Lake Santee, Indiana Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 820, Lake Santee's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Lake Santee is a small community located in Indiana, within Decatur County. The total population is 820. It ranks as the 397th most populous out of 967 Census-designated places in Indiana.

Age Demographics

The median age in Lake Santee is 46.8 years. This is 23% higher than the state median of 38.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Lake Santee is $158,140. This is 120% higher than the state median of $71,957. It is also 96% higher than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 4.3%. This is 65% lower than the state poverty rate of 12.3%. This exceptionally low poverty rate indicates strong economic prosperity across the community. The survey records no unemployed residents in Lake Santee, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $245,500. Housing costs are 13% higher than the state median of $218,200. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 1.6x, Lake Santee is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 94.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 33% higher than the state average of 70.5%.

Race & Ethnicity

Lake Santee has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 87.6% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 3.4%. The Hispanic or Latino population (3.4%) is well below the state average of 8.6%.

Education

29.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is about the same as the state rate of 29.5%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 97.4%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Lake Santee, Indiana is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Indiana state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 967 Census-designated places in Indiana. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.