Wakarusa is a town in Harrison and Olive townships in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,758 at the 2010 census. Wakarusa is a small farming and manufacturing community located on Indiana 19 just north of Indiana 119. The town is 12 miles south of Elkhart, 25 miles southeast of South Bend, 120 miles east of Chicago, and 140 miles north of Indianapolis.