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Delaware County, IN

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
89
11% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$127,600
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+51.6%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$874
national $1,348
Homeownership
66%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.8%
national 3.6%
Household income
$56,932
national $78,538
Median age
35.7 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Muncie, IN.

The cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. The median home is valued at $127,600 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 52% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $874 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.8% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $56,932. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Delaware County, IN saw a net gain of 23 tax-filing households and a net gain of 309 individuals. Against a population of about 112,321, that is a net inflow of about 2.8 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $17.2M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 397 households, came from Madison County; the largest outflow, about 338 households, went to Madison County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 38 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$17.2M
nominal dollars
Net households
+23
tax returns
Net people
+309
exemptions

+2.8 net people per 1,000 residents (population 112,321)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$119.5M
Moved out$136.7M
Net -$17.2M (nominal)
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Delaware County within Indiana

Delaware County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Indiana counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Madison County, IN397$16.7M
  2. 2Marion County, IN228$9.6M
  3. 3Henry County, IN156$6.1M
  4. 4Randolph County, IN153$6.6M
  5. 5Hamilton County, IN145$8.1M
  6. 6Grant County, IN83$3.1M
  7. 7Blackford County, IN73$3.5M
  8. 8Jay County, IN71$4.6M
  9. 9Allen County, IN56$2.5M
  10. 10Hancock County, IN51$2.5M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Madison County, IN338$14M
  2. 2Marion County, IN328$11.7M
  3. 3Hamilton County, IN170$10.9M
  4. 4Randolph County, IN126$6.1M
  5. 5Henry County, IN108$5.8M
  6. 6Allen County, IN76$2.8M
  7. 7Jay County, IN71$3.1M
  8. 8Grant County, IN67$2M
  9. 9Blackford County, IN61$2.7M
  10. 10Hancock County, IN51$2.7M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Madison County, IN397338+59+$2.6M
Marion County, IN228328-100-$2.1M
Hamilton County, IN145170-25-$2.8M
Randolph County, IN153126+27+$476K
Henry County, IN156108+48+$284K
Grant County, IN8367+16+$1M
Jay County, IN71710+$1.6M
Blackford County, IN7361+12+$801K
Allen County, IN5676-20-$244K
Hancock County, IN51510-$197K
Wayne County, IN4328+15+$883K
Cook County, IL2037-17-$1M

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$264.3M (-5,185 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$17.3M-517
2013-$13M-600
2014-$19.7M-652
2015-$16.5M-486
2016-$32.5M-722
2017-$40.7M-1,227
2018-$27.8M-735
2019-$31.4M-284
2020-$18.5M-207
2021-$12.4M-102
2022-$17.4M+38
2023-$17.2M+309
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 309 more people moved into Delaware County, IN than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $17.2M in income (nominal) — in a county of 112,341 people.

Population
112,341
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+2.8
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +28 people.
Net income per resident
−$153
nominal dollars
-$17.2M total across 112,341 residents.

The rate lets you compare Delaware County, IN with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+1,045
Deaths
-1,391
Net domestic migration
+401
Net international migration
+215
Total change
+250

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Delaware County, IN run about 11% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $113 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$47,698
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
32% below the U.S. average
Price level
88.7
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 11.3% lower than average
What that income buys
$53,799
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
23% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Muncie, IN metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents61.1
Goods94.8
Utilities85.5
Other services97.3

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Delaware County, IN

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
35.7
years
Median household income
$56,932
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
28% below the U.S. median
College degree
26%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
19.9%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
22 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
87%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 85%Hispanic 3%Black 5%Asian 2%Other 5%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$127,600
owner-occupied homes
58% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$874
gross rent per month
35% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
66%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+9.1%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+52%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
82new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 100%Multifamily 0%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.8%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
51,967
49,974 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.1%
April 2026 · ▼ 0.3 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Delaware County, IN has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202418,84826,067869R +15.845,784
202020,47426,827890R +13.248,191
201618,15324,2632,707R +13.545,123
201222,65421,2511,063D +3.144,968
200828,38420,916563D +15.049,863
200420,43627,064439R +13.847,939
200020,87622,1051,166R +2.844,147

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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