Population
Dubois County has a population of approximately 42.7K people with a median age of 40.2 years old. 24.2% of the population are under age 17, 8.1% are 18 to 24, 22.8% are 25 to 44, 27.6% 45 to 64, and 17.5% are 65 or older. About 10% of the population in Dubois County live below the poverty line, with the largest demographic living in poverty being females age 18-25, followed by females age 35-44.
Industry
The most common jobs held by residents in the county are Production Occupations (3,034 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,628), and Management Occupations (1,993). Compared to other counties, Dubois County has an unusually high number of residents working in Production Operations (2.39 times higher than expected), Farming, Fishing & Forestry Occupations (2.32 times), and Material Moving Occupations (2.04 times).
Economy
The economy of Dubois County employs roughly 21.9K people. The median household income in the county is $57,307 (national average is $61,937), and males have an average income that is 1.39 times higher than the average income of females ($42,677). The median property value is $146,000 (national average is $229,700) and the homeownership rate is 77%. Most people in Dubois County commute by driving alone, and the average commute time is 18.3 minutes.
Health
93.5% of the population of Dubois County has health coverage, with 64.9% on employee plans, 6.32% on Medicaid, 12.9% on Medicare, 8.61% on non-group plans, and 0.842% on military or veteran plans. Per capita personal health care spending in the county was $8,300 in 2014. Primary care physicians have an average yearly ratio of 1,287 patients: 1 physician, and mental health care providers have an average yearly ratio of 990 patients: 1 provider.
Education
Dubois County is divided into four public school districts: Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools, Northeast Dubois County School Corporation, Southeast Dubois County School Corporation, and Southwest Dubois County School Corporation. 90% of residents are high school graduates or higher, and 22.2% have a Bachelors Degree or higher. 85.5% of households have a computer present, and 78.3% of households have broadband internet subscriptions. The county has a 10% school dropout rate.
Diversity
Out of the population of 42.4K people, 96.9% are citizens. The largest ethnic groups in Dubois County are White Alone (89.2%), Hispanic or Latino (8.7%), Black or African American Alone (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.8%), and Asian Alone (0.7%).
Dubois County Highlights
Dubois County Courthouse
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the courthouse is a Renaissance Revival-style building designed in 1910 and renovated in 1996. It was designed by the architectural firm Milburn & Heister, featuring a cupola that rises 100 feet high and pedimented porticos with lonic order columns. This prominent four-story structure currently serves as the county’s courthouse ad also holds the Soldiers and Sailors Monument built in 1894.
Monastery Immaculate Conception
Known as the “Castle on the Hill”, the Monastery, founded in 1867, is home to one of the nation’s largest communities of Benedictine women. The distinctive, recently-restored Romanesque dome rises majestically over the town of Ferdinand, standing at 87 feet from the floor and 32 and a half feet in diameter. As of 2019, there were 134 members of the congregation at the Monastery. Their apostolates include teaching, serving in parishes, offering retreats, providing health care, counseling, working with immigrant populations, and helping the homeless, the poor, and those recovering from addictions.
The Astra
The Astra is a historic theatre showcasing concerts, shows and movies. The Astra holds a total capacity of 357 people, split between a main floor (269) and a Balcony (88). The theatre first opened in 1936 and operated as a family-owned movie theatre for 66 years. Despite reconfiguring to create a duplex cinema in the mid-1980s, the pressure to compete with larger multiplex cinemas led the Astra Theatre to close its doors in 2002. After fundraising efforts that included a $400,000 historic preservation grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, the Astra went through a $1.7 million renovation. The Astra is now thriving and open to the public offering a mixture of new and exciting programs.
Patoka Lake
Patoka Lake offers over 26,000 acres of land and water. The 8,800 acre lake features freshwater jellyfish, bald eagle nesting sites, river otters and osprey. There is also a large campground, swimming beach, two marinas, and popular cabin and boat rentals. Technically known as the Patoka Reservoir, the area is a part of Hoosier National Forest and several State Recreation Areas. There are miles of hiking trails, biking trails, and loads of nearby shopping opportunities to be explored as well!
Dubois County Bombers
A summer collegiate baseball team, the Dubois County Bombers play in the Ohio Valley League, a wooden bat league consisting of 8 teams playing throughout Western Kentucky & Southern Indiana. The Bombers play high-quality contemporary baseball in a throwback setting at historic League Stadium. When you enter the gates of historic League Stadium, you may think you’ve stepped back into the golden age of the game. League Stadium was home to the Rockford Peaches in the hit movie A League of Their Own. The vintage signs, scoreboard and atmosphere remain. The Bombers also play in vintage-inspired uniforms: pants are knickered, stirrups are worn. Bombers games are great sport and excellent entertainment!
Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari
Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is a family theme park and water park combo located in the nearby town of Santa Claus. Splashin’ Safari, named the Best Waterpark in the nation by USA Today, includes the two longest water coasters in the world – Mammoth and Wildebeest – as well as numerous family raft slides, water slides, two wave pools, and more water activities for children. Family-owned and operated since its opening in 1946 as Santa Claus Land, Holiday World continues to focus on family fun, with special attention to friendliness and cleanliness. In fact, Holiday World has been voted the cleanest park on the planet for more than a decade by readers of Amusement Today magazine.
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