Town · Indiana
Mecca, Indiana
Mecca, town, in Parke County, Indiana. Mecca had 276 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 4.5% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 263 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 607 (±302). GEOID 1848132.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
276
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 263 · ACS 2020-2024: 607 ±302
Median household income
$39,926
±$25,271 (90% margin)
Indiana: $71,957
Median home value
$52,300
±$12,367 (90% margin)
Indiana: $218,200
Median gross rent
$589
±$212 (90% margin)
Indiana: $1,062
Where is Mecca and what county is it in?
Mecca is a town in Parke County, Indiana. It covers 0.4 square miles of land, 669 residents per square mile in 2020.
Mecca lies entirely within Wabash Township (Parke County), a township with its own local government (2020 census blocks).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Mecca, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 276 people lived in Mecca on July 1, 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than Indiana (+2.8%). The 2020 Census counted 263 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 607 (±302). The survey estimate is more than double the 2020 count: in a place this small the survey reaches a few dozen households, and a few of them can move the estimate a long way.
| Measure | Mecca | Parke County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 607 ±302 | 16,406 | no clear change |
| Households | 207 ±84 | 6,147 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.93 ±0.68 | 2.51 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 234 ±87 | 7,657 | no clear change |
Mecca's population since 2000
From 355 in 2000 to 276 in 2025: down 22.3%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Mecca as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Mecca?
The median resident of Mecca is 23.8 years old; 31.6% are under 18 and 11.9% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 94.4%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 4.8%.
| Measure | Mecca | Parke County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 23.8 ±10.0 | 41.6 | −23.1 |
| Under 18 years | 31.6% ±9.5 pts | 22.3% | – |
| 65 years and over | 11.9% ±7.7 pts | 20.5% | – |
| Male | 50.1% ±6.7 pts | 48.5% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.8% ±1.3 pts | 0.8% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 94.4% ±5.6 pts | 94.3% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.0 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.0 pts | 0.0% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.0 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.0 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 4.8% ±5.6 pts | 3.3% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.0 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.0% ±6.0 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 1.3% ±2.0 pts | 6.6% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 5.5% ±5.1 pts | 8.3% | – |
| With a disability | 13.2% ±8.6 pts | 15.7% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 10.5% ±10.1 pts | 14.9% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 89.5% ±6.7 pts | 83.0% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 9.1% ±6.8 pts | 15.4% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 1.0% ±2.3 pts | 6.3% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 96.1% ±4.6 pts | 90.5% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.5% ±1.0 pts | 1.2% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Mecca earn?
Half of Mecca's 207 households earn less than $39,926 a year (±$25,271), against $68,485 in Parke County and $71,957 in Indiana. In 2015-2019 it was $52,458 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 19.0% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Mecca | Parke County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,926 ±$25,271 | $68,485 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $58,288 ±$12,585 | $81,742 | – |
| Per capita income | $18,993 ±$5,720 | $32,228 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 19.0% ±11.9 pts | 16.2% | – |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 12.6% ±16.1 pts | 22.3% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 35.7% ±22.3 pts | 12.7% | – |
| Households with a computer | 73.4% ±23.8 pts | 85.8% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 71.5% ±24.2 pts | 79.3% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Mecca?
Owners occupy 53.6% of Mecca's occupied homes and renters 46.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $52,300 by its owner (±$12,367). The median renter pays $589 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Mecca | Parke County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $52,300 ±$12,367 | $151,200 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $589 ±$212 | $704 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 18.3% ±23.1 pts | 29.7% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $842 ±$205 | $1,129 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 53.6% ±21.7 pts | 82.4% | −30.9 pts |
| Renter-occupied homes | 46.4% ±21.7 pts | 17.6% | – |
| Housing units | 234 ±87 | 7,657 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 5.0% ±7.1 pts | 1.8% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±31.2 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 75.2% ±12.3 pts | 78.8% | – |
| Mobile homes | 19.7% ±10.8 pts | 13.1% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.3% ±3.4 pts | 1.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 0.0% ±14.8 pts | 6.8% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 61.5% ±14.5 pts | 26.4% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 4.3% ±4.6 pts | 8.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Mecca work and get to work?
83.1% of Mecca's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 25.6 minutes.
| Measure | Mecca | Parke County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 57.8% ±12.1 pts | 51.9% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 8.2% ±8.0 pts | 4.4% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 83.1% ±12.0 pts | 72.2% | – |
| Carpooled | 10.8% ±11.2 pts | 11.5% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±16.1 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Walked | 1.4% ±2.5 pts | 3.1% | – |
| Worked from home | 4.7% ±4.3 pts | 11.7% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 25.6 min ±6.0 | 30.4 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Mecca?
No census tract lies mostly in Mecca; 2 tracts reach into it (2020 census blocks).
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Mecca) · Census block assignment files
How does Mecca compare with other places in Indiana?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Mecca is the 15,426th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 470th-most populous of 566 in Indiana.
Mecca is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 470th | 566 |
Mecca's figures with every place in Indiana (CSV)
Every place in Indiana, sortable · Compare Mecca with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Mecca?
26 of the 57 figures for Mecca on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Mecca are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Mecca.