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EDITORS: A chart showing estimates for all 92 Indiana counties is attached or available at our Web site. 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 COUNTY POPULATION ESTIMATES
INDIANA COUNTIES FOLLOW STATE TREND,
WITH MORE THAN HALF GROWING FASTER THAN STATE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- New population estimates released March 12 by the U.S. Bureau of the Census indicate that most of Indiana's counties continue to experience population growth, says an Indiana University researcher.
Hamilton County has added the most persons to its population, while Miami County -- which saw its population decline after the restructuring of Grissom Air Force Base -- appears to be making a comeback.
The population estimates for July 1, 1998, indicate that 49 Hoosier counties have grown faster than the state average of 6.4 percent since the 1990 census.
The same data show that 28 other counties in the state have grown in population since 1990, but more slowly than the state as a whole. Eight counties have seen little population change since the census -- less than 1 percent -- and seven counties have declined in population by 1 percent or more between 1990 and 1998.
The fastest-growing Hoosier county continues to be Hamilton County, observed Joan Rainey, research director of the Indiana Business Research Center in IU's Kelley School of Business. Hamilton County has added more than 53,000 persons since the 1990 census, for a growth rate of almost 50 percent over the eight-year period.
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.
Hamilton County's rapid growth has been steady in recent years, with the most recent year's growth estimated at 7,600 persons or 4.9 percent between 1997 and 1998, leading the state for that year.
Other counties experiencing high rates of growth since 1990 include Hendricks, with an increase of 25.7 percent; Johnson, 24.1 percent; Dearborn, 21.6 percent; and Hancock, 19.8 percent. Counties with growth rates exceeding 15 percent were Owen, Washington, Jennings, Jasper, Morgan and Harrison.
Counties experiencing year-to-year growth of 2 percent or more were Hendricks, Washington, Johnson, Switzerland, Brown, Hancock, Putnam, Jennings and Boone.
Miami County's population is down by 9.1 percent since the 1990 census due to the restructuring of Grissom Air Force Base in the early 1990s. However, the county has seen population increases in each of the most recent three years, with population growth of over 1,100 persons since 1995.
The estimates indicate that Miami County grew faster than the state average in the most recent year, with growth of about 1 percent compared to 0.6 percent for the state. Miami County was the 37th most populous Indiana county in 1990, dropped to 47th in 1996, and moved up to 44th in 1998.
Other Indiana counties experiencing population declines since 1990 are Delaware, which is estimated to have 2,800 fewer persons or a 2.4 percent decline, and Grant, which has 1,600 fewer persons, a 2.2 percent decline. Counties showing smaller rates of decline -- between 1 and 2 percent -- include Wabash, Knox, Blackford and Vigo.
The ten largest Hoosier counties in terms of population are Marion, Lake, Allen, St. Joseph, Elkhart, Vanderburgh, Hamilton, Porter, Tippecanoe and Madison. There has been no change in the size rankings of the 10 most populous counties in the most recent year.
The smallest Indiana counties are Ohio, Union, Warren, Switzerland and Benton, each with a population under 10,000.
Marion County's population has seen an overall increase of 16,000 persons since 1990, but has experienced a decline of 1,900 persons since 1994. Earlier in the decade, Marion County's natural increase -- more births than deaths -- exceeded its out-migration and resulted in population growth. However, since 1994, Marion County's out-migration has exceeded its natural increase, resulting in a population loss.
The estimates indicate that Monroe County has added over 6,000 persons since 1990 for a growth rate of 5.6 percent. However, the estimates also show a population decline of 1.3 percent in the most recent year between 1997 and 1998.
"It is the opinion of the Indiana Business Research Center that there may be a problem with the 1998 estimate for Monroe County," Rainey said. "Specifically, the group quarters estimate for the county, which includes college students residing in on-campus housing at IU Bloomington, appears to be low."
"As the state's representative in the Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population estimates, the IBRC has begun a dialogue with the Census Bureau in order to investigate the possible problem," Rainey added.
She said it is important to note that these population figures are estimates, produced using a demographic model, and are not the result of an attempt to directly count people, as will be done in the next census year, 2000.
This set of estimates was produced by the U.S. Bureau of the Census using a demographic technique called the Tax Return Method. The estimates are produced annually, and when estimates for the next year are released, estimates for previous years are corrected or revised to reflect more up-to-date information that may be available.
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. IBRC'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.
Additional population data pertaining to Indiana, its counties and its cities are 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)