Wells County

County - Wells
Entire Region Adams Allen DeKalb Grant Huntington LaGrange Noble Steuben Wabash Wells Whitley
Wells County, Indiana
Formed in 1837 and named for Captain William Wells, a scout for General Anthony Wayne
County Seat:     Bluffton
Largest City:     Bluffton (pop in 2005: 9,460)
Population per Sq. Mile:     75.9     Sq. Miles:     370.0
Link to County's in.gov Site
Population Age Race Households Education Poverty Health Labor Force Employment & Earnings Commuting Taxes Building Permits
Number Rank in State Percent of State Indiana
Yesterday(1990) 25,948 57 0.5% 5,544,156
Today(2006) 28,199 56 0.4% 6,313,520
Tomorrow(2010 proj.) 27,737 58 0.4% 6,417,198
Percent Change 1990 to 2000 6.4% 57   9.7%
Sources: US Census Bureau; Indiana Business Research Center
Components of Population Change in 2006 Number Rank in State Percent of State Indiana
Net Domestic Migration 2005 to 2006 49 43   5,011
Net International Migration 2005 to 2006 3 74   10,419
Natural Increase (births minus deaths) 92 70 0.1% 31,308
Source: US Census Bureau

Population Estimates by Age in 2005 Number Rank in State Pct Dist.
in County		 Pct Dist.
in State
Preschool (0 to 4) 1,750 60 6.2% 6.9%
School Age (5 to 17) 5,385 57 19.2% 18.7%
College Age (18 to 24) 2,576 54 9.2% 9.9%
Young Adult (25 to 44) 7,047 61 25.1% 27.6%
Older Adult (45 to 64) 7,255 55 25.8% 24.5%
Older (65 plus) 4,072 55 14.5% 12.4%
Median Age 38.4     Median Age = 35.9
Sources: US Census Bureau; Indiana Business Research Center

Population Estimates by Race or Hispanic Origin in 2005 Number Rank in State Pct Dist.
in County		 Pct Dist.
in State
American Indian or Alaska Native Alone 48 63 0.2% 0.3%
Asian Alone 70 61 0.2% 1.2%
Black Alone 83 64 0.3% 8.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pac. Isl. Alone 4 49 0.0% 0.0%
White Alone 27,704 56 98.6% 88.6%
Two or More Race Groups 176 48 0.6% 1.1%
Hispanic or Latino(can be of any race)        
Non-Hispanic or Latino 27,633 57 98.4% 95.5%
Hispanic or Latino 452 51 1.6% 4.5%
Source: US Census Bureau

Household Types Number Rank in State Pct Dist.
in County		 Pct Dist.
in State
Households in 2000 (Includes detail not shown below) 10,402 56 100.0% 100.0%
   Married With Children 2,911 55 28.0% 23.8%
   Married Without Children 3,524 55 33.9% 29.8%
   Single Parents 736 62 7.1% 9.1%
   Living Alone 2,423 56 23.3% 25.9%
Source: US Census Bureau

Housing Number Rank in State Pct Dist.
in County		 Pct Dist.
in State
Total Housing Units in 2005 (estimate) 11,545 61 100.0% 100.0%
Total Housing Units in 2000 (includes vacant units) 10,970 62 100.0% 100.0%
   Owner Occupied (Pct. distribution based on all housing units)
   Median Value (2000)		 8,420
$87,900		 54
40		 76.8%
--		 65.9%
--
   Renter Occupied (Pct. distribution based on all housing units)
   Median Rent (2000)		 1,982
$458		 62
49		 18.1%
--		 26.3%
--
Source: US Census Bureau

Education Number Rank in State Percent of State Indiana
School Enrollment (2005/2006 Total Reported) 5,182 54 0.4% 1,155,527
   Public 4,913 55 0.5% 1,034,301
   Private 269 39 0.2% 121,226
High School Graduates (2004/2005) 356 52 0.6% 58,702
   Going on to Higher Education 267 53 0.6% 48,317
   4-year 199 51 0.6% 36,140
   2-year 31 88 0.4% 7,957
   Voc/tech. 37 16 0.9% 4,220
Adults (25+ in 2000 Census) 17,767 56 0.5% 3,893,278
   with High School diploma or higher 87.3% 8   82.1%
   with B.A. or higher degree 14.3% 32   19.4%
Sources: Indiana Department of Education; US Census Bureau
Notes: 1) School enrollment figures for 2005/2006 are preliminary. 2) Private enrollment includes home schools. 3) County rankings for high-school graduates continuing to higher education are subject to revision. Data from the Indiana Department of Education for Vigo County appear to include an erroneous entry. Until the data has been corrected by IDOE, Vigo will be removed from the rankings.

