Jay County, Indiana

Jay County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 21,806. The is.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 994 (384 ). 994 km² (384 sq mi) of it is land and 0 km² (0 sq mi) of it (0.05%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (west)
 * (northwest)

History
Jay County was formed in 1836. It is the only county in the United States named for, co-author of the , Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the , and first. John Jay died in 1829.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 21,806 people, 8,405 households, and 6,017 families residing in the county. The was 22/km² (57/sq mi). There were 9,074 housing units at an average density of 9/km² (24/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 97.64%, 0.25% or , 0.17% , 0.34% , 0.02% , 0.85% from , and 0.73% from two or more races. 1.79% of the population were or  of any race. 32.9% were of, 28.1% , 8.8% and 8.6%  ancestry according to.

There were 8,405 households out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.00% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,700, and the median income for a family was $41,850. Males had a median income of $31,031 versus $21,015 for females. The for the county was $16,686. About 5.80% of families and 9.10% of the population were below the, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Literary Reference
''Jens looked at a map he'd filched from an abandoned gas station. If he was where he thought he was, he'd soon be approaching the grand metropolis of Fiat, by God, Indiana. He managed a smile when he saw that, and declaimed, "And God said, Fiat, Indiana, and there was Indiana."''

--, Worldwar: In the Balance, New York:Random House (1994), Chapter 14, copyright 1994 by Harry Turtledove. The reference is to the unincorporated town of Fiat near the intersection of Indiana State Routes 1 and 18 in Jay County.

Links
Jay County, Indiana