County · Indiana

Wells County, Indiana

Wells County, Indiana. Wells County had 28,883 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 2.5% since 2020, in line with Indiana (+2.8%). It holds 21 places (7 cities, villages and boroughs, 9 towns and townships and 5 census-designated) and 7 census tracts. GEOID 18179.

Wells County is one of the 3 counties of the Fort Wayne, IN metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

28,883

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 28,180 · ACS 2020-2024: 28,420

Median household income

$71,957

±$3,917 (90% margin)
Indiana: $71,957

Median home value

$197,600

±$11,866 (90% margin)
Indiana: $218,200

Median gross rent

$813

±$70 (90% margin)
Indiana: $1,062

How many people live in Wells County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 28,180 residents in Wells County. The Census Bureau estimates 28,883 for July 1, 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, in line with Indiana (+2.8%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 28,420 over 368 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −4 (28,157)
2021→2022 +168 (28,325)
2022→2023 +323 (28,648)
2023→2024 +192 (28,840)
2024→2025 +43 (28,883)

Wells County in Indiana. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Wells County	Indiana	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	28,420	6,851,073	+409
Households	11,546±172	2,716,009	+658
Average household size	2.42±0.04	2.46	−0.10
Housing units	12,074±31	2,976,568	+203

Wells County's population since 2000

From 27,600 in 2000 to 28,883 in 2025: up 4.6%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. 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.

2000 Census 27,600
2005 (estimate) 27,820
2010 Census 27,636
2015 (estimate) 27,854
2020 Census 28,180
2025 (estimate) 28,883

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); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Wells County?

Wells County holds 21 places: 7 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 9 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 5 census-designated places. The largest is Bluffton with 10,583 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Wells County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Bluffton	city	10,308	10,529±312	$57,539	$149,600	9.5%	100%
Harrison Township, Wells County	township	8,810	8,879±27	$61,689	$150,000	7.2%	100%
Lancaster Township, Wells County	township	6,061	6,122±25	$76,563	$220,600	8.7%	100%
Jefferson Township, Wells County	township	5,841	5,897±18	$73,736	$206,000	7.0%	100%
Ossian	town	3,266	3,384±24	$71,563	$201,500	6.7%	100%
Union Township, Wells County	township	2,075	1,978±248	$86,116	$250,500	6.0%	100%
Rockcreek Township	township	1,593	1,735±283	$86,339	$232,300	13.2%	100%
Liberty Township, Wells CountyGEOID 1817943506	township	1,057	1,068±294	$56,080	$124,700	2.0%	100%
Nottingham TownshipGEOID 1817955422	township	1,018	963±317	$64,737	$147,900	9.6%	100%
Chester Township, Wells CountyGEOID 1817912358	township	954	1,178±321	$84,861	$213,100	0.2%	100%
Jackson Township, Wells CountyGEOID 1817937548	township	771	600±157	$85,438	$236,200	0.5%	100%
Markle	town	1,071	1,203±245	$56,000	$138,300	16.7%	47%
Zanesville	town	580	488±86	$67,212	$162,500	10.3%	80%
Liberty CenterGEOID 1843542	CDP	–	389±177	$85,305	$63,800	0.0%	100%
Uniondale	town	271	309±93	$84,375	$110,500	6.1%	100%
TocsinGEOID 1876076	CDP	–	266±264	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
PonetoGEOID 1861020	town	173	174±52	$63,750	$95,400	17.2%	100%
Vera CruzGEOID 1878776	town	72	62±40	$70,000	$68,900	21.0%	100%
CraigvilleGEOID 1815616	CDP	–	65±55	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
KeystoneGEOID 1839654	CDP	–	65±65	$56,042	not published	0.0%	100%
PetroleumGEOID 1859418	CDP	–	34±40	not published	not published	26.5%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Wells County?

