Whitestown Tops Indiana’s Fastest-Growing Communities

(photo courtesy Dax Norton)

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The Indiana Business Research Center at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business says Whitestown in Boone County is Indiana’s fastest-growing community for the eighth consecutive year. The center says the town’s population nearly tripled, from 3,132 in 2010 to 8,627 last year. Westfield in Hamilton County is not far behind. Its population grew 5.2 percent in 2018, according to information reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Other fast-growing communities include Lake County’s St. John (4.9 percent growth in 2018),  Avon (4.4 percent) and Plainfield (4.3 percent) in Hendricks County.

A majority of the fastest-growing places were either in the Indianapolis metro area or the Indiana portion of the Chicago metro area. 17 out of 20 of the fastest-growing cities came from one of these areas.

Hammond had the largest population decline in 2018, losing 623 residents. Gary lost nearly 600 and Muncie’s population dropped by 422.

"Looking at differences between urban and rural communities, the data show that most Hoosiers live in cities or towns," said Matt Kinghorn, senior demographic analyst at the Indiana Business Research Center, in a news release. "Nearly 34 percent of the state’s population lived in a city with a population of at least 50,000 in 2018. Meanwhile, 20 percent of Hoosiers lived in an incorporated place of between 10,000 and 50,000 residents, while another 12 percent lived in a city or town with fewer than 10,000 residents."

You can find more information about Indiana’s population estimates by clicking here.