Parke County

Parke County is located in west-central Indiana along the Wabash River, roughly west of Indianapolis and bordering Illinois across the river. Established in 1821 and named for Captain Benjamin Parke, the county developed as part of the early settlement corridor of the Wabash Valley. Parke County is small in population by Indiana standards, with roughly 16,000–17,000 residents, and is characterized by predominantly rural land use and dispersed small towns.

The landscape includes wooded hills, stream valleys, and agricultural fields, with significant protected areas in and around Turkey Run State Park and Shades State Park. Agriculture and local services form a major part of the economy, alongside tourism tied to natural recreation and heritage events. The county is widely associated with its historic covered bridges, a notable regional cultural feature in western Indiana. The county seat is Rockville.

Parke County is a largely rural county in west-central Indiana, bordering Illinois to the west and anchored by the county seat of Rockville. The county lies within Indiana’s Wabash Valley region and is known for extensive agricultural land use and small-town settlement patterns.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Parke County, Indiana, the county’s population was 16,843 (2020 Census), with a 2023 population estimate of 16,659.

Age & Gender

From the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Parke County, Indiana (most recent ACS-based county profile):

• Age distribution (selected)
  • Under 18 years: 20.3%
  • 65 years and over: 22.5%
• Gender ratio
  • Female persons: ~50%
  • Male persons: ~50%
    (QuickFacts reports sex composition as “female persons,” with the remainder implicitly male.)

Racial & Ethnic Composition

From the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Parke County, Indiana (ACS-based shares; categories align with Census race and Hispanic/Latino ethnicity reporting):

• White alone: ~96%
• Black or African American alone: <1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: <1%
• Asian alone: <1%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~1–2%

Household & Housing Data

From the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Parke County, Indiana:

• Households (2019–2023): ~6,700
• Persons per household: ~2.4
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~80%
• Median value of owner-occupied housing units: ~$150,000
• Median gross rent: ~$800
• Housing units: ~8,000

For local government and planning resources, visit the Parke County official website.

Parke County is a largely rural county in west‑central Indiana with low population density, so longer last‑mile distances and fewer providers can constrain household connectivity and, by extension, routine email access. Direct county‑level email usage statistics are not routinely published; the indicators below use proxies such as internet/broadband subscription and device availability.

Digital access indicators (households with a broadband internet subscription and a computer) are available via the U.S. Census Bureau’s data portal (data.census.gov) through the American Community Survey; these measures track the prerequisites for reliable email use.

Age structure influences email adoption because older populations typically show lower overall digital service uptake. Parke County’s age distribution can be referenced in U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Parke County, which summarizes age groups relevant to internet and email engagement.

Gender distribution is generally less predictive of email access than age and broadband/device availability; county sex composition is also summarized in QuickFacts.

Connectivity limitations are commonly tied to rural fixed‑network coverage and speed availability; county‑level broadband availability and technology footprints are documented in the FCC National Broadband Map.

Parke County is a largely rural county in west‑central Indiana (county seat: Rockville) characterized by small towns, agricultural land, and extensive wooded/river corridors associated with the Wabash River and its tributaries. These land uses and low population density tend to produce fewer cell sites per square mile than metropolitan areas, which can translate into more coverage variability (especially indoors and in forested or low‑lying terrain) even when regional highway corridors are well served.

Data scope and limitations (county specificity)

County-level statistics that cleanly separate (1) network availability (where service could be provided) from (2) household adoption (whether residents subscribe and use it) are limited for mobile service. The most consistent county-referenced sources are federal broadband availability datasets for “mobile broadband” and “LTE/5G” coverage, while adoption measures are typically published at state level or for “internet subscription” generally rather than mobile-only at county resolution. Where Parke County–specific mobile adoption is not published, the overview relies on authoritative statewide or national frameworks and clearly labels the limitation.

County context affecting mobile connectivity (rural form, terrain, density)

• Rural settlement pattern: Parke County’s dispersed housing and small population centers reduce the business case for dense tower placement compared with urban Indiana counties.
• Vegetation and topography: Forested areas and river valleys can attenuate mid‑band and high‑band signals and reduce indoor reliability; low-band spectrum generally performs better over distance and through obstacles.
• Road-network concentration: Connectivity is often strongest along state and U.S. routes where carriers prioritize continuous coverage.

