Allen County is a county in Indiana, United States, anchored by Fort Wayne on the Maumee, St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers. It had a population of 385,410 at the 2020 census and covers 657.31 square miles (1,702.4 km2) of land, centred near 41°05′N 85°04′W.
Fort Wayne is the county seat, and its downtown postal code is 46802. The county holds 3 cities (Fort Wayne, New Haven, Woodburn), a handful of incorporated towns (Grabill, Huntertown, Leo-Cedarville, Monroeville), several census-designated places (Arcola, Harlan, Hessen Cassel, Hoagland, Lake Everett), and 20 civil townships. Allen County sits in the Eastern time zone and is the largest county in Indiana by land area.
Towns & Villages in Allen County
Allen County’s settlements range from Indiana’s second-largest city down to farm crossroads. Fort Wayne, New Haven and Woodburn are incorporated cities; Grabill, Huntertown, Leo-Cedarville and Monroeville are incorporated towns; the rest below are unincorporated communities or CDPs, several of them subdivisions inside Fort Wayne’s urban fringe rather than freestanding places.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Wayne | City · seat | Wayne / multiple | 263,886 | 46802 & others |
| New Haven | City | Jackson | 16,890 | 46774 |
| Woodburn | City | Maumee | 1,731 | 46797 |
| Grabill | Town | Cedar Creek | 1,058 | 46741 |
| Huntertown | Town | Perry | 9,672 | 46748 |
| Leo-Cedarville | Town | Cedar Creek | 3,472 | 46765 |
| Monroeville | Town | Adams | 1,166 | 46773 |
| Arcola | Unincorp. | Washington | — | 46703 |
| Harlan | CDP | Cedar Creek | — | 46743 |
| Hessen Cassel | CDP | Adams | — | — |
| Hoagland | CDP | Marion | — | 46745 |
| Lake Everett | CDP | Aboite | — | — |
| Zanesville | Unincorp. | Milan | 1,433 | 46799 |
| Poe | Unincorp. | Marion | — | — |
| Yoder | Unincorp. | Springfield | — | — |
| Academie | Unincorp. | Springfield | — | — |
| Cedarville | Unincorp. | Cedar Creek | — | — |
| Edgerton | Unincorp. | Milan | — | — |
| Hursh | Unincorp. | Milan | — | — |
| Wallen | Unincorp. | Perry | — | — |
| Waynedale | Unincorp. | Wayne / Pleasant | — | — |
| Thurman | Unincorp. | Aboite | — | — |
| Aboite | Unincorp. | Aboite | — | — |
| Milan Center | Unincorp. | Milan | — | — |
| Five Points | Unincorp. | Lake | — | — |
| East Liberty | Unincorp. | Wayne | — | — |
| Georgetown | Unincorp. | St. Joseph | — | — |
| Middletown | Unincorp. | Perry | — | — |
| Tillman | Unincorp. | Adams | — | — |
| Zulu | Unincorp. | Marion | — | — |
Fort Wayne has annexed most of its surrounding fringe over the decades, so several of the old list’s entries — Ansley Acres, Brierwood Hills, Brookside Estates, Cedar Canyons, Concordia Gardens, Crestwood, Golden Acres, Hacienda Village, Lincolnshire, Meadowbrook, Northcrest, Parkway Hills, Royal Oaks, Sunnybrook Acres, Tanglewood, Westchester and similar names — are subdivisions inside city limits rather than separate places, and are not repeated here as standalone entries.
Townships
Allen County’s 20 civil townships still handle rural roads, fire protection and township assistance outside city limits. Verified per-township 2020 census figures were not available at publication; the table below gives each township’s main settlement instead.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne | — | Central Fort Wayne |
| St. Joseph | — | North Fort Wayne, Georgetown |
| Washington | — | West Fort Wayne, Arcola |
| Perry | — | Huntertown, Wallen |
| Aboite | — | Aboite, Lake Everett, Thurman |
| Jackson | — | New Haven |
| Adams | — | Monroeville, Hessen Cassel, Tillman |
| Cedar Creek | — | Leo-Cedarville, Grabill, Harlan, Cedarville |
| Maumee | — | Woodburn |
| Milan | — | Zanesville, Edgerton, Hursh, Milan Center |
| Marion | — | Hoagland, Poe, Zulu |
| Springfield | — | Yoder, Academie |
| Lake | — | Five Points |
| Pleasant | — | Waynedale (south edge) |
| Eel River | — | rural |
| Jefferson | — | rural |
| Lafayette | — | rural |
| Madison | — | rural |
| Monroe | — | rural |
| Scipio | — | rural, south of Hoagland |
ZIP Codes
- 46802 — downtown Fort Wayne post office (Fort Wayne carries around two dozen ZIPs in the 468xx range)
- 46774 — New Haven
- 46797 — Woodburn
- 46741 — Grabill
- 46748 — Huntertown
- 46765 — Leo-Cedarville
- 46773 — Monroeville
- 46743 — Harlan
- 46745 — Hoagland (also serves Poe)
- 46799 — Zanesville
- 46703 — Arcola
Small unincorporated crossroads such as Academie, Five Points, Wallen and Yoder use a neighbouring town’s ZIP rather than a code of their own.
