Blackford County, Indiana: commercial real estate data.
Blackford County, Indiana had an estimated 11,816 residents on July 1, 2024, down 2.4 percent since the 2020 census base of 12,112, across 165 square miles. County output reached $428.1 m in 2024, 231 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 4 7(a) approvals worth $585,300 since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Blackford County
How many people live in Blackford County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,950
- Households5,173
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$51,326
- Median age43.1
- Median gross rent$699 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$107,500
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher14.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over8,416
- Population under 182,722
- Share under 1822.8 percent
- Population 65 and over2,631
- Share 65 and over22.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 646,597
- Civilian labor force5,528
- Unemployment rate3.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over59.9 percent
- Rank by population among Indiana counties85th of 92
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2356th of 3,222
Blackford County is the 85th largest of 92 Indiana counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.8 percent against 22.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Blackford County
Is Blackford County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202411,816
- Census 2020 base population12,112
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.44 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-59
- Births, 2024107
- Deaths, 2024167
- Natural change, 2024-60
- Net domestic migration, 2024-4
- Net international migration, 20246
- Total net migration, 20242
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202412
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2612th of 3,144
The county has lost 2.44 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Blackford County
Where are people moving to Blackford County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving272
- People arriving, from those returns521
- Tax returns filed by households leaving347
- Net household movement-75
- Adjusted gross income arriving$11.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-2.9 m
- Average income of an arriving household$41,710
- Average income of a leaving household$41,012
- Largest single originDelaware County (52 households)
- Largest single destinationDelaware County (70 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware County | 52 | 92 | $2.2 m |
| Grant County | 48 | 97 | $2.0 m |
| Jay County | 29 | 53 | $1.1 m |
Households arriving report $698 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Delaware County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Blackford County
What is the Blackford County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$428.1 m
- County GDP, 2023$449.0 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-4.7 percent
- GDP change over five years25.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Indiana areas BEA publishes87th of 92
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2503rd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$35,821
Output grew -4.7 percent in the latest year and 25.7 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Blackford County
Employment by industry in Blackford County
- Covered employment, annual average2,840
- Establishments reporting245
- Average annual pay$46,641
- Average weekly wage$897
- Manufacturing, employment839
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$59,889
- Retail trade, employment298
- Retail trade, average annual pay$26,630
- Construction, employment168
- Construction, average annual pay$80,616
- Wholesale trade, employment86
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$55,825
- Finance and insurance, employment82
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment73
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 839 | 23 | $59,889 |
| Retail trade | 298 | 35 | $26,630 |
| Construction | 168 | 18 | $80,616 |
| Wholesale trade | 86 | 13 | $55,825 |
| Finance and insurance | 82 | 16 | $51,074 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 73 | 18 | $59,907 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 17 | 6 | $43,209 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 839 jobs, 29.5 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Blackford County
How many businesses are in Blackford County?
- Establishments, all industries231
- Employment at those establishments2,639
- Annual payroll$134.3 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents19.3
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Blackford County
Building permits in Blackford County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20249
- Declared construction value permitted$2.5 m
- Single family units authorized9
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$273,303
- Units authorized per 1,000 households1.7
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Blackford County
SBA loans in Blackford County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded4
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$585,300
- Average 7(a) approval$146,325
- Median 7(a) approval$129,500
- Largest single approval$276,300
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)58
- Jobs per approval14.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals3
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter3
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Most active lenderCitizens State Bank of New Castle (3)
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$257,000
- Average 504 approval$128,500
- Median 504 approval$128,500
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval5.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved42.8
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$842,300
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Blackford County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Blackford County
Do SBA loans in Blackford County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Blackford County
How large is Blackford County?
- Land area165 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Indiana counties89th of 92
- Width, east to west12.9 mi
- Height, north to south13 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land72
- Establishments per square mile1.40
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Blackford County
Flood risk in Blackford County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Blackford County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 180478
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate80.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Blackford County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Blackford County (community 180478), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Blackford County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 80.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Blackford County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Blackford County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,950
- Households5,173
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$51,326
- Median age43.1
Common questions
Blackford County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Blackford County, Indiana?
The Census Bureau estimates 11,816 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 11,950, in 5,173 households, ranking 85th of 92 Indiana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Blackford County's population growing?
The population has fallen 2.44 percent since the 2020 census base of 12,112, to 11,816 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 107 births against 167 deaths, with net migration of 2. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Blackford County?
$51,326. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $107,500, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $699 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Blackford County?
231 establishments, employing 2,639 people with an annual payroll of $134.3 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Blackford County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 839 jobs, 29.5 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 2,840 jobs at an average annual pay of $46,641, or $897 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Blackford County?
4 7(a) approvals totaling $585,300 since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $129,500, plus 2 504 approvals worth $257,000 since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Blackford County?
9 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $2.5 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Blackford County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Blackford County come from?
The largest single origin is Delaware County, with 52 households. Arriving households report an average income of $41,710 against $41,012 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Blackford County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Blackford County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Blackford County
Cities and places in Blackford.
6 Census places lie wholly or partly in Blackford County. All 6 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford City | city | 5,794 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Dunkirk | city | 1,861 | None recorded | 3.5 percent here, 96.5 percent Jay County |
| Montpelier | city | 1,533 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Shamrock Lakes | town | 217 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Roll | CDP | 169 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Millgrove | CDP | 69 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby