Bartholomew County’s population growth outpaced the statewide rate over the past decade and grew more diverse, with a considerable drop in the percentage of residents identifying as white, according to data from the 2020 Census.
The figures, which were part of a trove of demographic data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, offer the first glimpse of how the county and the surrounding area have evolved over the past 10 years.
The data from the once-a-decade headcount could have a profound impact on the county for years to come, shaping representation in Congress and determining how some $1.5 trillion in federal money is allocated to states and local communities for education, Medicaid, food assistance, roads, playgrounds, after-school programs, low-income housing, among many other things.
Overall, the population of Bartholomew County grew to 82,208 last year — a 7.1% increase from the 2010 Census but lower than the 2019 estimate of 83,779, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Over the past 10 years, the county gained 5,414 residents.
By comparison, Indiana’s population rose 4.7% over the past decade, while the U.S. population increased 7.4%.
The last time that Bartholomew County reported a population growth below 7.1% was in the 1980s, when the county’s population declined 2.2%. Bartholomew County’s population grew 12.2% from 1990 to 2000 and 7.5% from 2000 to 2010.
On Thursday, local officials viewed the county’s population growth as good news for the community, saying that a growing population generally leads to more economic activity and interpreted the population increase as a sign that people have been deciding to move to Bartholomew County.
They’re hopeful that the population increase will lead to more federal funding over the next decade.
“Growth is good news,” said Jason Hester, president of the Greater Columbus Indiana Economic Development Corp. “If we’re not growing, we’re dying a slow death.”
Robin Hilber, assistant director of community development for the city of Columbus and chair of the Columbus 2020 Census Complete Count Committee, said the county had a “nice growth in population” though it remains unclear if that will lead to an increase in federal funding for Columbus.
“We’re hopeful that it will have a positive impact, and a lot of that, of course, depends on how other areas grew as far as how many federal funds will be allocated to Indiana and specifically our city and county,” Hilber said. “We had a nice growth in population, so we’re hopeful that the dollars will follow.”
The release of local data came months after the U.S. Census Bureau reported that U.S. population growth slowed to the lowest rate since the Great Depression, as Americans continued their march to the South and West and one-time engines of growth, New York and California, lost political influence, The Associated Press reported.
The data released Thursday also showed that the United States became more diverse and more urban over the past decade, and the white population dropped for the first time on record.
The figures show continued migration to the South and West at the expense of counties in the Midwest and Northeast, according to wire reports. The share of the white population fell from 63.7% in 2010 to 57.8% in 2020, the lowest on record, though white people continue to be the most prevalent racial or ethnic group.
However, that changed in California, where Hispanics became the largest racial or ethnic group, growing to 39.4% from 37.6% over the decade, while the share of white people dropped from 40.1% to 34.7%.
“The U.S. population is much more multiracial and much more racially and ethnically diverse than what we have measured in the past,” said Nicholas Jones, a Census Bureau official.
Race and ethnicity
Bartholomew County’s population also grew more diverse over the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
A total of 80% of Bartholomew County residents identified as white — down from 89.6% in 2010 and 94.2% in 2000. Overall, 3,061 fewer residents identified as white compared to 2010.
At the same time, the percentage of residents identifying as Asian or of two or more races increased. In 2020, Asians made up 6.6% of Bartholomew County’s population, up from 3.4% in 2010. A total 6.1% identified as being of two or more races, up from 1.6% a decade ago.
The Hispanic population in Bartholomew County also grew, increasing from 6.2% from in 2010 to 8.8% in 2020. The Black population ticked up, representing 2.2% of the county’s population in 2020, compared to 1.8% in 2010.
Surrounding area
In the surrounding area, Jackson County saw a 9.6% population increase over the past 10 years, with 46,428 residents as of last year, up from 42,376 in 2010.
Jackson County saw a 159.4% increase in its Hispanic population over the past 10 years — the second highest increase among all counties in Indiana. Overall, 13.5% of Jackson County residents identified as Hispanic, up from 5.7% in 2010.
Additionally, Jackson County’s white population fell from 94.5% in 2010 to 83.4% in 2020.
Decatur County’s population was 26,472 last year, a 2.8% increase from 2010. Brown County’s population ticked up to 15,475 last year, up from 15,242 in 2010.
The population of Jennings County declined 3.2%, losing 912 residents over the course of the past decade.
Impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic dealt several setbacks to the 2020 Census, with virus lockdowns keeping census workers from going door to door and hindering efforts to increase public awareness.
Because of the pandemic, the Census Bureau pushed back finishing field operations for the 2020 census from the end of July to the end of October but then shortened it a month to the end of September, The Associated Press reported. A judge’s order returned the deadline to Oct. 31. But the Census Bureau moved it up to Oct. 5 before the Supreme Court suspended the judge’s order.
The pandemic also impacted local efforts to boost participation in the census, local officials said.
The data released Thursday comes from compiling forms filled out last year by tens of millions of Americans, with the help of census takers and government statisticians to fill in the blanks when forms were not turned in or questions were left unanswered, according to wire reports.
Local officials said that the pandemic may have discouraged participation in Bartholomew County, possibly undercounting the local population.
“I think (the 2020 Census) probably does underrepresent our population,” Hilber said. “We know that it is a challenge, and that’s why the Census Bureau actually extended that reporting deadline to try to get more people to respond.”
“I don’t know, maybe the fact that people weren’t comfortable answering their doors may have limited (response rates),” she added. “I don’t know if Census workers maybe weren’t able to get out into the outlying county.”
