St. Joseph County, Indiana

St. Joseph County is a county in Indiana, United States, about 90 miles east of Chicago, Illinois,
along the Michigan state line. It had a population of 272,912 at the 2020 census, an estimated
273,040 by 2024, and covers 461.38 square miles (1,195.0 km2) centred near 41°37′N 86°17′W.

South Bend is the county seat and its largest city; its postal code is 46601. The county holds 2
cities, 7 incorporated towns and 30 unincorporated communities across 13 townships, and it runs on
Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 18141.

Towns & Villages in St. Joseph County

St. Joseph County has 39 named places on record: 2 cities, 7 incorporated towns, 2 census
designated places and 28 smaller unincorporated communities with no local government of their own.
CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads, rail sidings and small
platted subdivisions with no formal boundary.

Granger and Notre Dame are unincorporated CDPs, not towns, but both are large enough that the
Census Bureau tracks them separately — Granger straddles Clay and Harris townships north of
South Bend, and Notre Dame straddles Clay and Portage townships around the university campus.
Olive appears twice in county records: as Olive Township itself and as a small unincorporated
crossroads community inside that township, distinct from the incorporated town of New Carlisle a
few miles west.

Townships

ZIP Codes

• 46601, 46613, 46614, 46615, 46616, 46617, 46619, 46628, 46635, 46637 — South Bend (ten standard delivery ZIPs covering the city)
• 46544, 46545 — Mishawaka
• 46530 — Granger
• 46556 — Notre Dame (serves the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College)
• 46561 — Osceola
• 46574 — Walkerton
• 46552 — New Carlisle
• 46554 — North Liberty
• 46536 — Lakeville
• 46595 — Wyatt

South Bend also administers seven PO Box-only codes (including 46624, 46626, 46634, 46660,
46680 and 46699) used by specific businesses and government offices rather than home delivery.
Roseland, Indian Village and the county’s smaller unincorporated communities have no ZIP code
of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.

Geography

St. Joseph County sits on the till plains of far northern Indiana, flat to gently rolling
terrain left behind by the glaciers that shaped the region. Of its 461.38 square miles, 457.85
are land and 3.54 are water, about 0.77 percent. The St. Joseph River enters the county from
Michigan in the northeast, runs south through South Bend and Mishawaka, then bends north again
near downtown South Bend and exits back into Michigan on its way to Lake Michigan — the
river’s namesake bend. In the county’s southeast corner, near the historic portage route
through South Bend, small streams feed the headwaters of the Kankakee River, which flows the
opposite direction toward the Mississippi watershed.

Elkhart County lies to the east, Marshall and Starke counties to the south, and LaPorte County
to the west. Cass County, Michigan, borders the county to the north; Berrien County, Michigan,
touches the county’s northwest corner. Elkhart
County, Marshall County, Starke County, LaPorte County and Cass County, Michigan all have their
own pages on this site.

Demographics

St. Joseph County had a population of 272,912 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts
the county near 273,040 residents, essentially flat over the past several years. South Bend and
Mishawaka are by far the two largest communities, together holding well over half the county’s
population, with the Granger and Notre Dame CDPs adding a further 37,571 north of the two cities.
Median household income runs $66,868 (2024 estimate), somewhat below Indiana’s statewide
figure of $69,477 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to about 596 people per square mile
of land, high for Indiana outside the Indianapolis metro, reflecting the built-up South
Bend-Mishawaka core.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 21,694 people, followed by
educational services at 19,546 and health care and social assistance at 17,971. Beacon Health
System, which runs Memorial Hospital in South Bend and Elkhart General Hospital, is the county’s
largest single employer at roughly 7,088 workers. The University of Notre Dame, just north of
downtown South Bend, employs about 6,086 people and anchors the Notre Dame and Granger area
alongside Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College. AM General, maker of the Humvee and
based in Mishawaka, remains a major manufacturing employer with defense and commercial vehicle
contracts. Mishawaka was known in the late 1800s as the “Peppermint Capital of the World”
for the mint crops grown in its rich soil, before shifting through rubber, woolen and automotive
manufacturing over the following century. The county’s biggest annual event is Dyngus Day, a
Polish-American tradition held every year on the Monday after Easter, with block parties across
South Bend’s West Side and Mishawaka drawing crowds well beyond the county’s own
population.

History

The Miami and later the Potawatomi lived along the St. Joseph River for generations before
European contact, using the portage route through present-day South Bend as the shortest overland
crossing between the St. Joseph and Kankakee rivers. Fur trader Pierre Navarre arrived in 1820
representing John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company, and Alexis Coquillard established a
trading post nearby known as the Big St. Joseph Station later in the decade. Indiana’s
General Assembly organized St. Joseph County in 1830, naming it for the river, which itself was
named by early French explorers. The Potawatomi were forced from the region in the 1840s removals
that also displaced bands from neighboring counties.

South Bend was incorporated as a city on 22 May 1865, its name drawn from the river’s
southernmost bend at the site. Henry Studebaker opened a wagon-building shop there in 1852; the
Studebaker company grew into the world’s largest wagon builder and later one of the few wagon
makers to succeed as an automobile manufacturer, a business that shaped the city’s economy for
a century before the plant closed in 1963.

Getting There

The Indiana Toll Road, carrying Interstate 80 and Interstate 90 together, crosses the county’s
northern section. US 20, US 31 and US 6 also run through the county, along with State Roads 2, 4,
23, 104, 331 and 933.

• Elkhart — about 15 miles east
• Chicago, Illinois — about 90 miles west
• Plymouth — about 20 miles south
• Niles, Michigan — about 12 miles north

South Bend International Airport, three miles northwest of downtown South Bend, is the
county’s commercial airport, served by Allegiant, American Eagle, Breeze Airways, Delta
Connection and United Express. Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited and Floridian trains call at the
South Bend station on West Washington Street, connecting to Chicago, New York, Boston and Miami.
The South Shore Line commuter railway also runs from the airport and downtown South Bend to
Chicago’s Millennium Station.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is St. Joseph County located?
It sits in far northern Indiana on the Michigan state line, about 90 miles east of Chicago,
bordered by Elkhart, Marshall, Starke and LaPorte counties and by Cass and Berrien counties in
Michigan.

What is the population of St. Joseph County?
272,912 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 273,040, making it Indiana’s
fifth-most populous county.

How big is St. Joseph County?
461.38 square miles (1,195.0 km2), of which 457.85 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of St. Joseph County?
South Bend, incorporated in 1865, is the county seat and largest city.

How many towns and cities are in St. Joseph County?
Two cities, South Bend and Mishawaka, plus seven incorporated towns — Osceola, Walkerton,
New Carlisle, North Liberty, Lakeville, Roseland and Indian Village.

What ZIP codes does St. Joseph County use?
46601 through 46637 for South Bend, 46544 and 46545 for Mishawaka, 46530 for Granger, 46556 for
Notre Dame, and separate codes for each of the county’s smaller incorporated towns.

What is St. Joseph County known for?
The University of Notre Dame, the Studebaker automobile company’s century-long run in South
Bend, and Dyngus Day, the Polish-American Easter Monday tradition celebrated across the county.

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