Owen County is a county in Indiana, United States, in the west-central part of the state. It had a population of 21,321 at the 2020 census and covers 387.82 square miles (1,004.4 km2) centred near 39°19′N 86°50′W.
Spencer is the county seat, and its postal code is 47460. The county has two incorporated towns (Spencer and Gosport), two census-designated places (Coal City and Patricksburg), and a scatter of smaller unincorporated communities and crossroads, spread across 13 civil townships. Owen County observes Eastern time and is part of the Bloomington, Indiana metropolitan statistical area.
Towns & Villages in Owen County
Owen County has just two incorporated towns; everything else on the list below is a CDP or an unincorporated community, many no larger than a crossroads store and a church. Spencer, the seat, holds roughly half the county’s population.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer | Town · seat | Washington | 2,247 | 47460 |
| Gosport | Town | Harrison | 802 | 47433 |
| Coal City | CDP | Jefferson | 556 | 47427 |
| Patricksburg | CDP | Franklin | 293 | 47455 |
| Freedom | Unincorp. | Franklin | — | 47431 |
| Quincy | Unincorp. | Jennings | — | 47456 |
| Cataract | Unincorp. | Clay | — | 47460 |
| Lewisville | Unincorp. | Montgomery | — | — |
| Adel | Unincorp. | Jackson | — | — |
| Alaska | Unincorp. | Wayne | — | — |
| Arney | Unincorp. | Marion | — | — |
| Carp | Unincorp. | Taylor | — | — |
| Cuba | Unincorp. | Morgan | — | — |
| Daggett | Unincorp. | Jennings | — | — |
| Devore | Unincorp. | Lafayette | — | — |
| Farmers | Unincorp. | Clay | — | — |
| Freeman | Unincorp. | Jefferson | — | — |
| Jordan | Unincorp. | Jackson | — | — |
| Marion Mills | Unincorp. | Marion | — | — |
| Pottersville | Unincorp. | Morgan | — | — |
| Romona | Unincorp. | Jefferson | — | — |
| Southport | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Stockton | Unincorp. | Wayne | — | — |
| Vandalia | Unincorp. | Franklin | — | — |
| Vilas | Unincorp. | Montgomery | — | — |
| Whitehall | Unincorp. | Harrison | — | — |
A handful of names on the old county list — Beamer, Braysville, Cunot, Denmark, Hancock Corner, Hickory Corner, Highets Corner, Hubbell, New Hope, Silex, Smithville, Wallace Junction — are locally remembered crossroads or farm hamlets with no independent population figure or reliable location record, so they are omitted here rather than guessed at.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | — | Spencer, Southport |
| Harrison | — | Gosport, Whitehall |
| Jefferson | — | Coal City, Romona, Freeman |
| Franklin | — | Patricksburg, Freedom, Vandalia |
| Jennings | — | Quincy, Daggett |
| Clay | — | Cataract, Farmers |
| Montgomery | — | Lewisville, Vilas |
| Morgan | — | Cuba, Pottersville |
| Jackson | — | Adel, Jordan |
| Wayne | — | Alaska, Stockton |
| Marion | — | Arney, Marion Mills |
| Taylor | — | Carp |
| Lafayette | — | Devore |
Individual 2020 township population counts are not published in a source reliable enough to reprint here, so the pop. column is left blank rather than estimated.
ZIP Codes
- 47460 — Spencer (also serves Cataract)
- 47433 — Gosport (also serves Whitehall)
- 47427 — Coal City
- 47455 — Patricksburg
- 47431 — Freedom
- 47456 — Quincy
- 47868 — Poland (a small share of far-western Owen County)
Most of the smaller unincorporated communities share a ZIP with the nearest post-office town rather than having their own code.
Geography
Owen County sits in the low, wooded hills of south-central Indiana, where the White River cuts through the middle of the county on its way south to the Wabash. The terrain rises toward the west, reaching 934 feet near Quincy, the county’s highest point. Cataract Falls, on Mill Creek near the county’s northwest corner, is one of the largest waterfalls in the state. Roughly 99 percent of the county’s area is land, with the balance in the White River and its tributary creeks.
Owen County borders Putnam County to the north, Morgan County to the northeast, Monroe County to the southeast, Greene County to the south, and Clay County to the west.
Demographics
Owen County had 21,321 residents at the 2020 census, down slightly from the 2010 count. Spencer and Gosport are the two largest communities, together holding under a fifth of the county’s population — most residents live outside any incorporated place, on farms or in unincorporated hamlets. Median household income in the county runs below the Indiana median of $69,477, typical for a rural county without a large employment base of its own. Population density is roughly 55 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, forestry, and limestone quarrying have long shaped the local economy, and many residents commute to jobs in nearby Bloomington, part of the same metropolitan statistical area. McCormick’s Creek State Park, just across the line in Owen County near Spencer, and Cataract Falls draw visitors and support a small tourism trade. Spencer Community Schools and Owen Valley Health Campus are among the county’s larger local employers.
History
Owen County was organized on December 21, 1818, and named for Colonel Abraham Owen, an officer killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. In 1920, the U.S. Census Bureau calculated that the mean center of the United States population fell within Owen County — a distinction it held for that census only, as the center has since moved west. The county’s early economy centered on timber, grist mills, and, later, limestone quarrying along the White River valley.
Getting There
U.S. Route 231 runs north–south through the county, meeting State Route 46 at Spencer; State Routes 42, 43, 67, 157, and 243 also cross the county.
- Bloomington — 18 miles southeast
- Terre Haute — 35 miles west
- Indianapolis — 55 miles northeast
- Bloomfield — 20 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Indianapolis International Airport, about an hour’s drive northeast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Owen County?
It is in Indiana, in the west-central part of the state, part of the Bloomington metropolitan area between Terre Haute and Bloomington.
What is the population of Owen County?
21,321 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Owen County?
387.82 square miles (1,004.4 km2), of which about 99 percent is land.
What is the county seat of Owen County?
Spencer is the county seat and largest town.
How many towns are in Owen County?
Two incorporated towns, Spencer and Gosport, plus two census-designated places and a number of smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Owen County?
47460 (Spencer), 47433 (Gosport), 47427 (Coal City), 47455 (Patricksburg), 47431 (Freedom), 47456 (Quincy), and 47868 (Poland, a small western sliver).
Why is Owen County historically notable?
The 1920 census found the mean center of the U.S. population inside the county — the only time that milestone has fallen there.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.