Jay County is a county in Indiana, United States, on the state’s eastern border with Ohio. It had a population of 20,478 at the 2020 census and covers 384.08 square miles (994.8 km2) centred near 40°26′N 85°01′W.
Portland is the county seat, and its postal code is 47371. The county has 2 cities, 4 towns, and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities spread across 12 civil townships. Jay County is in the Eastern time zone, and its FIPS code is 18075.
Towns & Villages in Jay County
Jay County has two incorporated cities and four incorporated towns, plus a long list of unincorporated crossroads communities that carry local names but no municipal government. The table below marks each place’s status: City · seat for Portland, City for Dunkirk, Town for the four incorporated towns, and Unincorp. for the rest.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | City · seat | — | 47371 |
| Dunkirk | City | — | 47336 |
| Bryant | Town | — | 47326 |
| Pennville | Town | — | 47369 |
| Redkey | Town | — | 47373 |
| Salamonia | Town | — | 47381 |
| Antioch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Antiville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Balbec | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bellfountain | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blaine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bloomfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bluff Point | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boundary City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brice | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| College Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Collett | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Como | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Corkwell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fiat | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greene | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jay City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kitt | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Liber | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Corydon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Mount Pleasant | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Noble | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Poling | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pony | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Powers | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ridertown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Salem | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Trinity | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Liberty | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Westchester | Unincorp. | — | — |
Townships
Jay County is divided into 12 civil townships: Bearcreek, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Madison, Noble, Penn, Pike, Richland, Wabash, and Wayne. Township-level 2020 population figures are only reliably confirmed for one: Wabash Township, home to the unincorporated communities of Jay City and New Corydon, had 542 residents. Portland, Dunkirk, and the four incorporated towns are separately governed cities and towns and are not tied to a single township for the purposes of this table.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Wabash | 542 | Jay City, New Corydon |
| Bearcreek | — | — |
| Greene | — | — |
| Jackson | — | — |
| Jefferson | — | — |
| Knox | — | — |
| Madison | — | — |
| Noble | — | — |
| Penn | — | — |
| Pike | — | — |
| Richland | — | — |
| Wayne | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 47371 — Portland (also serves the surrounding townships)
- 47336 — Dunkirk
- 47373 — Redkey
- 47326 — Bryant
- 47369 — Pennville
- 47381 — Salamonia
Unincorporated communities without their own post office, such as Antioch, Balbec, and Boundary City, use the ZIP code of the nearest of the six post-office towns above.
Geography
Jay County sits on Indiana’s till plain, a gently rolling landscape shaped by glacial deposits, with most of its 384 square miles given over to row-crop farmland. The Salamonie River rises in the county’s northern townships and flows west toward the Wabash River system, and the Limberlost wetlands historically associated with nearby Adams County touch the county’s northern edge.
Jay County borders Adams County to the north, Mercer County, Ohio and Darke County, Ohio to the east, Randolph County to the south, Delaware County to the southwest, Blackford County to the west, and Wells County to the northwest.
Demographics
Jay County had 20,478 residents at the 2020 census, giving it a density of roughly 53 people per square mile. Portland, the county seat, is by far the largest community, followed by Dunkirk. Jay County’s household income has historically trailed the Indiana median of $69,477; the county is predominantly rural and agricultural, and its per-capita earnings track closer to the state’s smaller farm counties than to its metro areas.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the county’s economy, with corn and soybeans dominating the till-plain farmland outside Portland and Dunkirk. Portland has a modest manufacturing and light-industrial base, and the Jay County Fairgrounds hosts the county’s largest annual gathering, the Jay County Fair, each summer. Dunkirk was historically tied to the natural-gas-boom glass industry of the late 19th century, when Indiana’s Trenton Gas Field drew factories to towns across this part of the state.
History
The Indiana General Assembly passed an omnibus bill on February 7, 1835 authorizing the creation of thirteen counties in northeastern Indiana, including Jay, and the county was formally organized in 1836. It is named for John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States. Like its neighbors, the county’s natural-gas boom in the 1880s and 1890s briefly drew glass and manufacturing plants before the gas fields were exhausted, after which the county’s economy settled back into farming.
Getting There
US 27 runs north-south through the county, connecting Portland to Fort Wayne to the north and to Ohio’s border towns to the south, while state roads 1, 18, 26, 67, and 167 link the smaller towns to Portland and Dunkirk.
- Fort Wayne, Indiana — 35 miles north
- Muncie, Indiana — 25 miles southwest
- Richmond, Indiana — 40 miles south
- Celina, Ohio — 20 miles east
Fort Wayne International Airport is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Jay County, Indiana?
Jay County is in east-central Indiana on the Ohio border, roughly midway between Fort Wayne and Muncie.
What is the population of Jay County?
20,478 as of the 2020 census.
How big is Jay County?
384.08 square miles (994.8 km2), including about 0.18 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Jay County?
Portland is the county seat.
How many towns are in Jay County?
Two cities (Portland and Dunkirk) and four incorporated towns (Bryant, Pennville, Redkey, and Salamonia), plus about two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Jay County?
47371 (Portland), 47336 (Dunkirk), 47373 (Redkey), 47326 (Bryant), 47369 (Pennville), and 47381 (Salamonia).
Why is Jay County named that?
It honors John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States, following the naming pattern the Indiana legislature used for the batch of counties created in 1835-36.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.