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Bars in Indiana

How many bars exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 13 Indiana counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Bars & taverns · Pubs & brewpubs (drinking-focused) · Cocktail & wine bars · Taprooms. Counted together because official statistics use one 722410 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Below the U.S. rate — 88% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Indiana

Bars

419

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

0.9

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

88%

vs. U.S.

Residents

3,866,365

in covered counties

Workers

1,755,717

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 13 Indiana counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing bars and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Indiana

City	County	Bars	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Merrillville	Lake County	83–115	504,725	171,014	1.4	139–176%	Range spans bands
Evansville	Vanderburgh County	31–61	183,565	100,123	1.3	132–157%	Range spans bands
Lafayette	Tippecanoe County	26–50	189,059	73,390	1.2	114–184%	Range spans bands
Bloomington	Monroe County	17–35	139,244	52,277	1.0	102–186%	Range spans bands
Valparaiso	Porter County	20–32	167,541	55,427	1.0	102–152%	Range spans bands
Indianapolis	Marion County	121–175	989,752	553,644	1.0	95–120%	Range spans bands
Mishawaka	St. Joseph County	29–69	282,397	119,989	0.8	84–171%	Range spans bands
Fort Wayne	Allen County	40–92	388,924	183,279	0.8	83–169%	Range spans bands
Anderson	Madison County	11–39	132,011	34,649	0.7	73–219%	Range spans bands
Elkhart	Elkhart County	15–35	207,941	130,825	0.5	54–112%	Range spans bands
Carmel	Hamilton County	19–41	350,555	148,035	0.4	44–86%	Range spans bands
Plainfield	Hendricks County	7–21	160,055	69,775	0.4	36–107%	Range spans bands
Greenwood	Johnson County	0–18	170,596	63,290	0.0	0–88%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

139%

132%

114%

102%

102%

95%

84%

83%

Most competitors per capita

36%

44%

54%

73%

83%

84%

95%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few bars may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.