The Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area is a tri-state area where the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky intersect, and a region of the Midwest and Upland South. The area is defined mainly by the television viewing area and consists of ten Illinois counties, eleven Indiana counties, and nine Kentucky counties, centered upon the Ohio and Wabash Rivers.

The 2010 population estimate of the 30-county core region is 911,613 people. With approximately 118,000 people, Evansville, Indiana, is the largest city and the principal hub for both the Evansville Metropolitan Area and Southwestern Indiana. Owensboro, Kentucky, with approximately 60,000 people, is the second-largest city and the secondary hub and the hub for the Owensboro Metropolitan Area. The other six cities with 10,000 or more people include Harrisburg, Illinois; Henderson, Kentucky; Madisonville, Kentucky; Vincennes, Indiana; Washington, Indiana; and Jasper, Indiana. The dissecting point of the three states is the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers, near the tripoint of Gallatin County, Illinois, Posey County, Indiana, and Union County, Kentucky.

Some counties along the edges may or may not consider themselves part of the area. One of the Evansville TV stations (CW 7 WTVW) also includes Hardin and Saline Counties of Illinois; Crawford and Orange Counties of Indiana; Breckinridge, Crittenden and Grayson Counties of Kentucky as part of its viewing area as well as the below-mentioned counties because, prior to the advent of digital television, the station broadcast on the VHF band (it now broadcasts on RF channel 28, in the UHF band). This was also due to its transmitter being located near Chandler, Indiana, in Warrick County, as opposed to Henderson County, like the other stations. (See map on right.)

In addition, the counties on the eastern edge of the area are included in Kentuckiana, the northern edge counties are included in the Terre Haute viewing area and the western edge counties are either included in the Paducah–Carbondale–Cape Girardeau or the St. Louis viewing areas and the southern edge are included in the Nashville–Clarksville viewing area.

The counties Note: Italicized counties were included by only WTVW prior to DTV. See above map.

Illinois:

Clay Edwards Gallatin Hamilton Hardin Lawrence Richland Saline Wabash Wayne White

Indiana:

Crawford Daviess Dubois Gibson Knox Martin Orange Perry Pike Posey Spencer Vanderburgh Warrick

Kentucky:

Breckinridge Crittenden Daviess Grayson Hancock Henderson Hopkins McLean Muhlenberg Ohio Union Webster

Media Major local broadcast television stations are: WTVW Channel 7.1 CW / 7.2 (Bounce) / 7.3 (Mystery) / 7.4 (Ion) Evansville, IN WNIN Channel 9.1 PBS / 9.2 (Create) Evansville, IN WFIE Channel 14.1 NBC / 14.2 (MeTV) / 14.3 (Circle) / 14.4 (Grit) / 14.5 (Dabl) / 14.6 (True Crime Network) / 14.7 (Defy TV) Evansville, IN WEHT Channel 25.1 ABC / 25.2 (Laff) / 25.3 (Cozi) / 25.4 (Rewind TV) Henderson, KY WKOH Channel 31.1 PBS/KET / 31.2 (PBS Encore/KET2) / 31.3 (KY Channel) / 31.4 (PBS Kids) Owensboro, KY WEVV Channel 44.1 CBS / 44.2 (FOX/MNTV) Evansville, IN

Other area broadcast television stations are: WSIL-TV Channel 3.1 ABC / 3.2 (H&I) / 3.3 (Crime) / 3.4 (Court TV) / 3.5 (Ion) Harrisburg, IL – not part of the "Tri-State" viewing area; one of the principal stations of the Paducah–Carbondale–Cape Girardeau TV market WZDS-LD Channel 5.1 H&I / 5.2 (Start TV) / 5.3 (Movies!) / 5.4 (Decades) / 5.5 (Story) Evansville, IN WYYW-CD Channel 15.1 TMD / 15.2 (FAM) / 15.3 (RTV) Evansville, IN WJTS-CD Channel 18.1 YTA Jasper, IN WTSN-CD Channel 20.1 ANT / 20.2 (TFC) Evansville, IN WVUT Channel 22.1 PBS / 22.2 (Create) / 22.3 (PBS Kids) Vincennes, IN W23BV-D Channel 23.1 3ABN / 23.2 (3ABN Proclaim) / 23.3 (3ABN Dare to Dream) / 23.4 (3ABN Latino) Evansville, IN WDLH-LD Channel 24.1 Azteca America Evansville, IN WELW-LD Channel 30.1 Court TV / 30.2 (Defy TV) / 30.3 (TrueReal) / 30.4 (Scripps News) Evansville, IN WEIN-LD Channel 40.1 beIN Sports Xtra / 40.2 (beIN Sports Xtra en Español) / 40.3/4/5 (Ads) Evansville, IN

The major local broadcast FM radio stations are: 88.3 WNIN Evansville, IN 89.1 WVJC Mount Carmel, IL 89.5 WKPB Henderson, KY 91.1 WVUB Vincennes, IN 91.5 WUEV Evansville, IN 92.5 WBKR Owensboro, KY 93.5 WLYD Evansville, IN 93.9 WKTG Madisonville, KY 94.9 WYNG Mount Carmel, IL 96.1 WSTO Owensboro, KY / Evansville, IN 96.5 WSON Henderson, KY 98.1 WRAY Princeton, IN 99.5 WKDQ Henderson, KY 100.5 WSJD Mount Carmel, IL 101.9 WEKV Central City, KY / Owensboro, KY 103.1 WGBF Evansville, IN / Henderson, KY 104.1 WIKY Evansville, IN 105.3 WJLT Evansville, IN 106.1 WDKS Newburgh, IN 107.1 WJPS Boonville, IN / Evansville, IN 107.5 WABX Evansville, IN