Network availability (coverage) vs. household adoption (subscription): definitions

• Network availability (supply-side): Reported carrier coverage footprints (LTE/5G) and “mobile broadband” availability as mapped by federal datasets. This indicates where service is marketed/engineered to work.
• Household adoption (demand-side): Whether households subscribe to internet service and the type of device/service used. Adoption is influenced by income, age, digital skills, and perceived value—not only by coverage.

Network availability in Parke County (4G/5G)

4G LTE availability

• General expectation for rural Indiana counties: LTE coverage is typically widespread along main roads and towns, with weaker signal levels or gaps possible in sparsely populated and heavily wooded areas.
• Primary public reference: The Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Data Collection (BDC) includes provider-reported mobile broadband coverage layers and can be viewed and queried for local areas. See the FCC’s mapping hub via the descriptive link to the FCC National Broadband Map.
• Limitation: The FCC map is the authoritative public source, but its mobile layers reflect provider-submitted availability and modeled coverage; they are not the same as measured performance in every location (especially indoors).

5G availability

• Typical rural pattern: 5G in rural counties is commonly concentrated near towns and along highway corridors, with broader-area 5G depending on low-band deployments. Mid-band 5G coverage can be patchier outside population centers.
• Public reference: The most comparable public, location-based view is again the FCC National Broadband Map, which includes 5G technology categories in mobile availability layers where reported.

Service quality and speed (performance)

• Public speed-test aggregations can provide indicative performance patterns but are not official availability. Indiana broadband reporting and planning documents sometimes summarize speed-test results and coverage challenges by region. State references are available through the Indiana Office of Broadband (Indiana Broadband / IOEN programs and publications).
• Limitation: Speed-test data is influenced by device capability, indoor/outdoor location, time of day, and plan type; county-level results are indicative rather than definitive.

Household adoption and mobile access indicators (Parke County vs. broader sources)

What is commonly available at county level

• The most consistently published county-level adoption indicator in federal statistics is household internet subscription (any type), not strictly “mobile-only.”
• The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) includes tables on household internet subscriptions, including cellular data plans in some table structures (often as part of “internet subscription” categories). County extracts and definitions are available through Census.gov data.census.gov.
• Limitation: ACS categories and table layouts can vary by release year; some breakdowns combine technologies or measure “has a cellular data plan” as a component of household internet subscription, but they do not directly measure smartphone ownership.

Mobile penetration (phone ownership) data

• Direct county-level “mobile phone penetration” (share of residents owning a mobile phone) is not commonly published as an official statistic for most counties. National surveys (e.g., CDC NHIS, Pew Research) measure phone ownership but do not routinely publish Parke County estimates due to sample size constraints.
• For Parke County–specific population and household context used in interpreting adoption, county demographic baselines are available through Census.gov.

Mobile internet usage patterns (how mobile is used)

Because county-specific usage telemetry is rarely published publicly, usage patterns are described using established rural connectivity dynamics and the structure of mobile networks, with limitations noted.

• On-network vs. off-network use: In rural counties, mobile internet is used both for on-the-go connectivity and as supplemental access when fixed broadband is limited or costly. The degree to which households rely primarily on mobile broadband is not reliably quantified at Parke County level in public datasets.
• 4G vs. 5G usage: Actual usage shares depend on device ownership (5G-capable phones) and local 5G coverage. Availability can be checked in the FCC National Broadband Map, but device-level uptake requires survey or carrier data not typically released for a single county.
• Indoor connectivity: Rural housing construction, distance to towers, and foliage can make indoor mobile broadband more variable than outdoor connectivity, particularly for higher-frequency 5G layers.

Common device types (smartphones vs. other devices)

• Smartphones: Smartphones are the dominant consumer mobile device type nationally, and most mobile broadband traffic originates from smartphones. County-specific smartphone ownership shares are generally not available from official sources due to survey limitations.
• Hotspots and fixed-wireless substitution: In rural areas, some households use mobile hotspots (dedicated devices or phone tethering) as a home internet substitute. Quantitative county-level estimates for hotspot reliance are not typically published.
• Feature phones and non-cellular devices: Feature-phone use persists among some older adults and lower-income populations, but county-level device-type distributions are not commonly available in public datasets.

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage in Parke County

Population density and settlement pattern

• Lower density generally correlates with fewer cell sites, which can reduce capacity and increase distance-related signal loss. This influences both perceived reliability and speeds.

