Vigo County is a county in Indiana, United States, on the Illinois state line along the Wabash River, in the west-central part of the state. It had a population of 106,153 at the 2020 census and covers 410.45 square miles (1,063.1 km2) — 403.31 square miles (1,044.6 km2) of land and 7.14 square miles (18.5 km2) of water — centred near 39°26′N 87°23′W.
Terre Haute is the county seat, and its postal code is 47807. The county has one city, three incorporated towns (West Terre Haute, Seelyville and Riley), six census-designated places and dozens of unincorporated communities, grouped into twelve civil townships. Vigo County sits in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 18167.
Towns & Villages in Vigo County
The table below lists every named place carried over from the county’s community record, roughly 65 locations after removing one duplicate entry. Terre Haute is the only city; West Terre Haute, Seelyville and Riley are incorporated towns; six places are census-designated places (CDP); everything else is an unincorporated community, farm crossroads or historic rail stop — some, like Barnhart Town and Terre Town, are informal neighborhood names within or adjoining Terre Haute rather than separately platted settlements.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terre Haute | City · seat | Harrison | — | 47801–47809 |
| West Terre Haute | Town | Lost Creek | — | 47885 |
| Seelyville | Town | Lost Creek | — | 47878 |
| Riley | Town | Riley | — | 47871 |
| Fontanet | CDP | Sugar Creek | — | 47851 |
| New Goshen | CDP | Honey Creek | — | 47863 |
| North Terre Haute | CDP | Otter Creek | — | — |
| Saint Mary-of-the-Woods | CDP | Otter Creek | — | 47876 |
| Tecumseh | CDP | Fayette | — | — |
| Toad Hop | CDP | Fayette | — | — |
| Allendale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Atherton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Barnhart Town | Unincorp. | Harrison | — | — |
| Blackhawk | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brown Jug Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Burnett | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cherryvale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Coal Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cobb | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Deming Park | Unincorp. | Harrison | — | — |
| Deming Woods | Unincorp. | Harrison | — | — |
| Dewey | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dresser | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Duane Yards | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| East Glenn | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ehrmandale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ferguson Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Glen Ayre | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Gospel Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Grange Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Harrison | Unincorp. | Harrison | — | — |
| Hickory Island | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hutton | Unincorp. | Riley | — | — |
| Keller | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Larimer Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lewis | Unincorp. | — | — | 47858 |
| Libertyville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Liggett | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Marion Heights | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Markles | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Otter Creek Junction | Unincorp. | Otter Creek | — | — |
| Parkview | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pimento | Unincorp. | Prairieton | — | 47866 |
| Pine Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Prairie Creek | Unincorp. | Prairie Creek | — | 47869 |
| Prairieton | Unincorp. | Prairieton | — | 47870 |
| Preston | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sandcut | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sandford | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Shepardsville | Unincorp. | Nevins | — | 47880 |
| Shirkieville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Southwood | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Spelterville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Spring Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| State Line | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Swalls | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tabertown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Taylorville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Terre Town | Unincorp. | Harrison | — | — |
| Twelve Points | Unincorp. | Harrison | — | — |
| Vigo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| West New Goshen | Unincorp. | Honey Creek | — | — |
| Whitcomb Heights | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Woodgate | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Youngstown | Unincorp. | Prairie Creek | — | — |
Townships
Individual 2020 township population figures were not available from a verified source at the time of writing, so the population column below is left blank rather than estimated.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Harrison | — | Terre Haute (most of the city), Deming Park, Twelve Points |
| Lost Creek | — | West Terre Haute, Seelyville |
| Otter Creek | — | North Terre Haute, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Otter Creek Junction |
| Honey Creek | — | New Goshen, West New Goshen |
| Sugar Creek | — | Fontanet |
| Prairieton | — | Prairieton, Pimento |
| Prairie Creek | — | Prairie Creek, Youngstown |
| Riley | — | Riley, Hutton |
| Nevins | — | Shepardsville |
| Fayette | — | Tecumseh, Toad Hop |
| Linton | — | — |
| Pierson | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 47801, 47802, 47803, 47804, 47805, 47807, 47808, 47809 — Terre Haute (multiple ZIPs cover different parts of the city)
- 47885 — West Terre Haute
- 47878 — Seelyville
- 47871 — Riley
- 47851 — Fontanet
- 47863 — New Goshen
- 47876 — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
- 47866 — Pimento
- 47869 — Prairie Creek
- 47870 — Prairieton
- 47880 — Shepardsville
- 47858 — Lewis
Smaller communities without a dedicated post office, including North Terre Haute, Tecumseh and Toad Hop, use a neighboring town’s ZIP code for mail.