Fifteen largest cities

PopulationRank City State Population2020 County Region 1 Evansville Indiana 117,298 Vanderburgh SouthwesternIndiana 2 Owensboro Kentucky 60,183 Daviess Pennyrile 3 Henderson Kentucky 27,981 Henderson Pennyrile 4 Madisonville Kentucky 19,542 Hopkins Pennyrile 5 Vincennes Indiana 16,759 Knox SouthwesternIndiana 6 Jasper Indiana 16,703 Dubois SouthwesternIndiana 7 Washington Indiana 12,017 Daviess SouthwesternIndiana 8 Olney Illinois 8,701 Richland Eastern Little Egypt 9 Princeton Indiana 8,301 Gibson SouthwesternIndiana 10 Harrisburg Illinois 8,219 Saline Eastern Little Egypt 11 Tell City Indiana 7,506 Perry SouthwesternIndiana 12 Mount Carmel Illinois 7,015 Wabash Eastern Little Egypt 13 Boonville Indiana 6,712 Warrick SouthwesternIndiana 14 Mount Vernon Indiana 6,493 Posey SouthwesternIndiana 15 Huntingburg Indiana 6,362 Dubois SouthwesternIndiana

All of the cities on the list are county seats of their respective counties except Huntingburg, Indiana. Newburgh is currently debating annexation plans that would incorporate many of the surrounding developments, which would increase the population to as many as 12,000 people. If successful this would place the town behind Jasper on the above list. Newburgh would become the only town on the list.

Metropolitan and micropolitan areas

Metropolitan areas Name Primary Cityor Cities Stateor States Countyor Counties Non-Area County orCounties Influenced Area 2020Population Evansville, IN-KYMetropolitan Statistical Area EvansvilleHendersonPrinceton IndianaKentucky Gibson, PoseyVanderburgh, WarrickHenderson, Webster Illinois: Wabash, WhiteIndiana: Pike, SpencerKentucky: Union 2,367 sq mi6,130 km2 314,049 Owensboro, KYMetropolitan Statistical Area Owensboro Kentucky Daviess, HancockMcLean Indiana: Perry, SpencerKentucky: Breckinridge, Ohio 931 sq mi2,410 km2 121,559

Micropolitan areas Name Primary City Stateor States Countyor Counties Area 2020Population Central City, KYMicropolitan Area Central CityGreenville Kentucky Muhlenberg 479 sq mi1,241 km2 30,928 Harrisburg, ILMicropolitan Area Harrisburg Illinois Saline 387 sq mi1,002 km2 23,768 Jasper, INMicropolitan Area Jasper Indiana DuboisPike 776 sq mi2010 km2 55,887 Madisonville, KYMicropolitan Area Madisonville Kentucky Hopkins 554 sq mi1,430 km2 45,423 Vincennes, INMicropolitan Area Vincennes Indiana Knox 524 sq mi1,357 km2 36,282 Washington, INMicropolitan Area Washington Indiana Daviess 437 sq mi1,130 km2 33,381

Core counties

Eastern Little Egypt (Illinois) Population Total: 128,750 CountyName CountySeat Population(2020) Area Clay Louisville 13,288 Edwards Albion 6,245 Gallatin Shawneetown 4,946 Hamilton McLeansboro 7,993 Lawrence Lawrenceville 15,280 Richland Olney 15,813 Saline Harrisburg 23,768 Wabash Mt. Carmel 11,361 Wayne Fairfield 16,179 White Carmi 13,877

Southwestern Indiana Population Total: 477,056 CountyName CountySeat Population(2020) Area Daviess Washington 33,381 Dubois Jasper 43,637 Gibson Princeton 33,011 Knox Vincennes 36,282 Martin Shoals 10,327 Perry Tell City 19,102 Pike Petersburg 12,250 Posey Mt. Vernon 25,222 Spencer Rockport 19,810 Vanderburgh Evansville 180,136 Warrick Boonville 63,898

Western Coal Fields (Kentucky) Population Total: 293,160 CountyName CountySeat Population(2020) Area DaviessOwensboro 103,312 HancockHawesville 9,095 HendersonHenderson 44,793 HopkinsMadisonville 45,423 McLeanCalhoun 9,152 MuhlenbergGreenville 30,928 OhioHartford 23,772 UnionMorganfield 13,668 WebsterDixon 13,017

Daviess County

There are two counties named Daviess in the Tri-State Area, Daviess County, Indiana (), and Daviess County, Kentucky (). Both counties are named for Maj. Joseph Hamilton Daveiss, U.S. District Attorney for Kentucky who prosecuted Aaron Burr.

See also Evansville Metropolitan Area Owensboro Metropolitan Area Jasper Micropolitan Area Southwestern Indiana Southern Illinois

References