Northeast Indiana Population Growth Rate Matches State and Nation
News release by Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership | May 6, 2021
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Northeast Indiana’s population grew by 0.4% or exactly 3,464 people between 2019-2020, according to 2020 population estimates released this week by the U.S Census Bureau.
As Northeast Indiana aims to grow the region’s population to one million residents by 2030, the region’s 11 counties collectively demonstrated positive growth with Northeast Indiana’s population increasing from 789,701 to 793,165. The region’s population growth rate also kept pace with the state of Indiana and outpaced surrounding states such as Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky, as well as the Midwest region as a whole.
“Increasing the region’s population to one million people by 2030 is a critical economic indicator as Northeast Indiana works to compete in the global marketplace and in the war for good jobs. Access to talent is essential to attract business investment to Northeast Indiana, and it allows the region to compete globally for top business attraction, retention and expansion projects. To reach our region’s Vision 2030 goals, we must accelerate our population growth rate to increase our region’s population,” said Ryan Twiss, vice president of talent initiatives for the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership.
The top three counties that experienced the highest growth rate percent change compared to the previous year were Whitley, LaGrange and Allen counties, respectively. This growth is attributed to three types of population growth: natural population growth (births minus deaths), international migration and domestic migration.
In LaGrange County, President and Chief Executive Officer at LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation Bill Bradley said the bulk of the county’s population growth has taken place in the Amish community.
“We’ve seen an increase in the number of Amish businesses in the community, and we are very appreciative of what the Amish community contributes to the overall economy, enriching the lives of all who live in LaGrange County and Northeast Indiana,” said Bradley.
Allen County led the significant growth in the region, driving over 90% of the region’s population increase.
John Urbahns, president and CEO of Greater Fort Wayne Inc., said, “We’re very proud of the continued growth and investment in Allen County. At the same time, we are all working together to build a strong regional economy. When Allen County wins, it’s a win for all of Northeast Indiana.”
U.S. Census Bureau releases population data annually, and Development Counsellors International (DCI) calculated the regional data.
County 2020 2019 % change
Adams 35,839 35,688 0.4%
Allen 382,187 379,006 0.8%
DeKalb 43,670 43,561 0.3%
Huntington 36,395 36,544 -0.4%
Kosciusko 78,988 79,438 -0.6%
LaGrange 40,119 39,771 0.9%
Noble 47,832 47,907 -0.2%
Steuben 34,831 34,759 0.2%
Wabash 30,784 31,028 -0.8%
Wells 28,142 28,131 0.0%
Whitley 34,378 33,868 1.5%
NEI 793,165 789,701 0.4%
Indiana 6,754,953 6,731,010 0.4%
U.S. 329,484,123 328,329,953 0.4%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau and Development Counsellors International (DCI)
To learn more, visit the website at www.neindiana.com/news.
About the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s mission is to build, market and sell Northeast Indiana to increase business investment. Founded in 2006, the public-private partnership strives to build a globally competitive region. The Partnership’s Vision 2030 framework supports collaborative regional efforts to increase per capita income, population growth and educational attainment by focusing on business attraction, talent attraction and talent development. The Partnership represents 11 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley. For more information, visit www.neindiana.com.
Article source : https://neindiana.com/news/2019-2020-population-growth-rate