|
|
|
|
|
POPULATION ESTIMATES:
HAMILTON COUNTY COMMUNITIES LEAD THE STATE
AS AMONG FASTEST-GROWING THIS DECADE
EDITORS: A chart showing estimates for cities with populations greater than 20,000 is attached or available from our office. For information on other localities, 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/
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The three fastest-growing cities or towns in Indiana with population of 20,000 or more are located in Hamilton County, where the town of Fishers has grown by more than 250 percent during this decade, according to population estimates released today (June 30) by the U.S. Census Bureau and analyzed by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University.
Fishers, a suburb of Indianapolis, has been Indiana's fastest-growing city with a population that has more than tripled, from 7,000 recorded during the 1990 census to an estimated 1998 population of more than
25,000. Its rate of growth was almost four times as much as the rate for the second-fastest-growing city, its Hamilton County neighbor Carmel.
The next two fastest-growing large Hoosier cities or towns (with a population of more than 20,000) were also in Hamilton County -- Carmel, which has seen its population grow by 66 percent, and Noblesville, with population growth of 47 percent.
Also, the fastest-growing Hoosier community with a population of less than 20,000 was in Hamilton County: Westfield, which has tripled in population since the 1990 census, with an estimated 1998 population of almost 10,000, up from 3,300 for a growth rate of 202 percent.
"These estimates are consistent with county population estimates for 1998 that were previously released by the Census Bureau. According to the estimates, Hamilton County grew by 49.3 percent between 1990 and
1998," said Joan Rainey, IBRC research analyst. "All townships, cities and towns in the county have experienced growth during this period, but the growth is not evenly distributed across the county. Most of the growth has occurred in the county's three largest cities. The population growth in Fishers, Carmel and Noblesville accounts for 81 percent of the growth in the county."
While Hamilton County communities are seeing rapid population growth, Rainey said the same is not true of the county's southern neighbor and Indiana's capital city, Indianapolis.
"With an estimated 1998 population of 752,000, Indianapolis is not only the largest city in the state, but is four times as populous as the second largest city, Fort Wayne," Rainey said. "Indianapolis experienced population growth of 1.3 percent between 1990 and 1998. However, the estimates indicate that the growth in Indianapolis occurred between 1990 and 1994 and that the largest Hoosier city has experienced
population loss in each of the four most recent years."
Elsewhere in the state, other cities and towns experiencing growth exceeding 10 percent were Lawrence (Marion County), with growth of 29 percent; Greenwood (Johnson County), 26 percent; Schererville (Lake
County), 19 percent; Portage (Porter County), 14 percent; and Merrillville (Lake County), 12 percent.
The rapid growth rates for these cities far exceed a 6.4 percent rate of growth for Indiana and an 8.7 percent growth rate for the nation. Indiana's population has grown from 5.5 million in 1990 to almost 5.9 million in 1998. This growth of 355,000 persons represents a growth rate of 6.4 percent for the state.
Other Hoosier cities growing faster than the state between 1990 and 1998 were Jeffersonville (Clark County) with growth of 8.3 percent, and West Lafayette (Tippecanoe County), 7 percent.
Smaller, fast-growing Hoosier towns (with a population less than 20,000) included St. John (Lake County), with growth of 64 percent; De Motte (Jasper County), 63 percent; Santa Claus (Spencer County), 62 percent; Brownsburg (Hendricks County), 52 percent; Mooresville (Morgan County), 50 percent; Whiteland (Johnson County), 50 percent; Porter (Porter County), 47 percent; Whitestown (Boone County), 44
percent; and Cloverdale (Putnam County), 43 percent.
Marion, in Grant County, had the state's highest rate of population loss. Other large cities with the highest rates of population loss were East Chicago (Lake County), with a decline of 8.9 percent; Terre Haute (Vigo County), 7.2 percent; Hammond (Lake County), 7.2 percent; and Gary (Lake County), 7.0 percent.
Cities that experienced population declines exceeding 2,000 persons included Fort Wayne (Allen County), 10,000 fewer people; Gary, 8,200 fewer; South Bend (St. Joseph County), 6,100 fewer; Hammond, 6,000 fewer; Terre Haute, 4,100 fewer; Marion, 3,800 fewer; Muncie (Delaware), 3,700 fewer; Evansville (Vanderburgh County), 3,500 fewer; East Chicago, 3,000 fewer; and Richmond (Wayne County), 2,600 fewer.
Cities that added the largest numbers of persons between 1990 and 1998 were Fishers, 18,400 more persons; Carmel, 16,700; Indianapolis, 9,700; Noblesville, 8,300; Lawrence, 7,700; and Greenwood, 6,900.
The estimates indicate that there has been no change in the ranking of Indiana's 10 most populous cities since 1990. The 10 largest Hoosier cities continue to be Indianapolis with a population of 752,000; Fort
Wayne, 186,000; Evansville, 123,000; Gary, 108,000; South Bend, 99,000; Hammond, 78,000; Muncie, 67,000; Bloomington, 65,000; Anderson, 59,000; and Terre Haute, 53,000.
When all 569 Hoosier cities and towns are combined, as a group they experienced population growth of 114,000 persons, from 3.59 million in 1990 to 3.7 million in 1998, for growth of 3.2 percent. The balance of Indiana's population that does not reside in cities or towns increased from 1.95 million to 2.2 million for an increase of 241,000 persons or 12.4 percent.
The 1998 population estimates are not the result of any attempt to directly count the population. They were produced by the U.S. Bureau of the Census using the Distributive Housing Method, which uses statistics
about building and demolition activity and household size to calculate population estimates.
The Indiana Business Research Center, in the Kelley School of Business at IU, serves as the state's official liaison with the U.S. Bureau of the Census. The center's present and future role will be to work with the
state and its localities to provide a full and accurate census count in the year 2000.
More details about population estimates statewide are available on the IBRC Web site at http://www.iupui.edu/it/ibrc
(George Vlahakis, 812-855-0846 or 812-855-3911, gvlahaki@indiana.edu)