By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD. com
Adams County’s population growth since the 2020 Census has been one of the largest in northeast Indiana, according to numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Adams County’s estimated 2024 population was 36,584, a 2.1% rise from the 2020 number.
Among the 11 northeast Indiana counties, only Allen, DeKalb and Wells showed larger increases.
Only Wabash County showed a loss.
Allen County’s growth was the largest by far, rising 3.6% from 2020 to an estimated 399,295 in 2024.
DeKalb was up 2.4%, to an estimated 44,330 residents last year, and Wells showed an increase of 2.2%, to 28,798.
Whitley County had an increase of 2.0%, to 34,885, while LaGrange was up 1.7%, to 41,122, and Steuben rose 1.2%, to 34,682.
Others: Huntington, 0.8%, to 36,944; Noble, 0.7%, to 47,811; Kosciusko, 0.5%, to 80,669; and Wabash, minus 0.6 %, to 30,777.
Allen County’s 3.6% growth was the eighth highest by percentage statewide since 2020. It’s population on July 1 of last year was 399,295, continuing its status as the third-largest county, population-wise, in Indiana.
The state showed an increase of 44,145 residents, boosting its population to 6.9 million.
“In a time where population growth is no longer a given, northeast Indiana’s population growth is a bright spot,” Rachel Blakeman, director of the Research Institute, said in a statement to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.
“Statewide data continue to demonstrate how growth begets growth in population centers that offer a mix of quality of place and quality of life assets,” Blakeman said. “One item to notice in the years ahead is the expected increase in deaths outpacing births, especially in rural counties. We can expect to see this disparity grow in the next decade or two.”
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