Indiana County, Pennsylvania

Indiana County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States, about 50 miles northeast of
Pittsburgh. It had a population of 83,246 at the 2020 census, an estimated 82,878 by 2025, and
covers 827 square miles (2,140 km2) centred near 40°39′N 79°05′W.

Indiana is the county seat; its postal code is 15701. The county holds 14 boroughs and at
least 11 census-designated places across 24 townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS
code is 42063.

Towns & Villages in Indiana County

Indiana County has 25 named places on record with a confirmed population: 14 boroughs and 11
census-designated places. Beyond these, dozens of smaller unincorporated hamlets appear on maps
without their own census tracking; CDP stands for census designated place, an unincorporated
community the Census Bureau tracks for statistics but that has no borough government of its
own.

Jacksonville and Rossiter still carry their 2010 census counts above — no individually
sourced 2020 figure could be confirmed for either, so the older number is labelled rather than
guessed. Jacksonville sits mainly in Young Township but extends into neighboring Armstrong and
Black Lick townships as well. Dozens of smaller crossroads and former coal-patch communities named
on older maps, among them Josephine, Dilltown, Strongstown and Home, have no census-tracked
population of their own; they are covered by the townships below rather than listed as separate
places here.

Townships

Indiana County has 24 townships. The Census Bureau has not published a 2020 population figure
we could independently verify for each one, so the table lists the confirmed places sitting
inside each township instead of a guessed population count.

The 14 boroughs are self-governing municipalities distinct from the surrounding townships, so
no township is listed for them above.

ZIP Codes

• 15701 — Indiana (also serves the 15705 unique/PO-box ZIP)
• 15717 — Blairsville
• 15716 — Black Lick
• 15748 — Homer City
• 15728 — Clymer
• 15754 — Lucerne Mines (post office name Lucernemines)
• 15681 — Saltsburg
• 15772 — Rossiter
• 15949 — Robinson
• 15739 — Ernest
• 15759 — Marion Center
• 15734 — Dixonville
• 15724 — Cherry Tree
• 15732 — Creekside
• 16246 — Plumville
• 15731 — Coral
• 15729 — Commodore
• 15742 — Glen Campbell
• 15774 — Shelocta
• 15920 — Armagh
• 15745 — Heilwood
• 16256 — Smicksburg

Jacksonville and Graceton have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under a
neighboring town’s code. Josephine (15750) and Dilltown (15929) are unincorporated communities
with their own post offices even though they have no borough government or tracked census
count.

Geography

Indiana County sits on the Allegheny Plateau of west-central Pennsylvania, a forested upland
cut by narrow stream valleys. Of its 834 square miles, 827 are land and 7.3 are water, about 0.9
percent. The Conemaugh River forms part of the county’s southern boundary, and the Blacklick
Creek and Two Lick Creek, both Conemaugh tributaries, drain the county’s central townships. Yellow
Creek State Park, a reservoir and forested park near Penn Run, is the county’s best-known outdoor
destination.

Jefferson County lies to the north, Clearfield County to the northeast, Cambria County to the
southeast, Westmoreland County to the south, and Armstrong County to the west. Jefferson County, Clearfield County, Cambria County, Westmoreland County and Armstrong County all border Indiana
directly.

Demographics

Indiana County had a population of 83,246 at the 2020 census, down 6.3 percent from the prior
decade, and a 2024 estimate puts the county near 83,042 residents, essentially flat. Indiana and
Blairsville are by far the two largest communities, together holding roughly a fifth of the
county’s population. Median household income runs about $60,208, well under Pennsylvania’s
statewide figure of $73,824 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 100 people per
square mile of land, moderate for rural western Pennsylvania, concentrated around the Indiana and
Blairsville boroughs and thinning out toward the county’s mining-era patch towns.

Economy & Local Life

Retail trade employs the most workers in the county, about 5,920 people, followed by health
care and social assistance at 5,263 and educational services at 4,084. Indiana University of
Pennsylvania, the second-largest of the state’s 14 PASSHE schools, enrolled 9,246 students as of
fall 2023 and is the county’s largest single employer as well as the anchor of Indiana borough’s
economy. The Homer City Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant near Homer City, has long
been one of the county’s major industrial employers. The county calls itself the “Christmas Tree
Capital of the World,” shipping more than one million trees a year, a title tied to the founding
of the National Christmas Tree Growers Association in Indiana borough. The Indiana County Fair,
held each August in Blairsville, is the county’s biggest annual event.

History

Pennsylvania’s General Assembly created Indiana County on March 30, 1803, carving it from
Westmoreland and Lycoming counties, though the county government was not formally organized until
1806. The name comes from the “Indiana Grant” of 1768, land the Iroquois Six Nations ceded to
British colonial land speculators under the Fort Stanwix Treaty, in a failed bid to found a
separate colony south of the Ohio River. Indiana borough became the county seat when the county
organized in 1806.

Indiana County was a documented center of abolitionist activity before the Civil War. Editor
James Moorhead published the antislavery newspaper The Clarion of Freedom starting in 1843 and
later the Indiana Independent until his death in 1857, and local historians count at least 90
county residents who served as Underground Railroad conductors. Coal mining shaped the county’s
economy through the twentieth century; company-built “patch towns” like Heilwood, Rossiter,
Ernest and Dilltown grew up around individual mines, several of which have since shut down and
lost most of their population, as at Heilwood, where the census count fell from 711 in 2010 to
318 in 2020 after mining operations wound down.

Getting There

No interstate highway crosses Indiana County. US 22 runs east–west through the county’s
southern half, and US 119 and US 219 run north–south through Indiana borough; US 422 clips
the county’s northwestern corner.

• Pittsburgh — about 50 miles southwest
• Johnstown — about 30 miles southeast
• Altoona — about 45 miles east
• DuBois — about 45 miles north

Pittsburgh International Airport, roughly 65 miles southwest of Indiana borough, is the
nearest major commercial airport. The Indiana County Airport, just outside Indiana borough,
handles general aviation. There is no Amtrak station in the county; the nearest stop is the
Pennsylvanian line’s station in Johnstown, about 30 miles southeast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Indiana County located?
It sits on Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Plateau, about 50 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, bordered by
Jefferson, Clearfield, Cambria, Westmoreland and Armstrong counties.

What is the population of Indiana County?
83,246 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 83,042.

How big is Indiana County?
834 square miles (2,160 km2), of which 827 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Indiana County?
Indiana, a borough of 14,044 people and home to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, is the
county seat.

How many towns and villages are in Indiana County?
14 boroughs and at least 11 census-designated places, spread across 24 townships, plus dozens of
smaller unincorporated hamlets with no tracked population of their own.

What ZIP codes cover Indiana County?
Principal codes include 15701 (Indiana), 15717 (Blairsville), 15748 (Homer City) and 15728
(Clymer), with smaller boroughs and CDPs carrying their own codes listed above.

What is Indiana County known for?
Calling itself the “Christmas Tree Capital of the World,” Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and
being the birthplace of actor Jimmy Stewart.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Pennsylvania.