Southwest, IN Demographics

Population 1,026 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Southwest, IN map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Southwest

Household size in Southwest

Household size, people per household
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–103.362.572.68
2010–143.642.592.73
2015–193.332.572.71
2020–243.752.542.65
Change+0.39−0.03−0.03
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Southwest is a place of big households: 3.75 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Household size has climbed from 3.36 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).

Median age in Southwest

Median age, years
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–1033.837.537.7
2010–1427.738.438.6
2015–1932.739.139.6
2020–2426.539.340.1
Change−7.3+1.7+2.3
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Southwest is young: half of its residents are under 26.5, compared with a national median of 40.1. The population tilts toward families with many children.

Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).

Single-parent households in Southwest

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–102.7%11.8%12.3%
2010–148.0%12.0%12.3%
2015–194.8%11.6%11.6%
2020–241.4%11.7%11.6%
Change−1.3 pts−0.1 pts−0.6 pts
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Single-parent households are relatively rare in Southwest: 1.4% of households, against 11.6% nationally.

Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).

Housing in Southwest

Renters in Southwest

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–108.4%28.5%33.3%
2010–1415.9%30.5%35.6%
2015–1920.5%30.9%36.0%
2020–2417.3%29.4%34.8%
Change+9.0 pts+1.0 pts+1.5 pts
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Only 17.3% of households in Southwest rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 45.0% have no mortgage at all, above the national share of 39.8%.

Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).

Vacant homes in Southwest

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–105.8%11.2%11.4%
2010–1410.7%11.2%11.4%
2015–192.0%10.9%11.1%
2020–247.9%9.3%9.6%
Change+2.1 pts−2.0 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacancy is on the low side in Southwest: 7.9% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. That is in line with the rest of Indiana.

Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).

Age of homes in Southwest

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–10196919721974
2010–14197819731975
2015–19197419741977
2020–24196219771980
Change−7+5+6
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Southwest is a place of older homes: half were built before 1962, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating.

Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).

Rent in Southwest

Rent, per month
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–10$672$763$965
2010–14$611$819$1,040
2015–19$896$903$1,213
2020–24$926$1,146$1,571
Change+$254+$384+$606
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The median renter in Southwest pays $926 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 28.6% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.

Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).

Education in Southwest

Bachelor's degrees in Southwest

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–1022.0%23.8%28.4%
2010–1421.3%24.6%29.6%
2015–1916.1%27.1%32.1%
2020–2422.1%30.0%35.6%
Change+0.1 pts+6.2 pts+7.2 pts
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College degrees are relatively uncommon in Southwest: 22.1% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.

Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

High school graduates in Southwest

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–1081.8%86.5%84.9%
2010–1479.8%87.7%86.1%
2015–1974.9%88.7%87.7%
2020–2466.6%89.9%89.3%
Change−15.3 pts+3.4 pts+4.3 pts
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About a third of adults in Southwest never finished high school, well above the national share: only 66.6% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.

High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

Jobs in Southwest

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodSouthwestIndianaU.S.
2006–104.2%8.4%8.1%
2010–145.0%8.9%9.4%
2015–192.5%4.9%5.6%
2020–240.7%4.3%5.4%
Change−3.5 pts−4.1 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Southwest has been low: just 0.7% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.

Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).

Southwest compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Southwest3.7526.51.4%17.3%7.9%1962$92622.1%66.6%0.7%
Midway3.6928.51.6%7.9%12.8%1959$93421.8%67.9%1.2%
Wakarusa2.9639.25.4%13.4%7.1%1963$98627.7%86.3%6.1%
Foraker3.2432.91.8%10.2%10.2%1978$1,44014.8%52.7%0.2%
Dunlap2.7640.88.9%13.7%8.4%1985$1,09522.7%84.7%3.5%
Goshen3.1335.912.0%29.2%9.9%1981$1,11125.3%83.6%3.7%
New Paris2.9835.59.2%10.8%4.6%1979$1,05320.7%77.8%0.9%
Waterford Mills3.2236.116.3%18.9%8.9%1973$1,04127.7%83.2%1.0%
Nappanee3.0833.64.5%25.4%6.7%1980$97811.1%69.9%2.7%
Milford Junction2.9140.64.5%9.5%5.4%1988$1,15618.6%80.8%1.5%
Elkhart2.7138.916.1%34.5%12.3%1970$1,07718.0%83.0%3.9%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Raymond, IA · Montreat, NC · Moriah, NY · Morley, NY · Moscow, MI · Moses Lake North, WA · New Castle, NH · Orchard View, OR · Orient, NY · Parmelee, SD

About these numbers

Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Southwest. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.

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