Indiana Population 2024

6,892,120

Yearly estimates are given for states within the US, and the most recent suggests Indiana’s population had increased to 6,619,680 in 2015. Indiana has a 2016 growth rate of 0.33%, which ranks 29th.

As for the present day, the last official census within the United States took place in 2010 and at the time, the population of Indiana was declared at 6,483,802, a rise of 6.6% on the numbers from 2000.

Indiana Population Density and Area

In terms of pure land mass, the state of Indiana covers an area of 36,418 square miles (94,321 square kilometers), and this makes it only the 38th largest state in the country by area. However, Indiana ranks much better in terms of numbers and population density. The state has a population density of 181 people per square mile, which ranks it as the 16th most densely populated state in the country.

The largest city in Indiana is Indianapolis, which is also the state's capital, which holds over 860,000 individuals as residents. The largest county by population is Marion County with over 900,000 individuals residing within its borders.

Indiana Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age of the Indiana population is 37.4 years of age. Over the state's population, there is a slight gender gap with 50.8% females and 49.2% males.

In terms of popular religions, Indiana shows its preferences with 72% affiliated with the Christian faith, 2% non-Christian, and 26% non-affiliated with any religion.

Indiana Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

Indiana was included in the Northwest Territory (1787) but became a separate territory in 1800. At that time, in addition to most of present-day Indiana, the Territory included all of Illinois and Wisconsin, the western half of Michigan, and northeastern Minnesota. In 1802 the boundary with Ohio was altered and Eastern Michigan was added, but Michigan Territory was separated in 1805 and Illinois Territory in 1809, leaving Indiana Territory with the present State area except for a narrow band along the northern border; the territory also included a portion of the Michigan Upper Peninsula.

On December 11, 1816 Indiana was admitted as a State with essentially its present boundaries. However, even though it was admitted as a state to the US in 1816, the earliest population figures can actually be traced back to 1800.

In 1790 the Northwest Territory had no census coverage. The 1800 census of Indiana Territory enumerated scattered communities in southern Indiana, southwestern Illinois, northern Michigan, and Wisconsin; the populations reported from present-day Illinois and Michigan are shown under those States. In addition, Hamilton County, Ohio included some population in what is now Indiana. In 1810, census coverage of Indiana Territory was limited to southern Indiana, and coverage did not include the whole State until 1830.

Indiana Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Indiana was:

  • White: 81.22%
  • Black or African American: 9.41%
  • Two or more races: 4.27%
  • Other race: 2.48%
  • Asian: 2.42%
  • Native American: 0.17%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.03%

Indiana Population History

Indiana is situated just inside the eastern half of the United States, and statistics show that the state was a little slow to embrace the huge waves of early settlers that arrived to the country in the 18th century.

From the figures declared in 1800, the population of Indiana was shown to be 2,632 but just ten years later, it had increased by phenomenal proportions and a rise of over 800% took the total to 24,520.

By the time of the nationwide census of 1830, Indiana had been admitted to the United States, and further substantial growth of over 500% in ten years took the total number of residents to 147,178. Those were by far the biggest population spikes, but further large increases had taken Indiana’s population to over 2.5 million by the beginning of the 20th century.

Indiana Population Growth

From this point, growth slowed down to a great extent, but it remained healthy and constant to the stage where 6.6 million people made up the population of Indiana in 2016. In many ways, Indiana is a fairly unremarkable state in terms of its population statistics, but it is experiencing healthy growth nevertheless.

Indiana Population Projections

By increasing at the same rate, it is estimated to reach 6.85 million people by 2020. By 2030, Indiana is expected to break 7 million people.

For the past two decades, population growth in Indiana has been concentrated in counties surrounding the capital city of Indianapolis. Four of the five fastest-growing counties are in that area: Hamilton, Hancock, Johnson and Hendricks. The 5th county, Dearborn County, is located near Cincinnati, Ohio. Hamilton County remains the fastest growing county in Indiana, as well as the fastest growing in the bordering states of Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Illinois. It's the 20th fastest growing county in the United States, and this trend is expected to continue as the Indianapolis metropolitan area continues to expand beyond 2016.

Indiana has become increasingly diverse in recent years when comparing the 2000 Census results with the 2010 results. Its Hispanic population is rapidly growing, and is the fastest growing minority in the state. Data from 2011 showed that over 28% of children under the age of 1 were classified as minorities.

Indiana has also seen an increase in the population of its black and African American residents. While black residents are scattered throughout cities all over the state, about 62% of the black population resides in just two counties: Marion and Lake. In fact, among these counties, black residents account for over 25% of the total population.

The primary ancestries of Indiana residents include German, with almost one-quarter of the population claiming this ancestry. The state also has a sizable amount of inhabitants of English and Irish descent.

