Tippecanoe County is a county in Indiana, United States, in the west-central part of the state, about 22 miles east of the Illinois line and roughly 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis. It had a population of 186,251 at the 2020 census and covers 503.24 square miles (1,303.4 km2) centred near 40°23′N 86°53′W.
Lafayette is the county seat, and its postal code is 47901. The county has 2 cities, 5–6 towns, and a set of unincorporated communities spread across 13 civil townships. It is in the Eastern time zone, FIPS code 18157.
Towns & Villages in Tippecanoe County
Tippecanoe County’s largest places are Lafayette and West Lafayette, home to Purdue University. Around them sit five incorporated towns and a wide scatter of unincorporated communities and rural crossroads. In the table below, CDP marks a census-designated place and Unincorp. marks an unincorporated community with no separate census count.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | City · seat | Fairfield / Wea | 70,783 | 47901 |
| West Lafayette | City | Wabash | 44,595 | 47906 |
| Battle Ground | Town | Tippecanoe | 1,838 | 47920 |
| Clarks Hill | Town | Union | — | 47930 |
| Dayton | Town | Wayne | — | 47941 |
| Otterbein | Town | Union | — | 47970 |
| Romney | Town | Union | — | 47981 |
| Shadeland | CDP | Wea | — | — |
| Americus | Unincorp. | Randolph | — | — |
| Ash Grove | Unincorp. | Sheffield | — | — |
| Buck Creek | Unincorp. | Wabash | — | — |
| Cairo | Unincorp. | Wea | — | — |
| Colburn | Unincorp. | Randolph | — | — |
| Concord | Unincorp. | Randolph | — | — |
| Corwin | Unincorp. | Sheffield | — | — |
| Delp | Unincorp. | Fairfield | — | — |
| Elston | Unincorp. | Wabash | — | — |
| Glen Hall | Unincorp. | Union | — | — |
| Klondike | Unincorp. | Wabash | — | — |
| Monitor | Unincorp. | Randolph | — | — |
| Monroe | Unincorp. | Sheffield | — | — |
| Montmorenci | Unincorp. | Wabash | — | 47932 |
| Octagon | Unincorp. | Randolph | — | — |
| Odell | Unincorp. | Wea | — | — |
| Pettit | Unincorp. | Wea | — | — |
| South Raub | Unincorp. | Fairfield | — | — |
| Stockwell | Unincorp. | Wea | — | — |
| Taylor | Unincorp. | Perry | — | — |
| Tecumseh | Unincorp. | Fairfield | — | — |
| Wyandot | Unincorp. | Randolph | — | — |
Two old-list entries were dropped as unverifiable scrape artifacts: a duplicated second “Romney” row, and several subdivision names (Altamont Switch, Bar-Barry Heights, Eastwitch, Gladens Corner, Green Meadows, Happy Hollow Heights, McQuinn Estates, Meadowbrook, Norma Jean Addition, North Crane, Ravinamy, Wabash Shores, Westpoint, Crumb Corner, Birmingham, Heath, Indian Village) that read as residential-plat or minor-crossroads names with no independent record found this pass — see notes.md.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Wea | — | Lafayette (part), Shadeland, Cairo, Stockwell |
| Fairfield | — | Lafayette (part), Delp, South Raub, Tecumseh |
| Wabash | — | West Lafayette, Klondike, Montmorenci, Buck Creek, Elston |
| Union | — | Otterbein, Clarks Hill, Romney, Glen Hall |
| Randolph | — | Americus, Colburn, Concord, Monitor, Octagon, Wyandot |
| Tippecanoe | — | Battle Ground |
| Wayne | — | Dayton |
| Sheffield | — | Ash Grove, Corwin, Monroe |
| Perry | — | Taylor |
| Jackson | — | rural |
| Lauramie | — | rural, county’s highest point |
| Shelby | — | rural |
| Washington | — | rural |
ZIP Codes
- 47901 — Lafayette (downtown/south)
- 47904 — Lafayette (also serves North Lafayette)
- 47905 — Lafayette (east side)
- 47909 — Lafayette (south side)
- 47906 — West Lafayette (also serves the Purdue University campus)
- 47920 — Battle Ground
- 47930 — Clarks Hill
- 47941 — Dayton
- 47970 — Otterbein
- 47981 — Romney
- 47932 — Montmorenci
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Americus, Cairo, Klondike, Stockwell, and Tecumseh use the ZIP code of the nearest post office town rather than one of their own.
Geography
Tippecanoe County sits on the Tippecanoe Plains of west-central Indiana, split by the Wabash River, which runs southwest through Lafayette and West Lafayette on its way toward the Ohio River. The Wea Creek and Wildcat Creek also drain parts of the county. Of the county’s 503.24 square miles, 499.81 square miles are land and 3.44 square miles are water. Lauramie Township holds the county’s highest point.
Tippecanoe County borders White County to the north, Carroll County to the northeast (no live sibling page to link), Clinton County to the east, Montgomery County to the south, Fountain County to the southwest, Warren County to the west, and Benton County to the northwest (no live sibling page to link).
Demographics
Tippecanoe County had 186,251 residents at the 2020 census, making it one of the larger counties in the state by population, driven heavily by Purdue University’s presence in Lafayette and West Lafayette — the county’s two largest communities, with 70,783 and 44,595 residents respectively. Median household income in the county runs close to the Indiana median of $69,477, with West Lafayette skewed by its large student population. Density works out to roughly 373 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Purdue University is the county’s dominant employer and economic anchor, drawing research, agricultural-technology, and biosciences activity to the Lafayette–West Lafayette area. Subaru of Indiana Automotive operates a large assembly plant in the county, and Wabash National, Caterpillar, and Franciscan Health Lafayette are other major employers. Outside the cities, the county’s townships remain heavily agricultural, with corn and soybeans dominant on the flat till-plain farmland.
History
Tippecanoe County was organized on March 1, 1826, taking its name from the Tippecanoe River, itself from a Miami-Illinois word for the county’s namesake fish. The area is best known nationally for the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, fought just north of present-day Battle Ground between US forces under William Henry Harrison and Tecumseh’s confederacy, an event that later fed Harrison’s “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” 1840 presidential campaign. The county courthouse in Lafayette, completed in 1881, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Getting There
Interstate 65 runs north–south through the county, and US Routes 52 and 231 both pass through Lafayette, along with several state roads.
- Indianapolis — 65 miles southeast
- Chicago — 110 miles northwest
- Crawfordsville (Montgomery County) — 25 miles south
- Kokomo — 35 miles east
Purdue University Airport (LAF) in West Lafayette provides local commercial and general aviation service. Amtrak’s Cardinal train stops in Lafayette three times a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Tippecanoe County, Indiana?
It sits in west-central Indiana, on the Wabash River, about 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis and 22 miles east of the Illinois line.
What is the population of Tippecanoe County?
186,251 at the 2020 census.
How big is Tippecanoe County?
503.24 square miles (1,303.4 km2), of which 499.81 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Tippecanoe County?
Lafayette is the county seat and largest city; West Lafayette is the second-largest city.
How many towns are in Tippecanoe County?
Two cities (Lafayette, West Lafayette) and five incorporated towns (Battle Ground, Clarks Hill, Dayton, Otterbein, Romney), plus numerous unincorporated communities across 13 townships.
What ZIP codes are in Tippecanoe County?
Lafayette uses 47901, 47904, 47905, and 47909; West Lafayette uses 47906; the smaller towns each carry their own code, such as 47920 for Battle Ground.
Why is Tippecanoe County famous?
It is home to Purdue University and the site of the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, fought near what is now Battle Ground.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.