Spencer County is a county in Indiana, United States, on the north bank of the Ohio River in the southern part of the state. It had a population of 19,810 at the 2020 census and covers 401.43 square miles (1,039.7 km2) centred near 38°01′N 87°01′W.
Rockport is the county seat, and its postal code is 47635. The county has five incorporated towns, one city, four census-designated places and around two dozen smaller unincorporated communities. Spencer County lies in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 18147.
Towns & Villages in Spencer County
Rockport is the only incorporated city; Chrisney, Dale, Grandview and Santa Claus are incorporated towns. Gentryville, Hatfield, Richland and St. Meinrad are census-designated places (CDPs) — recognised communities without their own town government. The rest of the list below is unincorporated: crossroads, former post-office villages and rural neighbourhoods that never organised as towns.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockport | City · seat | — | 47635 |
| Dale | Town | — | 47523 |
| Santa Claus | Town | — | 47579 |
| Chrisney | Town | — | 47611 |
| Grandview | Town | — | 47615 |
| Gentryville | CDP | — | 47537 |
| Richland | CDP | — | 47634 |
| Hatfield | CDP | — | 47617 |
| St. Meinrad | CDP | — | 47577 |
| Africa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Buffaloville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Centerville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Enterprise | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eureka | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Evanston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fulda | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huffman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kennedy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kercheval | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lake Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lamar | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Liberal | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lincoln City | Unincorp. | — | 47552 |
| Mariah Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maxville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Midway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Boston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Newtonville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Patronville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pigeon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pueblo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pyeattville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Reo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ritchie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rock Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rockport Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sand Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Santa Fe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Schley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Silverdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
Santa Claus, in the county’s north, is the seasonal outlier — its year-round post office fields hundreds of thousands of Christmas-postmark letters every December, and it shares a ZIP-code neighbourhood with the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial at Lincoln City.
ZIP Codes
- 47635 — Rockport (also serves Richland)
- 47523 — Dale
- 47579 — Santa Claus
- 47611 — Chrisney
- 47615 — Grandview
- 47537 — Gentryville
- 47617 — Hatfield
- 47577 — St. Meinrad
- 47552 — Lincoln City
Smaller unincorporated places such as Buffaloville, Fulda, Mariah Hill and Rockport Junction share the ZIP code of their nearest post-office town rather than carrying one of their own.
Geography
Spencer County sits in the Ohio River hill country of southwestern Indiana, with rolling, forested uplands giving way to bottomland along the river. The Ohio River forms the county’s entire southern boundary; the Anderson River and several smaller creeks drain the interior north to the Ohio. Of the county’s 401.43 square miles, 396.74 square miles are land and 4.68 square miles are water.
Spencer County borders Dubois County to the north, Perry County to the east and Warrick County to the west. Across the Ohio River to the south lie Daviess County and Hancock County, Kentucky.
Demographics
Spencer County had 19,810 residents at the 2020 census. Rockport and Santa Claus are its two largest communities, followed by Dale. The county’s median household income runs below the Indiana median of $69,477, reflecting its rural, agricultural and manufacturing economy. Population density is roughly 50 people per square mile, among the more sparsely settled counties in southern Indiana.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — corn, soybeans and livestock — anchors the county’s rural townships, while the AEP Rockport coal-fired power plant on the Ohio River is one of the area’s largest employers and tax generators. Tourism centres on Santa Claus, home to the Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari theme park and a year-round post office that processes children’s letters to Santa Claus every Christmas season. Saint Meinrad Archabbey, a Benedictine monastery and seminary, draws visitors and students to the county’s southeast.
History
Spencer County was organized on January 10, 1818, and named for Captain Spier Spencer, a militia officer killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Abraham Lincoln’s family lived in the county from 1816 to 1830, on a farm near present-day Lincoln City; the site is now preserved as the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, and his mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln is buried there. The county’s history is not without darker chapters — on December 16, 1900, a mob in Rockport lynched three Black men, an episode documented in county and state historical records.
Getting There
Interstate 64 crosses the county’s north edge, with an interchange near Dale and Santa Claus. US Route 231 runs north–south through Dale and Rockport, and Indiana State Road 66 follows the Ohio River through Rockport and Grandview.
- Evansville, Indiana — 30 miles west
- Owensboro, Kentucky — 15 miles south, across the Ohio River
- Jasper, Indiana — 20 miles north
- Louisville, Kentucky — 100 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Evansville Regional Airport, about 30 miles west of Rockport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Spencer County, Indiana?
It is in southwestern Indiana, on the north bank of the Ohio River, between Evansville and Owensboro, Kentucky.
What is the population of Spencer County?
19,810 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Spencer County?
401.43 square miles (1,039.7 km2), of which 396.74 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Spencer County?
Rockport is the county seat.
How many towns are in Spencer County?
One city (Rockport), four incorporated towns (Chrisney, Dale, Grandview, Santa Claus), four census-designated places and about two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Spencer County?
Nine main ZIP codes cover the county, including 47635 (Rockport), 47523 (Dale) and 47579 (Santa Claus).
Why is Santa Claus, Indiana famous?
The town’s year-round post office answers hundreds of thousands of letters addressed to Santa Claus each December, and it is home to the Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari theme park.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.