Age structure and digital adoption

• Older populations often show lower rates of smartphone adoption and lower engagement with data-intensive services in national surveys; Parke County’s age distribution can be referenced via Census.gov.
• Limitation: Translating age distribution into smartphone adoption at county level requires survey microdata or modeled estimates not typically published for Parke County.

Income and affordability

• Mobile adoption and plan choice are shaped by affordability (device cost, data plan price, and credit requirements). County income and poverty indicators are available through Census.gov, but mobile-plan subscription by type is not directly reported at county resolution in most public series.

Land cover and transportation corridors

• Heavily wooded areas and river valleys can introduce coverage variability. Primary highways and town centers often receive better coverage due to network design priorities.

Public sources for authoritative local checks (availability vs. adoption)

• Network availability (mobile LTE/5G): FCC National Broadband Map (mobile broadband availability layers; provider-reported).
• Household internet subscription (adoption proxy, not mobile-only): Census.gov (ACS tables on household internet subscription).
• State broadband planning and context: Indiana Office of Broadband (state programs, mapping references, and planning documents).
• Local government context: The Parke County government website (county services and geographic context; not a direct mobile-coverage source).

Summary (distinguishing availability from adoption)

• Availability: Public FCC mapping provides the most direct way to identify where LTE and 5G are reported as available in Parke County, with rural-typical patterns of strongest coverage in towns and along major routes and more variability in sparsely populated/wooded areas.
• Adoption: County-level mobile-only adoption (smartphone ownership, mobile-only households, mobile data plan reliance) is not consistently published as an official statistic for Parke County. The closest broadly comparable county indicator is ACS household internet subscription, which does not fully separate mobile from fixed broadband behavior.

Parke County is a predominantly rural county in western Indiana anchored by Rockville (the county seat) and well known for tourism tied to its covered bridges and the annual Covered Bridge Festival. A comparatively older age profile than Indiana overall and a settlement pattern of small towns and unincorporated areas tend to align local social media use with statewide and national patterns shaped by mobile access, community events, and locally oriented information sharing.

User statistics (penetration / active use)

• Local (county-specific) penetration: No authoritative, regularly published dataset provides county-level social media penetration for Parke County specifically in a way that is comparable across platforms.
• Best available benchmark (U.S. adults): About 69% of U.S. adults use at least one social media site, according to the Pew Research Center social media fact sheet (nationally representative survey).
• Indiana context: Publicly accessible, consistently updated county-by-county penetration figures are not routinely published by major survey organizations; local usage is generally interpreted by combining national survey benchmarks with county demographics (age, rurality, income, education) from official sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau data portal.

Age group trends

National survey findings consistently show the strongest social media use among younger adults:

• 18–29: Highest usage rates across most major platforms.
• 30–49: High usage, typically second-highest overall.
• 50–64: Moderate usage; platform mix shifts toward Facebook and YouTube.
• 65+: Lowest overall usage but a substantial share uses Facebook and YouTube.
  These patterns are summarized in the Pew Research Center platform-by-age breakdowns and align with expectations for rural counties with older median ages, where Facebook and YouTube tend to account for a larger share of use than youth-skewing platforms.

Gender breakdown

Across major platforms, gender skews vary, with some consistent patterns in U.S. survey data:

• Women: More likely than men to report using Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
• Men: Often similar to women on YouTube usage; differences vary by platform and year. These differences are reported in the Pew Research Center social media fact sheet (sex/gender splits by platform).

Most‑used platforms (benchmarks with percentages)

County-specific platform shares are not published in a standardized public series, so the most reliable available reference is U.S. adult usage from Pew. Reported usage among U.S. adults includes:

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• X (formerly Twitter): ~22%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• WhatsApp: ~29%
  Source: Pew Research Center social media use by platform.
  In rural Midwestern counties, Facebook and YouTube typically function as the broadest-reach platforms due to cross-age adoption and utility for local news, events, and interest groups.

