Census › Indiana › Wells County
Wells County, IN
| Population | 28,420 | B01003 |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2020 census | 28,180 | P1 |
| Median age | 39.8 | B01002 |
| Under 18 | 24.7% | B01001 |
| 65 and over | 18.6% | B01001 |
| Households | 11,546 | B11001 |
| Foreign born | 1.9% | B05002 |
| Median household income | $71,957 | B19013 |
|---|---|---|
| Median family income | $88,148 | B19113 |
| Per capita income | $36,845 | B19301 |
| Poverty rate | 7.2% | B17001 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.6% | B23025 |
| Civilian labor force | 14,772 | B23025 |
| Mean commute (minutes) | 24.2 | B08013 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.9% | B15003 |
|---|
| Housing units | 12,074 | B25001 |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied | 75.6% | B25003 |
| Renters | 24.4% | B25003 |
| Median home value | $197,600 | B25077 |
| Median gross rent | $813 | B25064 |
| White, not Hispanic | 92.2% | B03002 |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 1.0% | B03002 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4.0% | B03002 |
| Asian | 0.2% | B03002 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.0% | B03002 |
Figures from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates (table codes link to the same table for this area at data.census.gov) and the 2020 census (P1), via IPUMS NHGIS. Estimates for small areas carry wide margins of error; a tract's figures describe its residents, not any one organization.
Against the state: median household income here is 100% of Indiana's ($71,957); poverty 7.2% against 12.3%; 0.4% of the state's people live here.
Census tracts
Click an area for its page. Circles are FURP records at their ZIP code's center point, sized by how many. Download this map's areas with their census figures: CSV (center points) · GeoJSON (outlines), ready for Datawrapper, Mapshaper or Google My Maps. Outlines: Census TIGER/Line 2026, simplified.
Places in the county
- Bluffton 10,529 · median household income $57,539
- Ossian 3,384 · median household income $71,563
- Zanesville 488 · median household income $67,212
- Liberty Center 389 · median household income $85,305
- Uniondale 309 · median household income $84,375
- Tocsin 266 · median household income $-666,666,666
- Poneto 174 · median household income $63,750
- Craigville 65 · median household income $-666,666,666
- Keystone 65 · median household income $56,042
- Vera Cruz 62 · median household income $70,000
- Petroleum 34 · median household income $-666,666,666
FURP records in Wells County, IN
| Records | How many | Total | Biggest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofits | 275 | $165,097,055 revenue (latest return) | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION ($93,813,644) |
| Nonprofit contractors | 8 | $12,966,891 paid by nonprofits | JAMES JACKSON CO ($5,875,366) |
| Form D issuers | 14 | $1,071,813,627 amount sold | ION Long/Short Fund LLC ($493,613,602) |
| Political committees | 2 | FRANKLIN ELECTRIC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE | |
| Form 5500 plan sponsors | 82 | 106 plans | BLUFFTON MOTOR WORKS, LLC (5) |
| Open Payments recipients | 57 | $86,198 industry payments | MICHAEL P. VOLPE ($13,934) |
| Food recall firms | 1 | 2 recalls | Inventure Foods, Inc. (2) |
| Patent and trademark owners | 39 | 116 patents and marks | Berne Apparel Company (17) |
| IPO registrants | 6 | 35 filings | SUCCESS HOLDING GROUP INTERNATIONAL, INC. (7) |
| Federal award recipients | 1,174 | $46,377,215 federal awards | CAPRI II ASSOCIATES ($8,680,731) |
| State business registrations | 104 | A.T. FERRELL COMPANY, INC. |
Cross-reference: 275 nonprofits for 28,420 residents is 96.8 per 10,000 people; their latest-year revenue of $165,097,055 is $5,809 per resident, 19.9% of all household income here (households at the median income).
