Jay County, Indiana

History

Jay County was formed in 1836. It is the only county in the United States named for John Jay, co-author of The Federalist Papers, Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Articles of Confederation, and first Chief Justice of the United States. John Jay died in 1829.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 384.08 square miles (994.8 km²), of which 383.90 square miles (994.3 km²) (or 99.95%) is land and 0.18 square miles (0.47 km²) (or 0.05%) is water.

Cities and towns

Townships

Unincorporated communities

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Portland have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 102 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.87 inches (47 mm) in January to 4.40 inches (112 mm) in July.

Government

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.

Court: The county maintains circuit and superior courts with the latter having a small claims division. Both courts have general jurisdiction with the circuit court having exclusive jurisdiction of juvenile and probate matters. The judges of each court are elected to a six (6) year term and must be admitted to practice law before the state supreme court. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including prosecuting attorney, assessor, 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.

Jay County is part of Indiana's 6th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 27; and Indiana House of Representatives district 33.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,253 people, 8,133 households, and 5,647 families residing in the county. The population density was 55.4 inhabitants per square mile (21.4/km²). There were 9,221 housing units at an average density of 24.0 per square mile (9.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.0% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.1% were German, 13.1% were American, 11.7% were English, and 11.6% were Irish.

Of the 8,133 households, 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age was 39.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $47,926. Males had a median income of $38,142 versus $26,928 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,946. About 10.0% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.