Indiana's Minority Population Is Growing

Indiana is becoming more diverse. Between 2000 and 2010, Indiana's minority population grew 39 percent, with the addition of 336,237 people.1 Meanwhile, the state's white non-Hispanic population increased by a mere 1.3 percent, or 67,080 people.

Figure 1 shows that Indiana remains a predominately Caucasian state, with the white population comprising 84 percent of the total population. However, this is down from 87 percent in 2000.

Figure 1: Indiana's Population by Race, 2010

Figure 1: Indiana's Population by Race, 2010

Note: There are 389,707 Hispanics in Indiana, which is considered an ethnicity and not a race, so Hispanics can be of any racial group.
Source: IBRC, using U.S. Census Bureau data

In both numeric and percentage terms, the Hispanic population has seen the most growth since 2000—gaining 175,171 individuals for an 82 percent increase (see Figure 2). In fact, the Hispanic population was the only minority group to see growth in all 92 counties during the decade.

Figure 2: Percent Change in Indiana Population by Race/Ethnicity, 2000 to 2010

Figure 2: Percent Change in Indiana Population by Race, 2010

Source: IBRC, using U.S. Census Bureau data

The minority population remains largely concentrated in Indiana's largest urban areas, with minorities comprising 45 percent of Lake County's population and 40 percent of Marion County's residents (see Table 1).

Table 1: Top 10 Counties with the Largest Minority Share of Total Population, 2010

County Minorities as a Percent of Total Population Total Minority Population White White, Non-Hispanic Black Asian Other Race Two or More Races Hispanic
Lake 45% 221,843 319,412 274,162 128,263 6,142 30,528 11,660 82,663
Marion 40% 365,488 566,853 537,905 240,975 18,314 51,794 25,457 84,466
St. Joseph 24% 65,230 209,972 201,701 33,958 5,036 10,255 7,710 19,395
Allen 24% 83,540 281,653 271,789 41,618 9,721 11,890 10,447 23,093
Elkhart 23% 45,004 163,792 152,555 11,307 1,915 15,620 4,925 27,886
Tippecanoe 20% 33,925 145,190 138,855 6,913 10,730 6,175 3,772 12,947
LaPorte 19% 20,772 93,787 90,695 12,001 583 2,553 2,543 6,093
Cass 16% 6,342 34,385 32,624 578 419 2,974 610 4,897
Clark 15% 16,345 95,961 93,887 7,661 875 3,273 2,462 5,350
Vanderburgh 15% 26,623 154,882 153,080 16,347 2,003 2,370 4,101 3,873

Source: IBRC, using U.S. Census Bureau data

However, growth in the minority population was widespread across the state as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Township Population Change by Race/Ethnicity, 2000 to 2010

Figure 3: Township Population Change by Race, 2000-2010

Source: IBRC, using U.S. Census Bureau data

More data on Indiana's minority population is available for numerous geographies at www.stats.indiana.edu/topic/census.asp.

Notes

  1. For purposes of this article, the minority population is defined as the total population minus the white non-Hispanic population.

Rachel Justis
Geodemographic Analyst, Indiana Business Research Center, Indiana University Kelley School of Business