LaGrange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 40,446. The county seat is LaGrange, Indiana. The county is located in the Northern Indiana region known as Michiana and is about 55 miles (89 km) east of South Bend, 105 miles (169 km) west of Toledo, Ohio, and 175 miles (282 km) northeast of Indianapolis. The area is well known for its large Amish population. For that reason, the county teams up with neighboring Elkhart County to promote tourism by referring to the area as Northern Indiana Amish Country. About half of LaGrange County is Amish, and it is home to the third-largest Amish community in the United States, which belongs to the Elkhart-LaGrange Amish affiliation.

The first settlement of LaGrange County was founded about a half mile west of Lima in 1828. Over the next four years, settlers flocked to parts of Lima, Springfield, and Van Buren Townships. Finally in 1832, LaGrange County was carved out of neighboring Elkhart County and established with Lima as the county seat. The town of LaGrange was platted in 1836 and settled in 1842 as the new county seat, closer to the center of the county. Lima's name was changed to Howe in 1909. LaGrange was laid out and platted in 1836.

LaGrange County's initial settlers were Yankee immigrants, that is to say, they were from New England. They were descended from the English Puritans who settled that region in the colonial era. They were part of a wave of New England settlers moving west into what was then the Northwest Territory after the completion of the Erie Canal. The original settlers in LaGrange County specifically hailed from the Massachusetts counties of Worcester County, Suffolk County and Berkshire County; the Connecticut counties of Hartford County and Windham County as well as the Connecticut towns of Sherman, Lebanon and Fairfield; and from the Vermont towns of Burlington, Brookfield, Huntington and Grand Isle. They were mainly members of the Congregational Church, but as a result of the Second Great Awakening, many became Baptists and many also converted to Pentecostalism and Methodism. When they arrived in LaGrange County, there was nothing but a virgin forest and wild prairie. The New England settlers cleared roads, built farms, constructed churches, erected government buildings, and established post routes. As a result of this migration, LaGrange County was culturally continuous with early New England culture for many years.

In 1837, the government removed Chief Shipshewana and the Potawatomi Tribe from the county's northwest corner. Several years later, the Chief was allowed to return and died in Newbury Township in 1841. A town named Georgetown had been platted in 1837 but was abandoned because of lack of development. In 1844, the first Amish came from Pennsylvania to settle around the old town. The village continued to grow, and the town of Shipshewana was platted nearby in 1899 and incorporated in 1916 in Newbury Township.

LaGrange County was named after the Château de la Grange-Bléneau, home of Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de la Fayette, outside of Paris, France.

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 386.70 square miles (1,001.5 km), of which 379.62 square miles (983.2 km) (or 98.17%) is land and 7.08 square miles (18.3 km) (or 1.83%) is water.

The county is mostly made up of rural farmland but also some rolling hills and several lakes.

• St. Joseph County, Michigan (northwest)
• Branch County, Michigan (northeast)
• Steuben County (east)
• Noble County (south)
• Elkhart County (west)

• I-80 / I-90 / Indiana Toll Road

LaGrange, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.8     29 14     1.8     34 16     2.7     45 25     3.3     57 36     3.6     69 47     4.2     79 57     3.6     82 61     4     80 59     3.5     73 51     2.8     61 40     2.9     47 31     2.6     34 20 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     45     −2 −10     45     1 −9     68     7 −4     85     14 2     92     21 8     106     26 14     91     28 16     102     27 15     88     23 11     71     16 4     73     8 −1     66     1 −7 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in LaGrange have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 82 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in December 2000 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.76 inches (45 mm) in February to 4.17 inches (106 mm) in June.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	3,664		—
1850	8,387		128.9%
1860	11,366		35.5%
1870	14,148		24.5%
1880	15,630		10.5%
1890	15,615		−0.1%
1900	15,284		−2.1%
1910	15,148		−0.9%
1920	14,009		−7.5%
1930	13,780		−1.6%
1940	14,352		4.2%
1950	15,347		6.9%
1960	17,380		13.2%
1970	20,890		20.2%
1980	25,550		22.3%
1990	29,477		15.4%
2000	34,909		18.4%
2010	37,128		6.4%
2020	40,446		8.9%
2023 (est.)	40,907		1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2013 2020

LaGrange County, Indiana - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop. 2010	Pop. 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	35,290	37,834	95.05%	93.54%
Black or African American alone (NH)	109	92	0.29%	0.23%
Asian alone (NH)	118	74	0.32%%	0.18%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	65	50	0.17%	0.12%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	1	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	8	33	0.02%	0.08%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	220	629	0.59%	1.55%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,317	1,733	3.55%	4.28%
Total	37,128	40,446	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 37,128 people, 11,598 households, and 9,106 families residing in the county. The population density was 97.8 inhabitants per square mile (37.8/km). There were 14,094 housing units at an average density of 37.1 per square mile (14.3/km). The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 36.1% were German, 13.3% were American, 6.4% were Irish, and 6.4% were English.

Of the 11,598 households, 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 21.5% were non-families, and 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.17, and the average family size was 3.66. The median age was 30.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $53,793. Males had a median income of $40,960 versus $29,193 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,388. About 12.1% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

Approximately 43% of the population of LaGrange County is Amish, as the county is home to the third-largest Amish community in the United States and belongs to the Elkhart-LaGrange Amish affiliation. This is reflected in the linguistic situation in the county: 28.45% of the population report speaking German, Pennsylvania German, or Dutch at home. 68.5% of the total population and 61.29% of the children in 5-17 age group used English as their home language, according to 2000 Census. The Amish languages (German, Pennsylfaansch, and Dutch) were used by 28.47% of the total population and 35.77% of them.