Indiana Growth Rate

Indiana Population Rank

Indiana Facts

Population

100K

200K

300K

400K

500K

600K

700K

800K

900K

Based on comparisons from 2010 Census data and 2015 estimates from the US Census Bureau, it is shown that the highest increases in population by county in Indiana occurred in the central and northeast corner of the state. The highest rates of growth were posted in the central Indiana region, including Hamilton County (12.01%), Boone County (11.43%), and Hendricks County (8.45%). In the northeastern region, counties that exhibited growth during the 5-year period include Allen, Elkhart, and LaGrange.

Some counties also saw declining populations, with the highest numbers being posted around the central region, as well as along the western and eastern borders. The highest decline was recorded in Fountain County, with a population decrease of 3.94%. Other counties that saw population's in 2015 that were smaller than those taken during the 2010 Census include Warren, Randolph, Wayne, and Union.

Indiana Population by County

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White5,483,29581.22%
Black or African American635,0769.41%
Two or more races287,9534.27%
Other race167,6832.48%
Asian163,6572.42%
Native American11,3990.17%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander2,2760.03%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Indiana Population by Race

Indiana Population Pyramid 2024

Indiana Median Age

37.9

Total

36.8

Male

38.9

Female

Indiana Adults

There are 5,159,250 adults, (1,057,550 of whom are seniors) in Indiana.

Indiana Age Dependency

64.6

Age Dependency Ratio

25.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

38.8

Child Dependency Ratio

Indiana Sex Ratio

Female3,406,98050.46%
Male3,344,36049.54%

Indiana Population by Age

Indiana Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All2,622,6002.569.930.1
Married1,258,3803.1686.713.3
Non Family933,9051.255446
Female299,7883.3351.648.4
Male130,5243.2463.136.9

3.1

Average Family Size

2.5

Average Household Size

69.9%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Indiana Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade301,0146.69%
Associates Degree403,7738.97%
Bachelors Degree797,97717.73%
Graduate Degree455,32210.12%
High School Graduate1,486,00033.01%
Less Than 9th Grade159,4663.54%
Some College897,66719.94%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Indiana Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Indiana Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White3,672,5903,363,8001,051,900
Black390,228337,57677,391
Hispanic250,266176,21741,930
2+ Races124,569107,75032,936
Asian99,09681,74156,811
Other Race92,45161,18711,672
Native American8,1066,7971,351
Islander1,5001,259225

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 91.59%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 57.33%.

Indiana Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$53,845$68,066$45,135
Graduate Degree$69,467$83,394$61,241
High School Graduate$34,547$42,335$26,469
Less Than 9th Grade$28,281$33,933$20,377
Overall$42,112$50,879$34,298
Some College$39,729$51,217$31,942

$42,112

Average Earnings

$50,879

Average Male

$34,298

Average Female

Indiana Earnings by Educational Attainment

Indiana Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Indiana Language

91.05% of Indiana residents speak only English, while 8.95% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 4.66% of the population.

Indiana Language

Indiana Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White5,111,050511,81010.01%
Black606,242156,58925.83%
Hispanic482,25693,46219.38%
Multiple279,87350,54118.06%
Other164,06634,71521.16%
Asian155,68422,87514.69%
Native10,7492,17120.2%
Islander2,20832414.67%

12.5%

Overall Poverty Rate

11.23%

Male Poverty Rate

13.74%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Indiana

The race most likely to be in poverty in Indiana is Black, with 25.83% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Indiana is White, with 10.01% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.36%. Among those working part-time, it was 16.48%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 19.94%.

Indiana Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade23.19%
High School11.81%
Some College8.72%
Bachelors or Greater4%

Indiana Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed34.31%
Male Unemployed26.62%
Female Employed7.23%
Male Employed4.65%

Indiana Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Indiana Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$77,860$97,617
Households$61,944$81,703
Married Families$91,327$112,675
Non Families$35,898$49,201

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Indiana Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

48.8%

Overall Marriage Rate

50.1%

Male Marriage Rate

47.7%

Female Marriage Rate

Indiana Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Indiana Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Indiana Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Indiana Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

364,706

Number of Veterans

337,164

Male Veterans

27,542

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam127,728
First Gulf War70,881
Second Gulf War66,711
Korea23,315
World War II8,037

Indiana Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
65 to 7497,865
35 to 5485,798
75+82,604
55 to 6469,596
18 to 3428,843

Indiana Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White319,1060.07446682893020412
Black29,7330.0648869121921838
Hispanic11,3770.03667539199504848
2+ Races8,8550.054769695132888416
Other Race3,9180.03475591906253049
Asian2,0040.01596889094299329
Native American9330.10012878300064391
Islander1570.08486486486486486

Indiana Veterans by Race

Indiana Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

6.81%

Veteran Poverty Rate

31%

Veteran Disability Rate

Indiana Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

63.9%

Labor Force Participation

60.8%

Employment Rate

4.7%

Unemployment Rate

Indiana Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Indiana Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Indiana Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

67.77%

Born in Indiana

94.58%

Native Born

5.42%

Foreign Born

3.18%

Non Citizen

2.23%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

94.58% of Indiana residents were born in the United States, with 67.77% having been born in Indiana. 3.18% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Indiana Place of Birth

  1. StatsIndiana
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources