BSU Measures Indiana ‘Human Development Index’

Trustees also approved a 1 percent room and board rate increase for the 2017-2018 academic year.

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Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research has developed a Human Development Index to rank quality of life and health in Indiana’s 92 counties. Director Mike Hicks says the effort underscores the need for education and quality of place efforts, specifically in rural counties.

The CBER says the counties with the highest HDI were Hamilton, Monroe, Tippecanoe, Porter and Boone. The lowest were LaGrange, Scott, Switzerland, Starke and Crawford counties.

In a release from Ball State, Hicks said, "We find that there is disparity in HDI across counties. We find evidence of higher HDI for urban counties relative to rural counties. Cities such as South Bend and Evansville received the highest HDI, whereas Anderson and Terre Haute received the lowest."

Among the recommendations from the CBER for the lower-scoring counties are focusing on regional development, developing local infrastructure to support healthy lifestyles and improving local government responsiveness.

You can see the full report by clicking here.