The median resident of Wells County is 39.8 years old; 24.7% are under 18 and 18.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 92.2%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 4.0%. 1.9% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Wells County	Indiana	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	39.8±0.6	38.1	no clear change
Under 18 years	24.7%±0.1 pts	23.3%	–
65 years and over	18.6%±0.2 pts	16.8%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4.0%	8.6%	+0.9 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	92.2%±0.4 pts	75.4%	−2.2 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.0%±0.4 pts	9.1%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	2.6%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2.4%±0.6 pts	3.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	1.9%±0.7 pts	6.3%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	3.1%±1.0 pts	10.3%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	5.7%±0.9 pts	6.3%	–
With a disability	12.7%±1.2 pts	14.2%	–
No health insurance coverage	6.9%±1.3 pts	7.4%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	92.9%±1.3 pts	90.4%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	19.9%±2.0 pts	29.5%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	5.9%±1.0 pts	10.8%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.4%±0.7 pts	2.1%	–

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 Wells County earn?

Half of Wells County's 11,546 households earn less than $71,957 a year (±$3,917), against $71,957 in Indiana. In 2015-2019 it was $72,903 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 7.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Wells County	Indiana	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$71,957±$3,917	$71,957	no clear change
Mean household income	$88,952±$5,122	$95,247	–
Per capita income	$36,845±$1,986	$38,351	no clear change
People below the poverty line	7.2%±1.6 pts	12.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	7.5%±2.3 pts	16.0%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	5.8%±1.5 pts	9.1%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	85.2%±2.6 pts	89.9%	–

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 Wells County?

Owners occupy 75.6% of Wells County's occupied homes and renters 24.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $197,600 by its owner (±$11,866). The median renter pays $813 a month including utilities, and 27.8% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Wells County	Indiana	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$197,600±$11,866	$218,200	+$40,563
Median gross rent	$813±$70	$1,062	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	27.8%±5.9 pts	38.9%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,204±$39	$1,404	–
Owner-occupied homes	75.6%±2.9 pts	70.6%	no clear change
Housing units	12,074±31	2,976,568	+203
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.5%±0.5 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	1.3%±2.4 pts	5.6%	–
Single-family detached homes	78.2%±2.4 pts	72.6%	–
Mobile homes	6.8%±1.9 pts	4.4%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.6%±0.5 pts	1.7%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	27.5%±2.4 pts	16.0%	–

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 many new homes is Wells County building?

Builders took permits for 172 new housing units across Wells County in 2025 (72 single-family), 6.0 per 1,000 residents.

2019 53 units
2020 57 units
2021 56 units
2022 121 units
2023 107 units
2024 73 units
2025 172 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Wells County get to work?

84.7% of Wells County's workers drive alone and 5.9% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.2 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 2.6%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Wells County	Indiana	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	66.5%±1.7 pts	63.8%	–
Unemployment rate	2.6%±0.9 pts	4.3%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	84.7%±2.1 pts	76.3%	–
Carpooled	6.2%±1.4 pts	9.1%	–
Public transportation	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.6%	–
Walked	1.5%±0.6 pts	1.9%	–
Worked from home	5.9%±1.4 pts	10.7%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	24.2 min±2.0	24.1 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 are Wells County's census tracts?

Wells County is divided into 7 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $52,002 (Tract 406) to $88,277 (Tract 403).

Census tracts of Wells County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 40118179040100	Ossian (44%)	5,841	5,897±18	$73,736	$206,000	$913	7.0%
Tract 40218179040200	Uniondale (10%)	3,668	3,713±291	$86,190	$243,300	$801	9.2%
Tract 40318179040300	Vera Cruz (9%)	3,239	2,872±269	$88,277	$240,000	$762	5.4%
Tract 40418179040400	Bluffton (64%)	4,486	4,655±221	$75,035	$215,800	$815	10.5%
Tract 40518179040500	Bluffton (90%)	3,048	3,205±317	$74,598	$195,400	$784	10.2%
Tract 40618179040600	Bluffton (97%)	4,186	4,358±381	$52,002	$119,900	$695	5.0%
Tract 40718179040700	Poneto (1%)	3,712	3,720±287	$70,817	$184,700	$750	2.8%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Wells County compare with Indiana's other counties?

Wells County's rank among Indiana's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	56th of 92
Growth 2020-2025	23rd of 92
Residents per square mile	50th of 92
Median household income	31st of 92
Median home value	35th of 92
Median gross rent	70th of 92
Poverty rate	84th of 92
Bachelor's degree or higher	49th of 92
Median age	63rd of 92

Every county in Indiana

Source: PlainCities ranks 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 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 Wells County 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' school search.