Suburbs diversify: population change in racial and Hispanic composition.

• Author: Rogers, Carol O.

Diversity is an attribute often sought for both social and economic reasons.

As Indiana continues to diversify its economy, recognizing its strength in manufacturing while seeking to expand life sciences, logistics, and technology, Indiana's counties have been quietly undergoing their own population diversification. The Census in 1990 marked the first time people of color were counted in each of our ninety-two counties. Since Census 2000, estimates of our population by race and Hispanic ethnicity continue to show significant growth in a number of our counties, not all of them urban.

Eleven Indiana counties saw their African American populations grow by more than 50 percent between 2000 and 2003. (Note: 2000 figures based on the adjusted census base and 2003 figures as of July 1.) Many of these were suburban counties: Hancock, Hendricks, Morgan, and Hamilton counties surrounding Indianapolis and Porter County, nestled between Lake and La Porte counties in the Gary metro area. The largest numbers of African Americans (218,149) live in Marion County, where 25 percent of the population is estimated as being African American. Lake County also has 25 percent of its population identified as part of this racial group. Sixty of ninety-two counties now have at least one hundred or more African Americans, compared to fifty-seven counties in 2000 and forty-nine counties in 1990.

Several counties in the Indianapolis metro area saw the largest increases in the number of blacks. Howard, Tippecanoe, Clark, and Warrick counties also saw large increases in the number of African Americans, likely due in part to the high-paying manufacturing jobs now available in those areas.

The rate of increase in the Hispanic population (which can be of any race) was slower than that for the black population. Only three counties exceeded a 50 percent growth in the Hispanic population between 2000 and 2003...