Indiana s population grew in the last decade, but it wasn t enough to earn the state another member of Congress, according to the first batch of 2020 census data released Monday afternoon.
Because of modest growth, Indiana will keep nine congressional districts heading into the 2022 election and for the next decade. Indiana was one of 37 states that will keep their current number of congressional seats. Six states will gain seats, while seven states will lose seats.
The state s population grew more slowly than 28 other states between 2010 and 2020, increasing from roughly 6.48 million people in 2010 to almost 6.79 million people in 2020, a 4.7% change.
That s higher than the 3.1% growth rate the Midwest experienced as a whole over the last decade. Three of the states that lost a congressional seat Illinois, Michigan and Ohio border Indiana.
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Forecasting economy guesswork
SHERRY SLATER | The Journal Gazette
Useless – that s how one Indiana University economist described turning this year to the procedures he typically uses to craft an economic forecast.
“Patterns from our history of normal business cycles are essentially irrelevant,” said Willard Witte, associate professor emeritus of economics. “What we are left with is pure guesswork.”
Witte is among the experts the Indiana Business Research Center calls on each year to prepare outlooks for the global, national, state and local economies. The panelists typically travel the state to present their views in person, but the coronavirus pandemic prompted IU to preempt its roadshow and post their views online instead.
Indiana gained 23,943 new residents this year, growing by less than 1% and continuing a ongoing trend of slow population growth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau s annual estimate.
The Hoosier state s population grew to 6.75 million, up from 6.73 million in 2019. That marked an increase of 0.35%.
Neighboring Illinois population fell by 79,487 residents to 12.6 million, the second biggest loss nationwide after only New York state.
Over the last decade, since the last official Census in 2010, Indiana has gained an estimated 271,151 residents, an increase of 4.18%. The official results of the 2020 Census have not been released yet, and the new numbers reflect the Census Bureau s annual estimate and not the official count.