US Census shows Indiana growing faster than Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- New data from the most recent U.S. Census Report collected in 2020 for population and housing shows the Hoosier state is growing faster than the commonwealth.

From 2010-2020, Indiana reported an increase of 4.7% in population statewide, while Kentucky reported 3.8%.

Outside of major cities, University of Louisville Associate Professor of Urban and Public Affairs Dr. Matthew Ruther says counties changed similar to how he anticipated.

"Indiana is actually growing quicker than Kentucky. It's actually sort of an outlier in our region because Illinois is actually losing people, Ohio is growing fairly slowly, West Virginia is losing people," said Ruther.

The largest growth reported in Indiana and Kentucky came outside the cities of Indianapolis and Lexington.

In Kentucky, Scott County topped the list for the most growth with 21.1%, welcoming 9,982 people.

"Some are growing much faster than others. Jefferson County, obviously the largest county in the state, has really moderate growth. It is growing but it's not spectacular," said Ruther.

Though it includes the largest city in Kentucky, Jefferson County only reported an increase of 5.7%. The county welcomed 41,873 people to the area, bringing the population total to 782,969.

In Indiana, Hamilton had the most growth with an increase of 26.5%, welcoming 72,898 new neighbors.

In southern Indiana, Floyd and Clark were among the states top growing counties.

Census data shows 10,861 people moved to Clark County for an increase of 9.9%, and 5,906 people moved to Floyd County for an increase of 7.9%.

While other counties in Kentuckiana grew, Trimble County in Kentucky continued its pattern of gradual decline.

The population of Trimble County sits below 10,000 at just 8,809 as 335 people moved away to other areas.

"There's also some evidence that people are moving from some of the smaller towns, maybe in the eastern and western parts of the state, into these faster growing counties," said Ruther.

To see how Kentucky stacks up compared to the rest of the country, click here to view the U.S. Census Bureau's full report.