Indiana

:This article is about the U.S. state. See also Indiana, Pennsylvania (U.S.) and Indiana, São Paulo (Brazil.)

Demographics

As of 2004, the population of Indiana was estimated to be 6,237,569. This includes about 229,000 foreign-born (3.7%).

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Racially, the state is:

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• 85.8% White
• 8.4% Black
• 3.5% Hispanic
• 1% Asian
• 0.3% Native American
• 1.2% Mixed race

The five largest ancestries in the state are: German (22.7%), American (12%), Irish (10.8%), English (8.9%), African American (8.4%).

Related Topics:
German - Irish - English - African American

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German is the largest ancestry reported in Indiana, with almost one-in-four whites reporting German ancestry in the Census. Persons of American and British ancestry are also present throughout the state, especially in the southern and central parts of the state. Gary and the surrounding Chicago suburbs, along with the city of Indianapolis, have large black populations.

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In addition, the more populated regions are the central area around Indianapolis, the far northwest and north central areas near Lake Michigan, and the northeastern area near Fort Wayne. Major cities that are not in these areas include Evansville, Bloomington, and Terre Haute.

Related Topics:
Fort Wayne - Evansville - Bloomington - Terre Haute

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Population growth since 1990 has been extremely concentrated in the counties surrounding Indianapolis, with four of the top five fastest-growing counties in that area: Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, and Hancock. The other county is Dearborn County, which is nearCincinnati. Meanwhile, population decline has primarily been in a series of counties that geographically form a line between Logansport and Richmond. Most of these counties were at the heart of the Gas Belt. There were also three counties along the Wabash River and the Ohio River that experienced decline, these were Vigo, Knox, and Perry.

Related Topics:
Hamilton - Hendricks - Johnson - Hancock - Dearborn County - Cincinnati - Logansport - Richmond - Gas Belt - Wabash River - Ohio River - Vigo - Knox - Perry

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Religion

Religiously, Indiana is predominantly Protestant, although there is also a moderate-sized Roman Catholic population. The Catholic presence is perhaps better known than its size would imply due to the existence of the University of Notre Dame in the state. Indiana is home to a significant proportion of Mennonite and Amish Christians, and the state has the nation's largest population of members of the Protestant "Churches of Christ" denomination.

Related Topics:
Protestant - Roman Catholic - University of Notre Dame - Mennonite - Amish

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The current religious affiliations of the people of Indiana are shown below:

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• Christian – 82%
• Protestant – 62%
• Baptist – 15%
• Methodist – 10%
• Lutheran – 6%
• Church of Christ – 5%
• Pentecostal – 3%
• Mennonite/Pietist – 1%
• Other Protestant – 23%
• Roman Catholic – 19%
• Other Christian – 1%
• Other Religions – 1%
• Non-Religious – 17%