Tippecanoe County is a county located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Indiana about 22 miles east of the Illinois state line, less than 50 miles from the Indianapolis metro area, and 130 miles from Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,251. The county seat and largest city is Lafayette. It was created in 1826 from Wabash County portion of New Purchase and unorganized territory.