Highest-paid people on nonprofit returns here
| # | Name | Title | Organization | Pay | Year | Times the median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COLT BURNAU | CEO | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $379,360 | 2025 | 5.3x |
| 2 | ERIC LAYMON | MANAGER ENG & OPER | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $218,964 | 2025 | 3.0x |
| 3 | TIM MUELLENBERG | ENGINEER | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $205,912 | 2021 | 2.9x |
| 4 | ROBERT PEARSON | FORMER CEO | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $198,708 | 2023 | 2.8x |
| 5 | MIKE KELSEY | OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $197,222 | 2025 | 2.7x |
| 6 | NICK CALEY | CORPORATE COMM & MBR SRV MGR | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $194,974 | 2025 | 2.7x |
| 7 | WILLIAM DYE | CFO | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $191,927 | 2024 | 2.7x |
| 8 | JOE WILLIAMS | FOREMAN | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $187,302 | 2025 | 2.6x |
| 9 | GENE LAHR | FINANCE MANAGER | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $182,493 | 2022 | 2.5x |
| 10 | NICHOLAS CALEY | CORPORATE COMM & MBR SRV MGR | HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION | $181,663 | 2023 | 2.5x |
Each person's latest year on a 990 at a nonprofit placed here (reported pay including related organizations and other compensation); people paid under $50,000 are left out. The median household income here is $71,957.
Nonprofits: biggest by revenue (latest return)
- HEARTLAND RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION Markle, IN · $93,813,644
- SCHOOL EMPLOYEES BENEFIT TRUST Bluffton, IN · $20,943,476
- APOSTOLIC CHRISTIAN CARE INC Bluffton, IN · $9,177,163
- BI-COUNTY SERVICES INC Bluffton, IN · $8,294,827
- LOVING SHEPHERD INTERNATIONAL SERVICES AND FOUNDATION INC Bluffton, IN · $5,496,900
- WELLS COUNTY FOUNDATION INC Bluffton, IN · $4,323,351
- FORGOTTEN CHILDREN WORLDWIDE INC Bluffton, IN · $4,187,124
- WELLS COUNTY EMS INC Bluffton, IN · $2,729,362
- HELPING HANDS CRISIS PREGNANCY CLINIC Bluffton, IN · $1,939,977
- CHRISTMAS BEHIND BARS Bluffton, IN · $1,582,625
Nonprofit contractors: biggest by paid by nonprofits
- JAMES JACKSON CO Bluffton, IN · $5,875,366
- FELGER HART Ossian, IN · $3,715,350
- Green's Lawn Service Inc Bluffton, IN · $2,350,640
- Barkley Builders Inc Ossian, IN · $408,477
- BLUFFTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER Bluffton, IN · $207,949
- UNITED REMC Markle, IN · $144,195
- CHRISTIAN CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY Bluffton, IN · $136,118
- DAVID PENROD Poneto, IN · $128,796
Form D issuers: biggest by amount sold
- ION Long/Short Fund LLC Herzliya Pituach, L3 · $493,613,602
- Sortera Technologies, Inc. Markle, IN · $265,712,140
- ICP II V1 L.P. Herzeliya, L3 · $75,145,000
- ION Crossover Partners II LP Herzeliya, L3 · $65,930,000
- ICP II L1 L.P. Herzeliya, L3 · $50,000,000
- ION Tech Feeder Fund (US) L.P. Herzeliya, L3 · $32,254,131
- ICP II C1, L.P. Herzliya Pituach, L3 · $30,925,000
- ION Long/Short US Feeder Fund LP Herzeliya, L3 · $21,108,754
- ICP II W1 L.P. Herzeliya, L3 · $18,315,000
- ICP II G1, L.P. Herzliya Pituach, L3 · $8,290,000
Political committees
- CHIP COLDIRON FOR CONGRESS Ossian, IN
- FRANKLIN ELECTRIC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE Bluffton, IN
Form 5500 plan sponsors: biggest by plans
- BLUFFTON MOTOR WORKS, LLC Bluffton, IN · 5
- CAYLOR-NICKEL CLINIC, P.C. Bluffton, IN · 4
- PRETZELS, INC Bluffton, IN · 4
- NATIONAL OIL AND GAS, INC. Bluffton, IN · 3