Behavioral trends (engagement patterns and preferences)

• Local-information utility (Facebook): Rural communities commonly use Facebook for community groups, event promotion, school and civic updates, and local marketplace activity, reflecting Facebook’s broad reach across age groups in Pew’s platform adoption data (Pew platform adoption).
• Video-first consumption (YouTube): YouTube’s high penetration supports how-to, entertainment, and news/video clip consumption across age groups; this tends to be stable even in older populations given YouTube’s broad adoption (Pew: YouTube usage).
• Age-driven platform segmentation: Younger adults concentrate more heavily on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, while older adults concentrate more on Facebook; this is reflected in Pew’s age-by-platform tables (Pew age patterns).
• Messaging and group coordination: Platform behavior in smaller counties often emphasizes private messaging, closed groups, and event coordination over public broadcasting, consistent with Facebook’s group features and WhatsApp’s role as a messaging platform in national usage estimates (Pew: WhatsApp and Facebook usage).
• Employment/professional networking (LinkedIn): LinkedIn typically skews toward adults with higher education and professional occupations; in more rural labor markets, it is usually less ubiquitous than Facebook/YouTube but still relevant for commuting workers and regional employers (documented in platform demographic splits in the Pew fact sheet).

Parke County, Indiana, maintains family and associate-related public records through the county clerk, local courts, and the county health department, with some records held at the state level. Vital records include births and deaths (generally administered by the local health department and Indiana State Department of Health), along with marriage licenses and divorce case records (filed through the Parke County Clerk and courts). Adoption records are created through court proceedings but are typically sealed and not treated as general public records.

Public-facing databases commonly include court calendars, docket/case information (where available), recorded land records, and marriage license indexes, depending on the system used. Parke County offices provide in-person access to many records during business hours, and online access is commonly available for statewide court case information through Indiana MyCase (statewide case search). County contact points and office locations are listed on the official county site: Parke County, Indiana (official website). The clerk’s office is the primary county access point for court and marriage records: Parke County Clerk.

Access and privacy restrictions apply under Indiana law. Birth and death certificates are generally restricted to eligible requesters, while many court filings are public unless sealed, confidential by rule, or involving protected information (such as adoptions and certain juvenile matters).

Types of records available

Marriage records (licenses and certificates)

• Marriage license applications and licenses are created and maintained by the county where the license is issued.
• Marriage returns/certificates (the completed portion returned by the officiant after the ceremony) become part of the county marriage record file.

Divorce records (decrees and case files)

• Divorce decrees (final judgments) and related case documents (petitions, orders, findings, settlement agreements, support/custody orders, and docket entries) are maintained as court records.

Annulment records

• Annulments are handled as civil court matters in Indiana and are maintained as court case records, similar to divorce files.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

Parke County marriage records

• Filing office: Parke County Clerk (county vital records and licensing function for marriages).
• Access: Requests are typically handled through the Parke County Clerk’s office in person or by written request, using the county’s procedures for certified copies and verification.

Parke County divorce and annulment records

• Filing office: Parke County courts (case records), with the Parke County Clerk serving as the clerk of the courts and custodian for court filings.
• Access (local): Copies of decrees and other filed documents are requested through the Clerk’s office/courthouse records.
• Access (statewide electronic case index): Many Indiana case dockets and some register-of-actions information are searchable through the Indiana judiciary’s public case search portal: Indiana MyCase. Availability of documents varies by case type and confidentiality rules.

State-level vital records context (marriage/divorce verification)

• Indiana maintains statewide services for some vital-record verifications, but local custody of county marriage licensing records and court custody of divorce/annulment case files remains central for certified copies in most contexts. Indiana Department of Health vital records information: Indiana Department of Health — Vital Records.

Typical information included in these records

Marriage license / marriage record

Common data elements include:

• Full legal names of both parties (including maiden name where applicable)
• Date and place of marriage (county; sometimes city/township)
• Date the license was issued
• Age/date of birth and birthplace (varies by time period and form version)
• Current residence addresses and counties of residence at time of application
• Names of parents/guardians (often included on applications; varies by era)
• Officiant name/title and officiant’s certification/return
• Witness information (where recorded)
• Clerk certification and file number/book/page references (for older bound records)

Divorce decree and related filings

Common data elements include:

• Caption (names of parties), case number, court and county
• Date of filing and date of final decree
• Grounds/legal basis stated under Indiana law (in modern practice, often “irretrievable breakdown”)
• Orders regarding division of property and debts
• Spousal maintenance (where ordered)
• Child custody, parenting time, and child support orders (where applicable)
• Name changes granted (where requested and ordered)
• Judge’s signature and clerk’s file stamp

Annulment (void/voidable marriage case records)

Common data elements include:

• Parties’ names, case number, court and county
• Alleged statutory/legal basis for annulment
• Findings and final order declaring the marriage void/voidable
• Related orders addressing property, support, and custody (where applicable)
• Judge’s signature and clerk’s file stamp

Privacy or legal restrictions

Marriage records

• Marriage records are generally treated as public records in Indiana, but access to certified copies is controlled by the custodial office’s procedures and identification requirements.
• Some personal identifiers included on applications (such as Social Security numbers, where collected) are not released as public information and may be redacted.

