The population of the state of Hoosier grew to 6.75 million, from 6.73 million in 2019 – an increase of 23,943 people, according to the estimates of the federal agency.
The adjacent population of Illinois fell by 79,487 residents to 12.6 million, the second largest loss in the entire country, after New York State alone, reported The (Northwest Indiana) Times.
The official results of the 2020 Census have not yet been released, and the new figures reflect the annual estimate of the Census and not the official count.
Annual estimates show that northwest Indiana has been gaining population for the first time in years, adding about 2,102 more residents last year.
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This increase reverses a long-standing trend that followed deindustrialization and job losses at steelmakers in the region, Micah Pollak, assistant professor of economics at Indiana University Northwest, in a recent article for the Indiana Business Research Center.
He wrote that the better public transport of the expansion of the South Shore Line urban train line, “a wider range of high-end stores, restaurants and breweries” and the expansion of cycle paths and green spaces now “allow the region to better serve needs and expectations of the next generation. “
“Although northwest Indiana was once a region that many residents once expected to leave, we are now seeing more people returning, choosing to stay here or be attracted to the region,” wrote Pollack.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
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