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EDITORS: A chart showing population estimates for Indiana and all 50 states is attached. For more information about the new estimates, call Joan Rainey of the IBRC at 812-855-5507, or go to the center's Web site at http://www.iupui.edu/it/ibrc

NEW POPULATION ESTIMATES:

INDIANA'S POPULATION INCREASING,

BUT NOT AS QUICKLY AS NATION'S, SAYS IU EXPERT

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- New population estimates released by the U.S. Bureau of the Census indicate that Indiana's population is growing, but not as quickly as during the first half of this decade, says an Indiana University researcher.

Population estimates released by the Census Bureau on Dec. 31 show that Indiana's population is estimated to be almost 5.9 million, up 355,000 since the 1990 census counted 5.5 million Hoosiers.

Indiana's growth rate of 6.4 percent since 1990 lags behind the national growth rate of 8.7 percent during the same period. The nation's population has increased from almost 249 million in 1990 to more than 270 million in 1998, an increase of 21.5 million.

In the most recent year, Indiana's population grew by 34,000 for a growth rate of 0.6 percent between 1997 and 1998. Joan Rainey, research director of the Indiana Business Research Center in IU's Kelley School of Business, noted that once again the state's growth rate did not keep pace with the growth rate of 1 percent for the nation for the year.

The IU center serves as the state's official liaison with the U.S. Bureau of the Census and will work with the state and its localities to provide a full and accurate count in the next census scheduled for the year 2000.

Indiana has been the 29th fastest-growing state in the nation since 1990, and it retains its position as the 14th most populous state. However, Indiana's share of the nation's population continues to decline, from 2.56 percent in 1970 to 2.42 percent in 1980, 2.23 percent in 1990, and 2.18 percent in 1998.

"The estimates indicate that the state's population is growing more slowly than it did earlier in the decade," Rainey said. "The rate of population growth appears to have peaked between 1991 and 1993, with annual growth rates of 0.8 percent and 0.9 percent. In the most recent two-year period, annual growth rates have slowed to 0.6 percent."

It is estimated that Indiana's population grew by 53,000 persons between 1992 and 1993, compared with an increase of 34,000 between 1997 and 1998.

"Despite slower growth than earlier in the decade, recent population growth in Indiana has been much faster than the growth seen in the 1980s," Rainey added. "During the 1980s, Indiana's population grew by only 54,000 for a growth rate of 1.0 percent. Growth in the eight-year period since the 1990 census has been more than six times the growth experienced by the state in the previous decade.

"Indiana experienced net out-migration in the 1980s, with more persons moving out of the state than moving into it. Indiana's slight growth in the 1980s was due to natural increase, more births than deaths," she said. "In each year since 1990, the state has seen net in-migration, with more persons moving into the state than moving out, representing a reversal of the out-migration experienced in the 1980s."

Of the net population increase of 355,000 since the 1990 census, about 265,000 - or about 75 percent - were the result of more births than deaths, with the remaining 90,000 due to net in-migration.

The state's growth rate of 6.4 percent compares favorably with the growth of neighboring states. The Midwest region has grown by 5.4 percent since 1990. Indiana has grown faster than Michigan (5.6 percent), Illinois (5.4 percent) and Ohio (3.3 percent), with a slightly lower rate of growth than Kentucky (6.8 percent).

The South and West regions continue to outpace the rest of the nation in population growth. Since 1990, the South has added almost 10 million persons for a growth rate of 11.7 percent. The West has added more than 7 million persons for the highest regional rate of growth of 14.1 percent. By contrast, growth in the Northeast since 1990 has been 1.8 percent.

Rainey said it is important to note that these population figures are estimates produced by a demographic model, not the result of a direct attempt to count population, as is done in a census year. This set of estimates was produced by the U.S. Bureau of the Census using the Tax Return Method. Additional population data pertaining to Indiana, its counties and its cities is available at the IBRC Web site at http://www.iupui.edu/it/ibrc

(George Vlahakis, Office of Communications and Marketing, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu

