Population movement slows in wake of economic downturn

The sluggish economy appears to have slowed population movement in Indiana, especially the Indianapolis suburbs, IU demographer Matthew Kinghorn said.

Recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates show the populations of Marion, Hamilton and Hendricks counties grew faster than other Indiana counties, Kinghorn said.

But only Marion County, which includes Indianapolis, had a higher growth rate in 2009 than previous years. Marion County added 7,770 residents last year, which is more than double its annual average increase from 2000 to 2008.

Hamilton County added 8,350 residents, down from an average increase of 10,700 the nine previous years. Hendricks County grew by 2,780 residents in 2009, down from its average of 4,060 people per year.

Kinghorn, who works for the University’s Indiana Business Research Center, said Marion County’s growth compared with its suburbs could signal that people were delaying major decisions.

“What drives the variation in population trends is changes in migration — and there are fewer people moving out of Marion County,” Kinghorn said last week.

Other Midwestern urban centers including Cincinnati, Louisville, Ky., Milwaukee, St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio, also grew faster in 2009, while growth in suburbs slowed.

“That’s just one of the effects of the recession,” Kinghorn said. “You’ve had slumping housing sales and tighter credit. Young families are putting off moves to suburban counties because of anxiety over job security.”

Kinghorn said Boone County near Indianapolis, the university areas of Tippecanoe and Monroe counties, and Clark and Floyd counties in the Louisville metro area had strong in-migration.

Six Indiana counties now have populations greater than 200,000.

Grant County in north central Indiana had the state’s largest population decline between 2000 and 2009, followed by neighboring Delaware County, Wayne County and another Grant neighbor, Wabash County.