Geography
Allen County lies in the Maumee River valley in northeastern Indiana, at the point where the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers join to form the Maumee, which flows on into Ohio and Lake Erie. The terrain is flat to gently rolling glacial till plain, farmed in corn and soybeans outside the Fort Wayne urban area. It borders Noble County to the northwest, DeKalb County to the north, Defiance County, Ohio, to the northeast, Paulding County, Ohio, to the east, Van Wert County, Ohio, to the southeast, Adams County to the south, Wells County to the southwest, Huntington County to the west, and Whitley County to the northwest-west; a further boundary runs against DeKalb County.
Demographics
Allen County counted 385,410 residents at the 2020 census, the third-highest total of Indiana’s 92 counties. Fort Wayne (263,886) and New Haven (16,890) are by far its two largest communities; most of the remaining population lives in Fort Wayne’s suburban townships (Perry, Aboite, St. Joseph) rather than in the small towns. Median household income in the county runs close to the Indiana median of $69,477, reflecting Fort Wayne’s mixed manufacturing-and-healthcare economy. Density works out to roughly 586 people per square mile, high for Indiana outside the Indianapolis metro.
Economy & Local Life
Healthcare and manufacturing anchor the county’s economy. Parkview Health and Lutheran Health Network are the two largest employers, together with General Motors’ Fort Wayne Assembly plant (building full-size pickups) and Sweetwater Sound, the online music-retail company headquartered in Fort Wayne. Amazon operates a large fulfillment presence in the county as well. Grabill retains an Amish and Old Order Mennonite community and hosts an annual Grabill Country Fair; Fort Wayne’s Johnny Appleseed Festival and the Three Rivers Festival are the county’s best-known annual events.
History
Allen County was organized in 1823 and formally established in 1824, named for Colonel John Allen, a Kentucky attorney and state senator killed at the Battle of the River Raisin during the War of 1812. Fort Wayne itself takes its name from the 1794 fort General “Mad Anthony” Wayne built at the confluence of the three rivers, on the site of the historic Miami village of Kekionga. The county grew through the 19th century on canal and rail trade, and through the 20th and 21st centuries around auto manufacturing, insurance and healthcare, which today are its main employment base.
Getting There
Interstate 69 crosses the county north–south and Interstate 469 rings Fort Wayne’s south and east sides; U.S. Routes 24, 27, 30 and 33 also pass through. Fort Wayne International Airport, in Aboite Township, offers commercial service.
- New Haven — 8 miles east of Fort Wayne
- Huntertown — 10 miles north of Fort Wayne
- Leo-Cedarville — 13 miles northeast of Fort Wayne
- Woodburn — 16 miles east of Fort Wayne
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Allen County, Indiana?
It is in northeastern Indiana, at the junction of the St. Joseph, St. Marys and Maumee rivers, bordering Ohio on its eastern side.
What is the population of Allen County?
385,410 at the 2020 census, the third-highest of any Indiana county.
How big is Allen County?
657.31 square miles (1,702.4 km2) of land, making it the largest Indiana county by area.
What is the county seat of Allen County?
Fort Wayne, Indiana’s second-largest city.
How many towns and cities are in Allen County?
Three cities (Fort Wayne, New Haven, Woodburn), four incorporated towns (Grabill, Huntertown, Leo-Cedarville, Monroeville) and several unincorporated communities spread across 20 townships.
What ZIP codes are in Allen County?
Fort Wayne uses roughly two dozen ZIPs starting with 468; outlying towns include 46774 (New Haven), 46797 (Woodburn), 46741 (Grabill) and 46748 (Huntertown).
What is Allen County known for?
Fort Wayne’s healthcare and manufacturing base, the GM Fort Wayne Assembly truck plant, Sweetwater Sound, and Grabill’s Amish and Old Order Mennonite community.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.