As of 2020 census, Terry Martin, president of the LaGrange County Commissioners, said that "the Amish-English ratio is about 50-50", also adding that the nearly 9% growth, or 3,318 people [between 2010 and 2020 censuses], was mainly due to the increasing Amish population.

*"Nones" is an unclear category. It is a heterogenous group of the not religious and intermittently religious. Researchers argue that most of the "Nones" should be considered "unchurched", rather than objectively nonreligious; especially since most "Nones" do hold some religious-spiritual beliefs and a notable amount participate in behaviors. For example, 72% of American "Nones" believe in God or a Higher Power.

• LaGrange
• Shipshewana
• Topeka
• Wolcottville (partially in Noble County)

• Howe

The economy is based mainly on agriculture and small shops, but tourism also plays a big role, especially in Shipshewana.

The county is led by a board of three elected commissioners that serve as the county government's executive branch. The county council comprises 7 elected members – four from each council district and 3 at large. Also, one assessor serves the entire county as opposed to one for every township.

The current county commissioners are:

• North District: Terry Martin
• Middle District: Kevin Myers
• South District: Peter Cook

The current county council members are:

• Charles F. Ashcraft D - District 1
• Ryan Riegsecker R- District 2
• Harold Gingerich R - District 3
• Jim Young R - District 4
• Jeff Brill R - At Large
• Steve McKowen R - At Large
• Mike Strawser R - At Large

LaGrange County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district; Indiana Senate district 13; and Indiana House of Representatives districts 18 and 52.

LaGrange County has consistently been a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections. In only three elections since 1888 has a Republican candidate failed to win the county, most recently in 1964.

United States presidential election results for LaGrange County, Indiana

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	8,073	77.33%	2,162	20.71%	204	1.95%
2020	8,110	76.14%	2,355	22.11%	187	1.76%
2016	7,025	72.68%	2,080	21.52%	561	5.80%
2012	6,231	66.88%	2,898	31.11%	187	2.01%
2008	5,702	59.80%	3,663	38.42%	170	1.78%
2004	6,430	71.42%	2,523	28.02%	50	0.56%
2000	5,437	65.25%	2,733	32.80%	163	1.96%
1996	4,033	52.11%	2,704	34.94%	1,003	12.96%
1992	3,584	48.15%	2,093	28.12%	1,767	23.74%
1988	4,495	68.67%	2,029	31.00%	22	0.34%
1984	4,772	71.31%	1,884	28.15%	36	0.54%
1980	4,259	62.49%	2,095	30.74%	461	6.76%
1976	3,876	57.24%	2,835	41.86%	61	0.90%
1972	4,152	71.11%	1,658	28.40%	29	0.50%
1968	3,328	61.54%	1,691	31.27%	389	7.19%
1964	2,785	49.38%	2,818	49.96%	37	0.66%
1960	4,433	69.03%	1,965	30.60%	24	0.37%
1956	3,815	70.47%	1,562	28.85%	37	0.68%
1952	3,822	68.80%	1,604	28.87%	129	2.32%
1948	3,106	63.82%	1,628	33.45%	133	2.73%
1944	3,501	68.71%	1,539	30.21%	55	1.08%
1940	3,731	63.43%	2,124	36.11%	27	0.46%
1936	3,125	51.72%	2,821	46.69%	96	1.59%
1932	2,461	42.29%	3,261	56.03%	98	1.68%
1928	3,171	64.40%	1,720	34.93%	33	0.67%
1924	3,081	63.34%	1,566	32.20%	217	4.46%
1920	3,852	68.02%	1,687	29.79%	124	2.19%
1916	1,958	54.09%	1,512	41.77%	150	4.14%
1912	758	21.58%	1,233	35.11%	1,521	43.31%
1908	2,357	60.13%	1,414	36.07%	149	3.80%
1904	2,461	64.61%	1,100	28.88%	248	6.51%
1900	2,329	59.34%	1,431	36.46%	165	4.20%
1896	2,442	58.97%	1,665	40.21%	34	0.82%
1892	2,033	54.59%	1,438	38.61%	253	6.79%
1888	2,262	57.32%	1,516	38.42%	168	4.26%

The county has three public school districts.

The Lakeland Community Schools serve the central part of the county. The system includes Lakeland Primary: Grades (k-2), Lakeland Intermediate: grades (3-6), and Lakeland Jr/Sr High: grades (7-12).

The Prairie Heights School Corporation serves the east side of the county and parts of Steuben County. The mascot of Prairie Heights School is a black panther.

The Westview School Corporation serves the west portion of the county. This system consists of four elementary schools (Meadowview, Shipshewana-Scott, Topeka, and Westview) and one junior-senior high school named Westview.

Several Amish schools are located across the county.

LaGrange County is served by the LaGrange County Public Library, with branches in LaGrange, Shipshewana, and Topeka.

• List of counties in Indiana
• List of counties in Michigan
• Michiana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in LaGrange County, Indiana
• The News Sun, the daily newspaper covering LaGrange County

• LaGrange County web site
• LaGrange County Amish Tourism

41°38′30″N 85°25′00″W / 41.64167°N 85.41667°W / 41.64167; -85.41667