Johnson County continued to grow in 2021, adding more than 2,100 people, pushing the population to 164,298, estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show.
Indiana added 20,341 residents in 2021, pushing the state’s total population to almost 6.81 million. Johnson County was among the state’s top five numerical gainers, adding 2,118 people. The county had the fourth-highest gain in the state, being beaten out by Hamilton, Hendricks and Allen counties, according to the Indiana Business Research Center at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.
Bargersville was among the fastest-growing communities in the state. The town grew by 656 people in the period from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021, pushing the population to an estimated 10,239, data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows. The town is the fifth fastest-growing community with a population of at least 5,000 in the state, according to data complied by the research center.
Only Westfield, Whitestown, McCordsville and Avon grew faster, data from the center shows.
“Looking at differences between urban and rural communities, these population estimates show that most Hoosiers live in cities or towns,” Matthew Kinghorn, Indiana Business Research Center senior demographer, said in a news release.
Greenwood growth continues
The city of Greenwood continued to grow into 2021, with the city’s population increased by 1.7%, which added 1,015 new residents. The city’s population is now estimated to be around 64,918, Census data shows.
The city is the 589-most populous city in the nation for incorporated places of 50,000 or more. Greenwood is now slightly larger than Brentwood, California and Utica, New York. Brentwood’s population is estimated at 64,870 and Utica’s population is estimated at 64,501, data shows.
Mayor Mark Myers says Greenwood has had positive, controlled growth and city officials are actively trying to keep up with it. All of the city’s departments — including the fire, police, sanitation and street departments — are working to keep up with it as well, he said.
“That’s something we’ve been working on for the last 10 years,” he said.
The growth the city has seen in the last year shows that people like Greenwood, and that they are wanting to be part of a community where they feel safe and secure, Myers said.
“I’m getting an amazing amount of positive comments from citizens who are recently moving into the city,” he said.
Myers has heard from many citizens who have said Greenwood offers more than what their previous cities do. Many people have said they love the city’s three school systems — Center Grove, Clark Pleasant and Greenwood — he said.
The city also boasts some of the lowest property taxes in the state, which factors into it too, Myers said.
Franklin on upswing
Franklin’s population grew to 25,437 in 2021, with the addition of 124 new residents — a 0.5% increase.
The city’s growth is a sign that people want to come to the city because of the job opportunities and amenities Franklin offers, Mayor Steve Barnett said. The city has a variety of opportunities for employees in several fields, including retail, logistics and medical, he said.
Over the last 10 or so years, the city has invested itself to make it have a good atmosphere for people to come here, and the growth shows that, he said.
The city will continue to be in a good position for growth in the future because of its transportation connections. The city has both north-south corridors — Interstate 65 and U.S. 31 — and east-west corridors —State Road 44 and State Road 144 — for development. Farther north, other areas are figuring out how to create their own east-west corridors, Barnett said.
“We already have that. It’s a big plus,” he said.
Barnett expects the city’s growth to increase over the next 5 to 10 years as new housing developments begin construction. With 1,700 new residents in the last 11 years, the growth is not alarmingly fast, he said.
“We want to have the right amount of growth,” Barnett said. “Slow growth is good, fast growth is not.”
The economy will likely control a lot of the city’s growth over the next decade. The city has a number of subdivisions in the works, and the economy is going to drive the work developers do and how long it will take to be done, he said.
In the next 5-to-10 years, the city has the opportunity for 1,500 homes that are expected to be built by developers. Whenever the developments do come, it’s going to be slow, Barnett said.
“We don’t want fast growth. We want slow, responsible growth,” Barnett said. “It has to be balanced.
Towns mixed on growth
Bargersville grew the most, but other towns in the county also experienced growth, according to the Census Bureau. Trafalgar grew by 5.7%, to 1,502; Whiteland grew by 2.8%, to 4,738; and New Whiteland grew by 0.4%, to 5,593, estimates show.
Bargersville Town Manager Julie Young did not respond to a request for an interview about Bargersville’s growth before deadline.
Other Johnson County communities saw population losses, though the losses were no more than 12 people for a single community.
Edinburgh’s population dropped from 4,455 in 2020 to 4,443, a 12-person drop. Population in Prince’s Lakes also dropped four people, to 1,375, data shows.
BY THE NUMBERS
Indiana:
2021: 6,805,985
2020: 6,785,528
Percent increase: 0.3%
Johnson County:
2021: 164,298
2020: 161,765
Percent increase: 1.6%
Greenwood:
2021: 64,918
2020: 63,830
Percent increase: 1.7%
Franklin:
2021: 25,437
2020: 25,313
Percent increase: 0.5%
Bargersville:
2021: 10,239
2020: 9,560
Percent increase: 6.8%
Edinburgh:
2021: 4,443
2020: 4,455
Percent decrease: 0.3%
New Whiteland:
2021: 5,593
2020: 5,550
Percent increase: 0.4%
Prince’s Lakes:
2021: 1,375
2020: 1,379
Percent decrease: 0.3%
Trafalgar:
2021: 1,502
2020: 1,421
Percent increase: 5.7%
Whiteland:
2021: 4,738
2020: 4,610
Percent increase: 2.8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