- ALMCO STEEL PRODUCTS CORPORATION Bluffton, IN · 2
- A.T. FERRELL COMPANY, INC. Bluffton, IN · 2
- BERNE APPAREL COMPANY Ossian, IN · 2
- FOUR STAR SERVICES, INC Bluffton, IN · 2
- HABEGGER POULTRY, INC. Bluffton, IN · 2
- HIDAY MOTORS, INC. Bluffton, IN · 2
Open Payments recipients: biggest by industry payments
- MICHAEL P. VOLPE Bluffton, IN · $13,934
- DEBORAH S BAKER Bluffton, IN · $8,593
- SHEZAD SANAULLAH Bluffton, IN · $8,497
- PEKKAKUZHIYIL M MATHEW Bluffton, IN · $6,047
- MARY C DONLEY Bluffton, IN · $5,591
- YADAGIRI R JONNA Bluffton, IN · $5,261
- MARILYN F. WATKINS Bluffton, IN · $3,913
- KAYLA BRIANNE JESSE Bluffton, IN · $3,763
- CHARLES LINDZY Bluffton, IN · $2,995
- LEANN J MAYER Bluffton, IN · $2,731
Food recall firms: biggest by recalls
- Inventure Foods, Inc. Bluffton, IN · 2
Patent and trademark owners: biggest by patents and marks
- Berne Apparel Company Ossian, IN · 17
- Pretzels, Inc. Bluffton, IN · 10
- Clean Fuels of Indiana Keystone, IN · 7
- General Manufacturing, Inc. Bluffton, IN · 7
- PERMA-COLUMN, LLC Ossian, IN · 6
- Rethceif Enterprises, LLC Bluffton, IN · 6
- Bluffton Motor Works LLC Bluffton, IN · 5
- Neoti, LLC Bluffton, IN · 5
- Computer Genius, Inc. Ossian, IN · 4
- A.T. FERRELL COMPANY, INC. Bluffton, IN · 3
IPO registrants: biggest by filings
- NetPay International Inc Herzilya, L3 · 7
- SUCCESS HOLDING GROUP INTERNATIONAL, INC. Ossian, IN · 7
- Intercure Ltd. Herzliya, L3 · 6
- ION Acquisition Corp 1 Ltd. Herzliya, L3 · 6
- ION Acquisition Corp 3 Ltd. Herzliya, L3 · 5
- Gefen Landa Acquisition Corp. Hertzliya, L3 · 4
Federal award recipients: biggest by federal awards
- CAPRI II ASSOCIATES Bluffton, IN · $8,680,731
- WELLS COUNTY AUDITOR Bluffton, IN · $6,710,427
- CRAIGVILLE TELEPHONE COMPANY INC Craigville, IN · $3,830,755
- CRAIGVILLE TELEPHONE CO., INC Craigville, IN · $1,426,657
- HALDRUP USA CORP Ossian, IN · $1,143,496
- NESCO, LLC Bluffton, IN · $993,574
- BERNE APPAREL COMPANY Ossian, IN · $829,494
- CAPRI MEADOWS ASSOCIATES, A LIMITED PARTNERSHIP Bluffton, IN · $757,890
- SHEL-MAR FARMS INC Bluffton, IN · $711,182
- BARKLEY BUILDERS, INC. Ossian, IN · $702,685
All 7 tracts
Every tract with its figures is in the CSV and GeoJSON downloads.
| Tract | Population | Median household income | Poverty rate | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census Tract 401 | 5,897 | $73,736 | 7.0% | 36.4 |
| Census Tract 404 | 4,655 | $75,035 | 10.5% | 45.3 |
| Census Tract 406 | 4,358 | $52,002 | 5.0% | 32.2 |
| Census Tract 407 | 3,720 | $70,817 | 2.8% | 39.5 |
| Census Tract 402 | 3,713 | $86,190 | 9.2% | 47.0 |
| Census Tract 405 | 3,205 | $74,598 | 10.2% | 36.4 |
| Census Tract 403 | 2,872 | $88,277 | 5.4% | 41.4 |
Census figures are from IPUMS NHGIS: the American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates (ACS table codes shown with each figure) and the 2020 decennial census (Demographic and Housing Characteristics), by state, county, place and census tract. FURP records are placed by ZIP code (the Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA-to-county and ZCTA-to-tract relationship files: the county or tract holding most of the ZIP's land) and by city name (Census place names, normalized), so a record's tract is its ZIP's main tract, not its street's. Cite: Jonathan Schroeder, David Van Riper, Steven Manson, Grace Cooper, Zachary Krause, Tracy Kugler, Tsu Zhu, and Steven Ruggles. IPUMS National Historical Geographic Information System: Version 21.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS. 2026. http://doi.org/10.18128/D050.V21.0