Divorce and annulment court records

• Court case dockets are generally public, but specific filings or information may be restricted by:
  • Indiana’s Access to Court Records rules (confidential information must be excluded from public access)
  • Court orders sealing records or specific documents
  • Confidentiality protections commonly affecting cases involving minors, abuse/neglect matters, certain protective orders, and sensitive identifiers
• Even when a case is visible in public indexes, document images may be unavailable online, limited to courthouse access, or provided with redactions.

Records involving minors and sensitive identifiers

• Information identifying minors, financial account numbers, Social Security numbers, and certain protected health or victim information is generally subject to confidentiality/redaction requirements in public copies.

Parke County is a rural county in west‑central Indiana along the Wabash River corridor, with a small-county seat in Rockville and many residents living in unincorporated areas and small towns. The county is widely characterized by low population density, a comparatively older age profile than major metro counties, and a community context oriented around public schools, local government services, small employers, agriculture/forestry-related activity, and commuting to nearby labor markets (notably Vigo County/Terre Haute).

Education Indicators

Public schools and school names

Parke County’s public K–12 system is primarily served by North Central Parke School Corporation. Commonly listed schools include:

• North Central Parke Jr.–Sr. High School (Brazil, IN area)
• Rockville Elementary School (Rockville)
• Turkey Run Elementary School (Marshall)

School naming and grade configurations can change over time; the most current directory is maintained on the corporation site and the state’s school listings (see the Indiana Department of Education portal and district publications).

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

• Student–teacher ratio (proxy): Parke County’s public schools typically align with Indiana’s low‑to‑mid teens student–teacher ratios (often reported around ~15:1 to 17:1 in state and federal summaries). A single countywide ratio is not consistently published as a standalone metric; school-level ratios are commonly available through state report cards and federal school data.
• Graduation rates: Parke County high school graduation performance is tracked in the state accountability system. The most authoritative source for the most recent cohort graduation rate is the Indiana DOE accountability and school report card resources (school- and corporation-level results rather than a single countywide figure).

Adult education levels (attainment)

The county’s adult educational attainment is generally lower than Indiana’s most urban counties, reflecting its rural profile.

• High school diploma or higher: commonly reported as a large majority of adults (roughly 85–90% range) in recent American Community Survey (ACS) releases for similar rural Indiana counties; Parke County-specific ACS tables provide the definitive percentages.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher: typically in the mid‑teens to around ~20% for comparable rural west‑central Indiana counties; Parke County-specific ACS tables are the authoritative reference.

For the most recent county-specific attainment percentages, the primary reference is the U.S. Census Bureau’s data.census.gov (ACS 5‑year estimates, Educational Attainment table series).

Notable programs (STEM, vocational training, AP)

• Career and technical education (CTE)/vocational pathways: Indiana high schools commonly participate in statewide CTE pathways (agriculture, business, health, industrial/technical, and related programs) aligned with Indiana Graduation Pathways. Parke County students also commonly access regional career centers and dual‑credit opportunities depending on annual course offerings and partnerships.
• Advanced coursework: Rural Indiana Jr.–Sr. high schools frequently offer Advanced Placement (AP) and/or dual credit courses; the definitive list is published in annual course catalogs and state report card course/program inventories.
• STEM: STEM programming is generally present through core curricula, project-based coursework, and extracurriculars; specific branded STEM initiatives vary by school year.

Statewide program frameworks are documented by the Indiana Graduation Pathways and related DOE CTE resources.

School safety measures and counseling resources

Indiana public schools operate under state requirements for school safety planning and drills, and commonly use combinations of:

• secured entry/visitor management procedures,
• safety drills (fire, severe weather, and active threat),
• school resource officer coordination (varies by campus),
• behavioral threat assessment practices (district-specific),
• student support services including school counselors and referral pathways to regional mental health providers.