Income and Poverty Number Rank in State Percent of State Indiana
Per Capita Personal Income (annual) in 2005 $27,738 37 89.0% $31,173
Median Household Income in 2004 $45,645 27 105.6% $43,217
Poverty Rate in 2004 7.6% 81 68.5% 11.1%
   Poverty Rate among Children under 18 10.6% 81 67.5% 15.7%
Welfare (TANF) Monthly Average Families in 2005 75 76 0.1% 51,479
Foodstamp Recipients in 2005 1,323 75 0.2% 550,416
Free and Reduced Fee Lunch Recipients in 2006 1,027 71 0.3% 374,221
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; US Census Bureau; Indiana Family Social Services Administration;
Indiana Department of Education

Health and Vital Statistics in 2003 Number Rank in State Percent of State Indiana
Births 381 55 0.4% 86,382
   Births to Teens 43 53 0.5% 9,498
Deaths 280 54 0.5% 55,747
Source: Indiana State Department of Health

Labor Force in 2006 Number Rank in State Percent of State Indiana
Total Resident Labor Force 15,288 56 0.5% 3,271,496
Employed 14,632 55 0.5% 3,108,806
Unemployed 656 63 0.4% 162,690
Unemployment Rate 4.3 73 86.0% 5.0
April 2007 Unemployment Rate 4.6 81 97.9% 4.7
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Indiana Department of Workforce Development

Employment and Earnings by Industry in 2005 (NAICS) Employment Pct Dist.
in County		 Earnings ($000) Pct Dist.
In County		 Avg. Earnings Per Job
Total by place of work 14,952 100.0% $482,465 100.0% $32,268
Wage and Salary 11,673 78.1% $349,981 72.5% $29,982
Farm Proprietors 645 4.3% $6,407 1.3% $9,933
Nonfarm Proprietors 2,634 17.6% $26,934 5.6% $10,226
Farm 824 5.5% $9,594 2.0% $11,643
Nonfarm 14,128 94.5% $472,871 98.0% $33,470
Private 12,621 84.4% $412,209 85.4% $32,661
  Accomodation, Food Serv. 724 4.8% $6,769 1.4% $9,349
  Arts, Ent., Recreation 111 0.7% $789 0.2% $7,108
  Construction 790 5.3% $22,500 4.7% $28,481
  Health Care, Social Serv. 1,694 11.3% $55,755 11.6% $32,913
  Information 110 0.7% $3,218 0.7% $29,255
  Manufacturing 2,698 18.0% $168,468 34.9% $62,442
  Professional, Tech. Serv. 421 2.8% $9,334 1.9% $22,171
  Retail Trade 1,677 11.2% $28,823 6.0% $17,187
  Trans., Warehousing 1,748 11.7% $56,015 11.6% $32,045
  Wholesale Trade Data not available due to BEA non-disclosure requirements.
  Other Private (not above) 1,804* 12.1%* $32,027* 6.6%* $17,753*
Government 1,507 10.1% $60,662 12.6% $40,253
Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis
* These totals do not include county data that are not available due to BEA non-disclosure requirements.

Assessed Property Value in 1999 (for taxes payable in 2000) Value Rank in State Pct Dist.
in County		 Pct Dist.
in State
Assessed Value by Property Class $241,673,350 56 100.0% 100.0%
   Commercial & Industrial $81,858,020 56 33.9% 43.2%
   Residential $93,716,220 52 38.8% 41.5%
   Agricultural $57,298,700 55 23.7% 9.6%
   Utilities $8,800,410 74 3.6% 5.6%
Total Assesed Value Per Capita $9,001 43    
Source: The State Board of Tax Commissioners

Residential Building Permits in 2005 Units Pct Dist.
in County		 Pct Dist.
in State		 Cost ($000) State Cost ($000)
Total Permits Filed 108 100.0% 100.0% $16,081 $5,806,502
   Single Family 80 74.1% 83.5% $13,658 $5,376,229
   Two Family 14 13.0% 2.7% $1,363 $111,107
   Three & Four Family 0 0.0% 1.8% $0 $62,134
   Five families and More 14 13.0% 12.1% $1,060 $257,032
Source: US Census Bureau (Greene County totals are not included as it does not currently issue building permits.) Note: Detail cost may not sum to total due to rounding.

Commuting Patterns - Top 5 in 2004
Into Wells FROM Number Percent Out of Wells TO Number Percent
All Areas 2,828 17.1% All Areas 5,629 29.1%
Adams County 670 4.0% Allen County 3,807 19.7%
Allen County 628 3.8% Adams County 708 3.7%
Huntington County 480 2.9% Huntington County 418 2.2%
Blackford County 414 2.5% Grant County 138 0.7%
Jay County 319 1.9% Blackford County 121 0.6%
Source: Indiana Department of Revenue

  Cities and Towns in Wells County

  Population
in 2005		 % of County
Bluffton 9,460 33.7%
Markle 439 1.6%*
Ossian 2,908 10.4%
Poneto 235 0.8%
Uniondale 272 1.0%
Vera Cruz 54 0.2%
Zanesville 512 1.8%*
  * Population in this county is shown, this city or town crosses county lines.
  Order by Size
Bluffton
Ossian
Zanesville*
Markle*
Uniondale
Poneto
Vera Cruz

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