Tipton County is a county in Indiana, United States, about 42 miles north of Indianapolis and 19
miles southwest of Kokomo. It had a population of 15,359 at the 2020 census, an estimated 15,346
by 2024, and covers 260.57 square miles (674.9 km2) centred near 40°19′N 86°03′W.
Tipton is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 46072. The county
holds 1 city, 3 incorporated towns and 12 unincorporated communities across 6 townships, and it
runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 18159.
Towns & Villages in Tipton County
Tipton County has 16 named places on record: 4 incorporated cities and towns and 12
unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census
designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tipton | City · seat | Cicero | 5,275 | 46072 |
| Windfall | Town | Wildcat | 696 | 46076 |
| Sharpsville | Town | Liberty | 553 | 46068 |
| Kempton | Town | Jefferson | 288 | 46049 |
| West Elwood | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Curtisville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| East Union | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ekin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Goldsmith | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Groomsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hobbs | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jackson | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Nevada | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Lancaster | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Normanda | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tetersburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
One place on the old list was a straddler, not a Tipton County town outright. Elwood, a city of
8,410 people, sits almost entirely in neighbouring Madison County; only about two half-blocks of
its limits reach across the line into Tipton County. It carries its own ZIP, 46036, administered
from Madison County, so it is not counted among Tipton County’s places here. West Elwood, a
distinct unincorporated community wholly inside Tipton County, is unrelated to it despite the
shared name.
ZIP Codes
- 46072 — Tipton (the county’s most populous ZIP)
- 46076 — Windfall
- 46068 — Sharpsville
- 46049 — Kempton
Curtisville, East Union, Ekin, Goldsmith, Groomsville, Hobbs, Jackson, Nevada, New Lancaster,
Normanda, Tetersburg and West Elwood have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under
the nearest incorporated town’s code.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Cicero | — | Tipton |
| Wildcat | — | Windfall |
| Liberty | — | Sharpsville |
| Jefferson | — | Kempton |
| Madison | — | — |
| Prairie | — | — |
Geography
Tipton County lies on the flat till plain of north-central Indiana, in the west-central part of
the state, land drained and farmed since the 19th century after early settlers cleared its dense
hardwood forest and wetlands. Of its 260.57 square miles, 260.54 are land and just 0.03 are water,
one of the lowest water shares of any Indiana county — the county has no large natural lake
or navigable river. Wildcat Creek and Cicero Creek both cross the county and drain most of its
farmland into the Wabash River system.
Howard County borders it to the north, Grant County to the northeast, Madison County to the
east and southeast, Hamilton County to the south, and Clinton County to the west. Only
Clinton, Hamilton and Madison counties have their own
page on this site at the time of writing; Howard and Grant counties do not.
Demographics
Tipton County had a population of 15,359 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 15,346 residents, essentially flat over the past several years. Tipton and Windfall
are by far the two largest communities, together holding roughly 39 percent of the county’s
population. Median household income runs about $76,156, above Indiana’s statewide figure of
$69,477 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 59 people per square mile of land,
low even by rural Indiana standards and typical of a county built around row-crop agriculture
rather than a metro core.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 1,530 people, followed by health
care and social assistance at 896 and educational services at 743. Row-crop farming, mainly corn
and soybeans, remains the backbone of the county’s land use even where it no longer employs the
most people. Tipton’s 20th-century economy once ran on the Lake Erie & Western Railroad
shops, which employed 350 to 400 workers by 1914, plus canning plants and a broom factory once
billed as the state’s largest. The county’s biggest annual event is the Tipton County Pork
Festival, held the weekend after Labor Day each September, with a parade, a queen contest and a
full weekend of food and music centered on Tipton’s courthouse square.
History
Indiana’s General Assembly created Tipton County on 15 January 1844, the same act that created
neighbouring Howard County. It was named for John Tipton, a soldier at the 1811 Battle of
Tippecanoe who went on to serve as a U.S. Senator from Indiana. The county was among the last in
the state to be settled, its dense forest and swampy Wildcat Creek bottomland slower to clear and
drain than the prairie counties to its west.
Tipton, the seat, was first platted as Kingston in 1839, briefly renamed Canton, then renamed
again for the county in 1845. In 1890 it became the first city in Indiana with brick-paved
streets. Windfall and several other towns in the region rode the natural gas boom of the late
1800s, when the Trenton Gas Field drew factories and new residents across this part of Indiana
before the gas supply ran out in the early 1900s.
Getting There
No interstate crosses Tipton County. State Road 19 runs north-south through Tipton, connecting
to State Road 22 toward Kokomo; State Road 28 runs east-west through the city, linking Frankfort
to the west and Elwood to the east. State Road 213 and State Road 26 also cross the county.
- Indianapolis — about 42 miles south
- Kokomo — about 19 miles northwest
- Anderson — about 25 miles east
- Lafayette — about 35 miles west
Indianapolis International Airport, roughly 45 miles south of Tipton, is the nearest major
commercial airport. Kokomo Municipal Airport, about 20 miles northwest, handles general aviation.
No Amtrak line serves Tipton County; the nearest station is in Indianapolis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Tipton County located?
It sits in west-central Indiana, about 42 miles north of Indianapolis, bordered by Howard, Grant,
Madison, Hamilton and Clinton counties.
What is the population of Tipton County?
15,359 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 15,346.
How big is Tipton County?
260.57 square miles (674.9 km2), of which 260.54 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Tipton County?
Tipton, first platted in 1839 and renamed for the county in 1845, is the county seat and largest
city.
How many towns are in Tipton County?
One city, Tipton, and three incorporated towns — Windfall, Sharpsville and Kempton —
plus 12 unincorporated communities including Curtisville, Ekin and Goldsmith.
What ZIP codes does Tipton County use?
46072 for Tipton, 46076 for Windfall, 46068 for Sharpsville and 46049 for Kempton.
What is Tipton County known for?
Row-crop agriculture, the Tipton County Pork Festival each September, and being one of the last
Indiana counties settled because of its dense forest and wetlands.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.