Staff and wire reports
New census estimates show Seymour’s population grew by 1,359 since the 2010 census.
That 7.5 percent increase topped the state’s 2 percent gain during the same period.
The data, analyzed by the Indiana Business Research Center, show Jackson County’s population grew 3.5 percent during the same period and now stands at 44,069, up 1,491 from 42,578 on July 1, 2010. That makes it the 19th fastest-growing county in the state.
The Indianapolis metropolitan area includes four of the five fastest-growing counties in Indiana and 10 of the 11 fastest-growing cities and towns with populations of at least 5,000.
The 2015 population estimates recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau show suburban Hamilton County’s population grew by 13 percent during the past five years, followed by adjacent Boone County’s 12 percent growth. Hendricks and Johnson counties also made the top five, along with Tippecanoe County, home to Lafayette.
Seymour’s population on July 1, 2015, was 19,478, and it was 18,019 on July 1, 2010.
In the region, Bartholomew County grew 5,316 or 5.6 percent. Most of the remainder of the counties, however, including Brown, Jennings, Lawrence, Orange and Washington, lost population.
Indiana’s 2 percent population increase outpaced neighboring states Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio, according to The Associated Press.
“I’m a little surprised that, this far on from the Great Recession, we are still seeing growth as sluggish as it is,” Matthew Kinghorn, chief demographer at the research center.
Indianapolis had the state’s largest numeric gain with 4,188 new residents in 2015, the estimates showed. With 862,781 residents, Indianapolis was the nation’s 14th-largest city in 2015, ranking behind San Francisco (864,816) and ahead of Columbus, Ohio (850,106).
Fort Wayne, the state’s second-largest city, grew by an estimated 1,956 residents to reach a total population of 260,326. South Bend grew by 311 residents in 2015 to reach a total population of 101,516, making it the fourth-largest city. Evansville’s size fell by an estimated 344 residents in 2015 to 119,943.
The remaining 10 largest Indiana communities in 2015 were Carmel (88,713), Fishers (88,658), Bloomington (84,067), Hammond (77,614), Gary (77,156) and Lafayette (71,111), the estimates showed.
The neighboring Lake County communities of Gary and Hammond had the state’s largest population declines, with each losing more than 800 residents in 2015. Other larger Indiana cities with losses last year include Muncie (down 196), Anderson (down 193), Terre Haute (down 147) and Kokomo (down 87).
In 58 of Indiana’s 92 counties, the population fell or stayed flat. Except for Lake, which fell by nearly 2 percent, those counties represent mostly rural areas. Union, Tipton, Rush, Fountain and Randolph counties each have lost about 4 percent to 5 percent of their populations since 2010.
“Rural or midsize communities are seeing population declines, and it’s been that way for the past 10 or 15 years,” Kinghorn said. “A lot is linked to the loss of industrial jobs, a shrinking employment base. There’s just not as much to draw new residents to the area.”
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County;2015 population;2010 population;Difference;Percent change
Bartholomew;81,162;76,846;4,316;5.6
Brown;14,977;15,200;-223;-1.5
Jackson;44,069;42,578;1,491;3.5
Jennings;27,897;28,475;-578;-2.0
Lawrence;45,495;46,124;-629;-1.4
Monroe;144,705;138,557;6,148;4.4
Scott;23,744;24,173;-429;-1.8
Washington;27,827;28,284;-457;-1.6
Indiana;6,619,680;6,490,590;129,090;2.0
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