Putnam County Demographics

A map of Putnam County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	33,773	33,150	90.6%	90.3%
Black	1,226	1,024	3.3%	2.8%
Hispanic	839	784	2.3%	2.1%
Multiracial	816	1,203	2.2%	3.3%
Asian	489	355	1.3%	1.0%
Native American/Other	137	210	0.4%	0.6%

Putnam County, Indiana has an estimated population of 37,280, a slight increase from the 36,726 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.6% White, 3.3% Black, 2.3% Hispanic, 2.2% Multiracial, 1.3% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Putnam County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Putnam has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Indiana overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Putnam County, that probability was 18.3% in 2020 and 17.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Putnam County is ranked the 41st most populous county in Indiana, out of 92 counties. Putnam County was ranked the 41st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Putnam County's White Population

33,773 residents of Putnam County, or 90.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Putnam County is significantly higher than in Indiana overall, where 75.4% of the population is White. Putnam County ranks 51st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.9%. White residents' share of Putnam County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 90.6%.

Putnam County is more White than neighboring Hendricks County (77.3% White), and Montgomery County (89% White). Putnam County is less White than neighboring Owen County (95% White), Parke County (94.3% White), and Clay County (94% White).

Putnam County's Black Population

1,226 residents of Putnam County, or 3.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Putnam County is lower than in Indiana overall, where 9.1% of the population is Black. Putnam County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Black population has grown by an estimated 19.7%. Black residents' share of Putnam County's population has increased from 2.8% to 3.3%.

Putnam County is more Black than neighboring Owen County (0.8% Black), Parke County (1.6% Black), Montgomery County (0.9% Black), and Clay County (0.5% Black). Putnam County is less Black than neighboring Hendricks County (10% Black).

Putnam County's Asian Population

489 residents of Putnam County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Putnam County is comparable to the share in Indiana overall, where 2.6% of the population is Asian. Putnam County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 37.7%. Asian residents' share of Putnam County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.3%.

Putnam County is more Asian than neighboring Owen County (0.6% Asian), Parke County (0% Asian), Montgomery County (0.5% Asian), and Clay County (0.4% Asian). Putnam County is less Asian than neighboring Hendricks County (3.3% Asian).

Putnam County's Hispanic Population

839 residents of Putnam County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Putnam County is lower than in Indiana overall, where 8.6% of the population is Hispanic. Putnam County ranks 65th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Putnam County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.3%.

Putnam County is more Hispanic than neighboring Owen County (1.5% Hispanic), Parke County (0.8% Hispanic), and Clay County (2% Hispanic). Putnam County is less Hispanic than neighboring Hendricks County (5.2% Hispanic), and Montgomery County (6.2% Hispanic).

Putnam County's Native American/Other Population

137 residents of Putnam County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Putnam County is comparable to the share in Indiana overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Putnam County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 34.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Putnam County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Putnam County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Owen County (0.2% Native American/Other), Parke County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Clay County (0.2% Native American/Other). Putnam County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Hendricks County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Montgomery County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Putnam County's Multiracial Population

816 residents of Putnam County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Putnam County is comparable to the share in Indiana overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Putnam County ranks 40th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 32.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Putnam County's population has decreased from 3.3% to 2.2%.

Putnam County is more Multiracial than neighboring Owen County (1.9% Multiracial). Putnam County is less Multiracial than neighboring Hendricks County (3.7% Multiracial), Parke County (3.3% Multiracial), Montgomery County (2.7% Multiracial), and Clay County (2.9% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.