Mike Wolanin | The Republic The exterior of The Commons with the Bartholomew County Courthouse pictured in the background in downtown Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017.
Bartholomew County’s population reached a record high last year, driven almost entirely by international workers that experts say are drawn to the community to fill highly skilled roles for global companies operating in the area.
The county’s population grew by an estimated 787 people last year, reaching 85,729 as of July 1, 2025, a 4% increase since 2020, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Net international migration accounted for 79% of that growth last year, with 619 more people moving to the county from abroad than leaving.
The figures underscore the degree to which the county’s economy is tied to global companies, experts and local officials said.
Cummins Inc., the county’s largest employer, is headquartered in Columbus and has around 67,400 employees worldwide. Additionally, more than 35 international companies employ more than 9,000 people locally, according to the Greater Columbus (Indiana) Economic Development Corp.
“(International migration) is to be expected simply from the standpoint that we have so many international, global companies in Columbus,” said Steve Mohler, assistant professor of management at IU Columbus. “…We’re pretty heavily tied to global companies.”
Population trends
While international migration has increased, Bartholomew County has seen decreases in net domestic migration in recent years. From 2020 to 2025, 764 more people moved out of Bartholomew County than moved in from elsewhere in the United States. Over the same period, net international migration totaled 3,447, and natural growth — the number of births minus the number of deaths — was 771.
The population increase in Bartholomew County stands in contrast to neighboring Jackson and Jennings counties, which both saw population declines last year.
Jackson County lost 66 residents largely due to a net outflow of 432 domestic residents that was not offset by international migration. Jennings County’s population fell by 102, with net domestic migration of negative 122 and virtually no natural growth.
“You have to have population growth if you’re going to survive economically,” Mohler said. “…We would have trouble sustaining our economic levels (without population growth). If we see population decline, we will have trouble overall. How would the economic development folks and the chamber attract anybody to Columbus if we didn’t have population growth, if we didn’t have people for them to hire? They wouldn’t. They would have to look elsewhere.”
International migration is not new to Bartholomew County and has been driving population growth in the community for years as employers turn to foreign talent to fill roles they have struggled to fill domestically, according to local officials and state and federal records.
During the 21-year period from 2004 to 2025, net international migration in Bartholomew County was 8,961, while net domestic migration was negative 42, according to STATS Indiana.
But that trend has accelerated over the past decade. From 2016 to 2025, net international migration in Bartholomew County was 5,861, while net domestic migration was negative 1,835.
“We’ve benefited from international migration for decades with the investment that we’ve had from international companies, which then brings international employees,” said Columbus Mayor Mary Ferdon. “…I think growth is always good, and Columbus has always welcomed diversity for decades. And we see a lot of value (of that) in our neighborhoods and our businesses and our schools, which embrace a lot of cultures.”
Ferdon said the decline in domestic migration is a “double-whammy” of sorts that many communities in Indiana are experiencing, as workers and retirees have tended to move to the southeastern and southern states due to milder winters and a perceived lower cost of living.
Highly skilled workers
The new data also provides an initial snapshot of migration patterns since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, promising a crackdown on immigration and implementing policies that have increased costs and restrictions on visas for highly skilled workers.
In September, the Trump administration added a $100,000 fee to applications for H-1B visas, which allow companies to temporarily hire foreign professionals for roles requiring specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor’s degree.
The visa program is intended to address critical labor shortages by allowing companies to hire qualified workers they cannot otherwise find in the U.S. workforce. Critics — including those at the White House — contend that it allows employers to undercut U.S. workers by hiring foreign professionals willing to work for less.
Several local employers — including Cummins, Toyota Material Handling, Columbus Regional Health and others — have sponsored H-1B visas for workers over the years, according to federal records.
The Census Bureau data, current through July, does not capture the impact of the fee increase, which took effect in September, just days after the proclamation was signed.
“If this H-1B visa fee of $100,000 curtails companies from bringing in foreign workers, it would, in my perspective, be a drain on our economy at least in the near term,” Mohler said. “…We can’t graduate students fast enough to replace (highly skilled foreign workers) in the next three or four years, because to get them in and get through the bachelor’s degree is four years. If it’s an advanced degree, it’s six or eight (years). Therefore, if that $100,000 is a deterrent to our companies, we will struggle unless we’re able to attract other workers.”
The most recent federal data shows that from September through December, local employers received approval for 96 new H-1B visas. In the prior fiscal year, which ran from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, 120 new applications were approved for local employers.
However, it is hard to say what the impact of the new fee has been locally. The $100,000 charge applied only to applications filed after Sept. 21. Because the government data does not specify when applications were filed, it is unclear how many of the 96 approvals were subject to the fee.
At one point last year, H-1B processing times averaged three to six months, according to Washington-based Boundless Immigration. That suggests that applications filed as early as March 2025 — and possibly earlier — would not have been subject to the fee.
Ferdon said it hard to say how much of an impact the new fee has had on local employers but could end up reducing international migration in Bartholomew County if the policy is left in place long term.
“I imagine it will have an impact if (the new fee) continues long term,” Ferdon said. “…I imagine … over time we will see a decrease in international migration if the H-1B visa process continues down the same path. But I’m hopeful that it will change because we value the employees that we’re able to bring to Columbus with the visa program. It’s of immense value to our companies.”
Aging workforce
At the same time, Bartholomew County’s workforce is aging, experts said.
In 2024, residents 65 and older made up 25% of Bartholomew County population ages 25 and up, an increase from 22% in 2015 and 20% in 2010, Census Bureau figures show.
In the same time period, 17% of Bartholomew County residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher — nearly 3,300 people — were at least 65 years old in 2024, up from 14% in 2015 and 13% in 2010.
“Our population 65 and over has been increasing,” Mohler said. “…But the scary part is … a significant part of our population with the higher degrees are 65 and older. …With people over 65 holding a number of degrees and the population is not increasing, when those folks do decide to leave the labor market, it will be a drain on us.”