State-level safety expectations and coordination are described through Indiana DOE and state school safety guidance (see the Indiana DOE school safety and wellness resources). District handbooks provide the most direct description of on-site counseling staffing and protocols.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent year available)

Parke County unemployment is reported monthly and annually through federal-local statistical programs. The most recent official figures are published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) and mirrored in Indiana labor market dashboards. Parke County’s recent unemployment rate has generally tracked near Indiana’s statewide range, with seasonal variation typical of rural counties.

Major industries and employment sectors

Parke County’s employment base reflects a rural county adjacent to a mid-sized regional hub:

• Manufacturing (often an important private-sector employer in west‑central Indiana),
• Health care and social assistance (clinics, long-term care, regional hospital employment accessed via commuting),
• Retail trade and accommodation/food services (local services and tourism-linked activity),
• Public administration and education (county government and school corporation),
• Construction and transportation/warehousing (smaller shares but important locally),
• Agriculture/forestry-related activity (not always large in wage-and-salary counts but significant to land use and self-employment).

County industry distributions and workforce counts are typically summarized in ACS and in state labor market profiles.

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

Common occupational groups in similar rural Indiana counties include:

• production and transportation/material moving,
• office/administrative support,
• sales,
• education and health services occupations,
• construction and maintenance,
• management (smaller share than metro counties).

Definitive Parke County occupational shares are published in ACS occupation tables on data.census.gov.

Commuting patterns and mean commute times

• Commute pattern: A substantial portion of employed residents commute out of the county to regional job centers, particularly toward Terre Haute (Vigo County) and other nearby counties.
• Mean commute time (proxy): Rural counties in this part of Indiana commonly show mean commute times in the mid‑20 minutes (often ~25–30 minutes) in recent ACS releases; Parke County’s exact mean is published in ACS commuting tables.

Local employment versus out-of-county work

Parke County functions in part as a residential county for workers employed elsewhere, so out‑of‑county commuting is common. The most direct public measurement of inflow/outflow commuting (residents working outside vs. nonresidents working inside) is provided through the Census Bureau’s OnTheMap tool (LEHD Origin–Destination Employment Statistics).

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership rate and rental share

Parke County’s housing tenure is typical of rural Indiana:

• Homeownership: generally high (often around ~75–85%) in recent ACS estimates for rural counties.
• Renting: correspondingly lower (~15–25%).

Parke County-specific tenure rates are published in ACS housing tables on data.census.gov.

Median property values and recent trends

• Median home value: Parke County’s median owner-occupied home value is generally below Indiana’s metro-county medians and below many suburban markets, reflecting rural land and housing stock characteristics.
• Trend: Recent years have seen rising values consistent with statewide patterns (higher post‑2020 price levels), with variability by town, road access, and housing condition.

The definitive median value and trend comparisons are available via ACS “Value” tables and county assessor summaries; market-sale trend context is also reflected in regional MLS reporting (not always freely accessible as a county series).

Typical rent prices

• Typical rent: Rents in Parke County are generally lower than large-metro Indiana markets, with limited multifamily supply influencing availability. ACS provides the median gross rent for the county.

Types of housing

• Predominantly single-family detached homes and manufactured housing in rural settings.
• Small clusters of apartments and duplexes in Rockville and other towns.
• Rural lots/acreage properties are a notable segment, with pricing influenced by land size, utilities (well/septic), and proximity to paved roads.

Neighborhood characteristics (proximity to schools or amenities)

• Town-centered neighborhoods (Rockville and smaller towns) provide shorter drives to schools, the courthouse/county offices, libraries, and basic retail.
• Outlying areas provide larger lots and agricultural/residential land use, with longer drives to schools and services and greater reliance on personal vehicles.

Property tax overview (average rate and typical homeowner cost)

• Tax structure: Indiana property taxes are administered locally with statewide rules and constitutional tax caps (commonly referenced as 1% of gross assessed value for homesteads, 2% for other residential rental, 3% for other property, subject to deductions and local rates).
• Effective tax rate and typical bill: Parke County’s effective rate and median tax bill are best reported through local assessor/treasurer publications and statewide summaries; county-to-county variation is driven by assessed values, local tax rates, and deductions/credits. Indiana’s tax cap framework is summarized by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.

Because county-specific “average rate” and “typical homeowner cost” depend on assessed value distributions and deductions, definitive Parke County figures are best sourced from the county treasurer/assessor and DLGF annual reports rather than a single statewide average.