Few pieces of data can affect the future of Terre Haute and Vigo County more so than its population ups and downs.
The number of Terre Haute residents peaked in 1960, when 71,786 folks called this place home. The population has mostly declined through every U.S. Census since then. Vigo County followed a mostly parallel track, topping out at 114,528 in 1970 and falling incrementally afterward.
Those are not mere statistics. A declining population can result in real consequences, such as a diminished quality in the local workforce, decreased investment by businesses, neglected infrastructure projects and decreased property values. Fewer residents can mean lower wages as employment opportunities dry up. Public school enrollments drop, limiting the pool of local talent.
Terre Haute and Vigo County Civic and business organizations have stayed focused on implementing changes to help the community attract new residents and employers, and to retain current citizens and businesses.
A sign of progress — albeit a small one — has emerged this spring.
The Census Bureau’s updated population estimates show Vigo County has added residents during the latest one-year period. The county’s population grew by 346 residents from 106,166 in 2024 to 106,512 in 2025. That 0.3% growth is modest, no doubt, but marks a reverse in the long, gradual decline.
Local leaders hailed the uptick at a news conference Tuesday, conducted by the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce and West Central Indiana Partnership. “When you have a growing population, even if it is a small percentage, that is a great sign to the business community that we are moving in a direction that we can support all of those needs that they have,” said Kristin Craig, the Chamber’s president and CEO.
Of course, the boost comes with asterisks.
Vigo County’s population also increased 1.9% to 107,848 between 2000 and 2010, only to resume its slide to its present headcount. And, several Indiana counties that Vigo competes against economically have grown more significantly from 2024 to 2025, according to last month’s report from the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Boone and Hancock counties lead the state at 2.6% and 2.4%, respectively, followed by Clark (near Louisville) at 2.1%, Hamilton and Johnson at 1.9%, Hendricks 1.4%, Morgan 1.2% and Madison 1.1%.
Neighboring Parke County, which has drawn new remote-worker residents, climbed by 1.1%, as did nearby Owen County. As a state, Indiana’s population rose 0.56%, topping neighboring Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois.
One driver of population growth anywhere comes through international migration, and that was the largest source of new residents statewide, according to the IBRC. The Census Bureau’s net international migration data includes any change in residence across U.S. borders, such as those migrating between the U.S. and its territory of Puerto Rico, United States citizens migrating to and from the U.S., and movement of Armed Forces personnel between the U.S. and overseas.
Last year, Indiana had a net inflow of 17,852 residents through international migration.
Vigo County had a net inflow of 163 residents through international migration, and 335 through domestic migration, according to the IBRC. That helped offset the lack of a natural increase, thanks to 192 more deaths than births last year.
Vigo and Terre Haute could benefit from more international migration.
Like the population, Vigo’s and Terre Haute’s incomes need to grow. Vigo’s per-capita incomes rose a slight 0.4% from 2019 to 2024, inching up to $38,758. Still, that falls well short of the $51,499 per-capita income level for the rest of Indiana.
Craig believes the arrival of the ENTEK lithium-ion battery separator plant should help both the population and income levels.
Continued efforts on quality-of-life projects, such as the Wabash River front development and parks improvements, are also crucial. Persistence on every possible front should remain a priority.
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