Population trends for Monroe and surrounding counties are a microcosm of what’s happening around the state.
New population estimates from Indiana University’s Indiana Business Research Center show growth in a handful of metropolitan areas and counties where the state’s two large flagship universities are located. This is a reflection of the economic opportunities in those areas, said Matt Kinghorn, senior demographer at the Indiana Business Research Center.
The state’s six fastest growing counties from 2016 to 2017 were in the Indianapolis metro area, with Boone County leading the way at 2.5 percent. Tippecanoe, home to Purdue, was the fastest growing county outside the Indianapolis metro area, with 1 percent growth. Monroe County was the ninth-fastest growing county in the state, with 0.9 percent growth.
All of the counties that border Monroe saw a population change of less than 0.5 percent. Morgan, Lawrence and Brown counties grew by 0.2 percent. Jackson and Greene counties both declined by 0.1 percent. Owen County saw the largest dip at 0.4 percent.
The decline in Owen County’s population was driven by net out migration, or more people moving out than moving in, Kinghorn said. That’s not terribly uncommon in the state’s rural counties as high school graduates move away for school or jobs after graduation and retirees move south to warmer weather, he said.
There was also no natural population increase, which refers to the difference between the number of births and deaths. This is reflective of a couple of trends, Kinghorn said. One is young adults moving to metropolitan areas for jobs and then starting families there. The other is the aging of the baby boomer generation.