Geography
Vigo County straddles the Wabash River, which flows southwest through the middle of the county past Terre Haute; the river also carries much of the county’s water area and its floodplain terraces. The land east of the river rises into rolling, forested uplands that were once part of the coal-mining belt of west-central Indiana — Coal Bluff’s name records that history — while the western third of the county, across the Illinois state line, flattens into farmland. The county borders Vermillion County to the north, Parke County to the northeast, Clay County to the east, Sullivan County to the south, Clark County, Illinois to the southwest, and Edgar County, Illinois to the northwest.
Demographics
Vigo County had 106,153 residents at the 2020 census, spread across 403.31 square miles of land for a density of roughly 263 people per square mile. Terre Haute is by far the largest community, followed by West Terre Haute. The county’s median household income trails the Indiana median of $69,477, a gap driven by the county’s legacy manufacturing base and by a large student population tied to Indiana State University and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, both of which pull the working-age income figures down relative to the rest of the state.
Economy & Local Life
Indiana State University is the county’s largest single employer, anchoring Terre Haute’s north side with roughly 8,000 students. Health care is a second pillar, led by Union Hospital and Terre Haute Regional Hospital. Pharmaceutical manufacturing runs deep here: Pfizer operates one of the largest sterile-injectable drug plants in the world on the city’s east side. Terre Haute is also home to the Federal Correctional Complex, a major federal employer, and to Clabber Girl, the baking-powder maker whose downtown headquarters and museum are a local landmark. Farmland outside the city grows corn and soybeans, and the Wabash Valley Fair each summer is the county’s largest annual gathering.
History
Vigo County was organized on January 21, 1818, carved from Sullivan County soon after Indiana achieved statehood. It was named for Francis Vigo, an Italian-born fur trader and financier who bankrolled George Rogers Clark’s 1779 campaign to capture Fort Sackville from the British — a debt the United States never fully repaid him in his lifetime. Terre Haute, French for “high ground,” was platted the same year on a river terrace above the Wabash floodplain. The county became a 19th-century rail and coal-mining hub, and it is the birthplace of labor leader and five-time presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs, whose Terre Haute home is preserved as a museum.
Getting There
Interstate 70 crosses the county east–west, and U.S. Route 41 and U.S. Route 40 (the historic National Road) both run through Terre Haute. Terre Haute Regional Airport (HUF) offers general-aviation and limited commercial service.
- Indianapolis — 75 miles east on I-70
- Bloomington — 55 miles southeast
- Vincennes — 55 miles south
- Champaign, Illinois — 90 miles west
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Vigo County?
It is in west-central Indiana, on the Illinois state line along the Wabash River, about 75 miles west of Indianapolis.
What is the population of Vigo County?
106,153 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Vigo County?
410.45 square miles (1,063.1 km2), including 7.14 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Vigo County?
Terre Haute, Indiana’s seventh-largest city.
How many towns are in Vigo County?
One city, three incorporated towns and six census-designated places, plus roughly 55 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Vigo County?
Terre Haute uses 47801–47809; outlying towns each have their own code, such as 47878 for Seelyville and 47885 for West Terre Haute.
Why is Vigo County named Vigo?
It honors Francis Vigo, who financed George Rogers Clark’s Revolutionary War campaign to take Fort Sackville in 1779.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.