vs nation
80th percentile
Per Capita#1,630
$34,784
-15.7%
vs nation
49th percentile
Poverty#504
8.7%
-31.0%
vs nation
84th percentile
Unemployment#712
3.1%
-42.0%
vs nation
78th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Putnam County is $218,900 (-22.3% vs national). Renters pay a median of $884/mo and the homeownership rate is 75.4%.

Home Value#1,205
$218,900
-22.3%
vs nation
63th percentile
Rent#1,524
$884
-24.0%
vs nation
53th percentile
Homeownership#1,465
75.4%
+17.1%
vs nation
55th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Putnam County, 20.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 40.0% below the national average, ranking #1,958 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
20.2% −40.0% vs nation
Rank #1,958 of 3,222
39th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Putnam County is 75.8 years. 17.9% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.0% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,338
75.8
+0.9%
vs nation
56th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,311
17.9%
-8.5%
vs nation
58th percentile
Diabetes#1,405
10.5%
-5.7%
vs nation
55th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,292
40.0%
+7.2%
vs nation
27th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,460
5.6
-0.9%
vs nation
54th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,252
4.3
-4.7%
vs nation
60th percentile
Uninsured Rate#808
7.0%
-33.1%
vs nation
74th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,549
25.9%
-1.8%
vs nation
51th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,122
12.9%
-10.5%
vs nation
64th percentile

Substance Use

18.8% of adults in Putnam County smoke , 39.4% are obese , and 19.2% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 22.4 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,916
18.8%
+4.7%
vs nation
39th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,854
39.4%
+3.9%
vs nation
41th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,265
19.2%
-3.4%
vs nation
60th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#723
22.4
-30.8%
vs nation
66th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 21.8 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 16.0 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#1,784
21.8
+10.3%
vs nation
30th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,220
16.6
-7.3%
vs nation
51th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,093
16.0
-20.9%
vs nation
61th percentile

Families & Children

12.7% of children in Putnam County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 13.3 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#735
13.3
-39.2%
vs nation
76th percentile
Child Poverty#710
12.7%
-33.1%
vs nation
77th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Putnam County is 56.3%. The mean commute time is 31.4 min, which is 13.9% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
56.3% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
31.4 min +13.9% vs nation
Rank #673 of 3,222
79th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Putnam County voted Republican with a margin of 52.0%. The vote was 23.1% Dem / 75.1% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 1.8 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +52.0%
23.1% 75.1%
Dem 16,731 votes Rep
2020 REP +50.2%
23.8% 74%
Dem 16,597 votes Rep
2016 REP +49.6%
22.9% 72.5%
Dem 14,680 votes Rep
2012 REP +32.6%
32.6% 65.2%
Dem 13,813 votes Rep
2008 REP +12.0%
43.2% 55.2%
Dem 14,646 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Putnam County, Indiana

Putnam County, Indiana has a total population of 37,280, making it the 1,277th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Putnam County is 38.4 years, which is 1.3% below the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Putnam County is $78,378, which ranks #655 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 4.3% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 8.7%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 3.1%.

The median home value in Putnam County is $218,900, 22.3% below the national median. Renters in Putnam County pay a median gross rent of $884 per month. The homeownership rate is 75.4%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Putnam County, 20.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 40.0% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 95.4% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 31.4 min.

Putnam County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 90.6% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (3.3%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.3%).

All data for Putnam County, Indiana comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.