Population Estimates for State, July 1, 1998
Released by the U.S. Census Bureau on December 31, 1998
census90 rank est97 rank est98 rank chg9098 rank %chg rank chg9798 rank %chg rank
Alabama 4,040,389 22 4,322,113 23 4,351,999 23 311,610 24 7.7 22 29,886 23 0.7 26
Alaska 550,043 50 609,655 48 614,010 48 63,967 42 11.6 13 4,355 40 0.7 24
Arizona 3,665,339 24 4,553,249 21 4,668,631 21 1,003,292 5 27.4 2 115,382 6 2.5 2
Arkansas 2,350,624 33 2,523,186 33 2,538,303 33 187,679 29 8.0 21 15,117 33 0.6 28
California 29,785,857 1 32,182,118 1 32,666,550 1 2,880,693 1 9.7 19 484,432 1 1.5 10
Colorado 3,294,473 26 3,892,029 25 3,970,971 24 676,498 8 20.5 5 78,942 7 2.0 4
Connecticut 3,287,116 27 3,267,240 28 3,274,069 29 -13,047 49 -0.4 49 6,829 38 0.2 39
Delaware 666,168 46 735,143 46 743,603 45 77,435 40 11.6 14 8,460 36 1.2 14
District of Col 606,900 48 529,895 50 523,124 50 -83,776 51 -13.8 51 -6,771 50 -1.3 51
Florida 12,938,071 4 14,677,181 4 14,915,980 4 1,977,909 3 15.3 10 238,799 3 1.6 8
Georgia 6,478,149 11 7,489,982 10 7,642,207 10 1,164,058 4 18.0 6 152,225 4 2.0 3
Hawaii 1,108,229 41 1,192,057 41 1,193,001 41 84,772 37 7.6 23 944 45 0.1 46
Idaho 1,006,734 42 1,208,865 40 1,228,684 40 221,950 26 22.0 3 19,819 30 1.6 7
Illinois 11,430,602 6 11,989,352 6 12,045,326 5 614,724 9 5.4 36 55,974 12 0.5 32
Indiana 5,544,156 14 5,864,847 14 5,899,195 14 355,039 18 6.4 29 34,348 20 0.6 29
Iowa 2,776,831 30 2,854,330 30 2,862,447 30 85,616 36 3.1 42 8,117 37 0.3 38
Kansas 2,477,588 32 2,601,437 32 2,629,067 32 151,479 32 6.1 32 27,630 25 1.1 17
Kentucky 3,686,892 23 3,910,366 24 3,936,499 25 249,607 25 6.8 28 26,133 26 0.7 27
Louisiana 4,221,826 21 4,353,646 22 4,368,967 22 147,141 33 3.5 40 15,321 32 0.4 36
Maine 1,227,928 38 1,241,895 39 1,244,250 39 16,322 47 1.3 44 2,355 41 0.2 41
Maryland 4,780,753 19 5,094,924 19 5,134,808 19 354,055 19 7.4 24 39,884 15 0.8 20
Massachusetts 6,016,425 13 6,114,440 13 6,147,132 13 130,707 34 2.2 43 32,692 21 0.5 31
Michigan 9,295,287 8 9,779,984 8 9,817,242 8 521,955 13 5.6 35 37,258 18 0.4 35
Minnesota 4,375,665 20 4,687,408 20 4,725,419 20 349,754 20 8.0 20 38,011 17 0.8 18
Mississippi 2,575,475 31 2,731,644 31 2,752,092 31 176,617 31 6.9 25 20,448 29 0.7 23
Missouri 5,116,901 15 5,408,455 16 5,438,559 16 321,658 23 6.3 31 30,104 22 0.6 30
Montana 799,065 44 878,730 44 880,453 44 81,388 39 10.2 16 1,723 43 0.2 40
Nebraska 1,578,417 36 1,657,009 38 1,662,719 38 84,302 38 5.3 37 5,710 39 0.3 37
Nevada 1,201,675 39 1,678,691 37 1,746,898 36 545,223 12 45.4 1 68,207 9 4.1 1
New Hampshire 1,109,252 40 1,172,140 42 1,185,048 42 75,796 41 6.8 26 12,908 35 1.1 15
New Jersey 7,747,750 9 8,058,384 9 8,115,011 9 367,261 16 4.7 39 56,627 11 0.7 25
New Mexico 1,515,069 37 1,723,965 36 1,736,931 37 221,862 27 14.6 11 12,966 34 0.8 22
New York 17,990,778 2 18,146,200 3 18,175,301 3 184,523 30 1.0 45 29,101 24 0.2 43
North Carolina 6,632,448 10 7,430,675 11 7,546,493 11 914,045 6 13.8 12 115,818 5 1.6 9
North Dakota 638,800 47 640,965 47 638,244 47 -556 48 -0.1 48 -2,721 48 -0.4 50
Ohio 10,847,115 7 11,192,932 7 11,209,493 7 362,378 17 3.3 41 16,561 31 0.1 44
Oklahoma 3,145,576 28 3,321,611 27 3,346,713 27 201,137 28 6.4 30 25,102 27 0.8 21
Oregon 2,842,337 29 3,243,272 29 3,281,974 28 439,637 14 15.5 9 38,702 16 1.2 13
Pennsylvania 11,882,842 5 12,011,278 5 12,001,451 6 118,609 35 1.0 46 -9,827 51 -0.1 48
Rhode Island 1,003,464 43 987,263 43 988,480 43 -14,984 50 -1.5 50 1,217 44 0.1 45
South Carolina 3,486,310 25 3,788,119 26 3,835,962 26 349,652 21 10.0 17 47,843 14 1.3 12
South Dakota 696,004 45 737,755 45 738,171 46 42,167 43 6.1 33 416 47 0.1 47
Tennessee 4,877,203 17 5,371,693 17 5,430,621 17 553,418 11 11.3 15 58,928 10 1.1 16
Texas 16,986,335 3 19,385,699 2 19,759,614 2 2,773,279 2 16.3 8 373,915 2 1.9 5
Utah 1,722,850 35 2,065,001 34 2,099,758 34 376,908 15 21.9 4 34,757 19 1.7 6
Vermont 562,758 49 588,632 49 590,883 49 28,125 44 5.0 38 2,251 42 0.4 34
Virginia 6,189,197 12 6,737,489 12 6,791,345 12 602,148 10 9.7 18 53,856 13 0.8 19
Washington 4,866,669 18 5,614,151 15 5,689,263 15 822,594 7 16.9 7 75,112 8 1.3 11
West Virginia 1,793,477 34 1,815,231 35 1,811,156 35 17,679 46 1.0 47 -4,075 49 -0.2 49
Wisconsin 4,891,769 16 5,201,226 18 5,223,500 18 331,731 22 6.8 27 22,274 28 0.4 33
Wyoming 453,589 51 480,043 51 480,907 51 27,318 45 6.0 34 864 46 0.2 42
U.S. 248,765,170 267,743,595 270,298,524 21,533,354 8.7 2,554,929 1.0

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