Local Communities Experience Population Growth

Ken de la Bastide, The Herald Bulletin

May 22, 2025

ANDERSON — Madison County is among a majority of Indiana counties to experience population growth last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Those figures show the population in the cities and towns in the county grew by 1% last year, adding 879 residents.

The county is among the 10 fastest growing in the state in terms of population.

According to the figures, every city or town in the county saw its population increase in 2024 compared to 2023.

The city of Anderson’s population climbed by 448 residents to 55,851.

The town of Pendleton was next in growth, adding 136 residents to bring its population to 5,758; it was followed by Lapel with an increase of 123 to a population of 2,516.

Elwood added 52 residents last year and Alexandria saw an increase of 36 people.

Clayton Whitson, president and CEO of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce, said the county is benefiting from its geographic location just north of the Indianapolis metropolitan area.

“The entire Central Indiana region is growing,” he said. “We’re seeing the growth come up Interstate 69 and Ind. 67.”

Whitson said Hamilton County, among the fastest growing counties in the state, has reached a saturation point.

“People are looking for more affordable housing and more green space,” he said.

Whitson said he was not surprised by the increase in Anderson, particularly on the south side of the city near the interstate.

“We need to focus on the types of amenities people are looking for,” he said. “We want to remain competitive and the population trend should continue.”

Rob Sparks, executive director of the Corporation for Economic Development, said there continues to be growth in the local housing market.

“The housing market will drive population growth,” he said. “There are a lot of properties in Anderson being redeveloped. People are looking at Anderson and Madison County as a place to invest in housing.

“I would expect a growing housing market in the county for the next few years,” Sparks said. “Including new homes as well as rehabilitation.”

Scott Reske, Pendleton town manager, said the town is planning for population growth in the future.

“We’re bracing for the potential growth,” he said. “A steady rate of growth is healthy. We don’t know how fast it will build up and what areas will be developed first.”

Reske used as a comparison a multi-decade pattern of growth in Fishers, which went from a population of 2,000 in 1980 to more than 100,000 in 40 years.

“We know the growth is coming,” he said. “We don’t want to lose the small-town atmosphere.”

Leaders at the Indiana Business Research Center said that this year’s population increase was the state’s biggest annual jump since 2008, according to Fox News.

Matthew Kinghorn is a senior demographer with the Indiana Business Research Center. He said Indiana’s population growth data is in line with national trends, but it is having an impact across the entire state.

“Last year, 73 out of 92 counties in Indiana added population, which is really a dramatic turnaround,” he said. “If we look at the last decade, between 2010 and 2020, more than half of our counties declined in population. So we’re seeing a lot of communities that were declining, adding population last few years.”