Editor's note

This week we learn about the emergence of a new nonprofit service Mental health care professionalAntoniett NelsonopensSeasoned Transitional Livingon June 1, planning to help dozens of foster children make the difficult transition to adult responsibility. Hear about this challenging task on ourWho Gets Whatpodcast available atmortonjohn.libsyn.com

On or before May 7th Hoosiers will vote for congressional candidates appearing on the November ballots. Those selected will represent our nine districts until the first week of 2027. What do they know of us? In fact, what do we know of us?

For example, the total population of Indiana grew by 4.5% between 2012 and 2022. From CD 2 (South Bend and Elkhart) in the north central part of the state to as far south and east as CD 6 (Columbus and Richmond), population growth exceeded 5%.

In CD 1 (Northwest Indiana) and most of Southern Indiana (CDs 8 and 9) growth was in the 4% range. However, in CD 7 (the northern two-thirds of Marion County) population growth was only 1.6%. Differences in population growth often mean serious challenges for housing and local businesses.

Those data mask other population differences. Five of our nine CDs lost population under the age of 18. CD 7 lost 6.9% of its young persons while neighboring CD 6 (Winchester to Columbus) gained 7.7% in that age group. But school buildings aren’t built to be moved.

At the other end of the age distribution, the population 65 and older grew by 30%, led at 38 % by CD 5 (Kokomo and Marion south to the Trendy Trio of Carmel, Fishers, and Westfield). CD 6, by contrast, had but a 16% growth in that age group.

The state’s Hispanic population grew by 125,600 or 31%, with less than 40% of that growth represented by Mexicans, 20% Puerto Ricans and Cubans, and the balance from other Hispanic or Latino areas. In percentage terms, CD 3 (Portland to Ft. Wayne and LaGrange) had the lowest increase at 21%, while CD 6 more than doubled its Hispanic population (up 144%).

The Hispanic population includes persons of all racial groupings. When they are removed and only non-Hispanic persons are considered, we see a 97,000 decline in the White alone Hoosier population. This number terrifies White nationalists. What they miss is this “loss” was offset by the 169,000 persons reporting they were of some other race alone or of two or more races.

CDs 6 and 7 had declines in the White alone classification of 57,000 and 61,000 respectively not offset by increases in the more diverse groups mentioned above. CDs 1, 2 and 4 did have such offsets; the remaining CDs 3,5,8 and 9 all had increases in the White alone group but with equal or greater increases in the more diverse groups.

That’s what’s happening. More people are reporting a wider range of racial ancestry than previously. As genealogy becomes more fashionable, occupying a prominent time slot on public TV, more people are aware of and ready to identify the complexity of our origins.
Morton J. Marcus is an economist formerly with the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. His column appears in Indiana newspapers, and his views can be followed his podcast.

© 2024 Morton J. Marcus

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