Johnson County’s population continued to rise in 2022, though not at the same rate as it did from 2020 to 2021, estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show.
From July 2021 to July 2022, Johnson County’s population rose by 1,364, pushing the county’s total population to 165,782. Johnson County once again placed among the state’s top five numerical gainers, placing 5th based on annual change with a 2.5% increase over the one-year period. Hamilton, Hendricks, Allen and Clark counties grew faster, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Since 2020, Johnson County’s population has grown by about 2.5%.
Data also shows Indiana’s population rose to 6.83 million in 2022, after gaining 19,505 people. The U.S. population grew by 0.8% to about 333.3 million.
Two towns growing fast
Whiteland was among the fastest-growing communities in the state in 2022. The town grew by 8.6% to 5,152, placing it among the fastest-growing Indiana communities from 2021 to 2022, according to the Indiana Business Research Center at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.
The five fastest-growing communities of at least 5,000 population were McCordsville, Whiteland, Whitestown, Westfield and Pendleton, according to the research center.
It is both surprising and not surprising that Whiteland is among the fastest growing in the state, Acting Town Manager Carmen Young said. The town has had a lot of growth, and officials knew it would eventually start to show in their population numbers, she said.
“Growing means that people are choosing to live here and not moving away from here,” Young said. “It allows us to be able to have opportunities to provide more amenities for our community as we do continue to grow and have people moving here.”
Residential growth is expected to continue in the future, as several projects are proposed for the town. Over 500 single-family lots, 100 villas and two apartment complexes are expected to be built in the next few years. This adds up to over 1,000 new residences coming to Whiteland, she said.
But it’s not just residential growth the town has had, it’s also industrial and commercial growth, Young said.
“That could explain why we’re seeing a lot more residential growth with folks wanting to live closer to where they work,” she said. “It’s all attributing to the fact that we’re growing but we’re not just growing in one bucket. We’re growing in both the residential, commercial and industrial (buckets).”
The town grew by 11.6% in the period from the 2020 Census to the 2022 estimate, data shows.
When estimates for 2021 came out last year, Bargersville was the fifth fastest-growing community in the state. In 2022 Bargersville gained 486 residents, pushing its population from 10,231 to 10,717 — a 4.8% increase. Since 2020, Bargersville’s population increased by nearly 12%, data shows.
Bargersville Town Manager Dan Cartwright says he believes the growth rates seen on the Census update are at a pace that will continue in the near future. The town continues to grow at a rapid pace and continues to have developers contacting his office about expanding into the town, he said.
“This is a result of a pro-development town council, professional and experienced town department heads, the agricultural environment and the town’s commitment to providing desired amenities to our residents,” Cartwright said.
Greenwood continues to grow
In northern Johnson County, the county’s largest city grew larger. Greenwood’s 2022 population was 65,406, an increase of 0.8% from 2021’s 64,897 population. 486 new residents were estimated to be in the city.
The city is the 587-most populous city in the nation for incorporated places of 50,000 or more, moving up two spots from 2021. Greenwood is now larger than Muncie, but is smaller than Ocala, Florida. Muncie’s population is estimated at 65,076 and Ocala’s population is estimated at 65,478, data shows.
Greenwood is also the sixth fast-growing Indiana city of over 50,000 population or more, based on annual estimates. Additionally, from 2020 to 2022, the city grew by about 2.5%.
“We’re happy that the city is continuing to grow and that people are wanting to continue to move into Greenwood,” Mayor Mark Myers said.
While the city’s growth rate is estimated at less than 1%, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers says the slower rate is not a bad thing. It is allowing the city the chance to get caught up with all of its different departments, he said.
“We’re bringing quality projects, homes into the community and bringing strong, quality residents that are happy to be here,” Myers said.
The city will continue to grow, as hundreds of residences including apartments, townhomes, single-family homes, and senior living units are planned in the coming years.
Other communities mixed on growth
Franklin’s population grew by 0.3% in 2022 and the city added 77 new residents. The city’s population now stands at 25,728, data shows.
The city has grown by about 1.6% from 2020 to 2022, data shows.
New Whiteland and Trafalgar also had population growth.
New Whiteland added 155 residents, growing to 5,730. This is a 2.8% increase from 5,575 in 2021. Trafalgar added 20 residents, raising the town’s population to 1,520, a 1.3% increase. The town’s population was 1,500 in 2021.
From 2020 to 2022, Trafalgar grew by about 7% while New Whiteland grew by about 3.2%, according to census data.
Two Johnson County towns lost population in 2022: Edinburgh and Prince’s Lakes.
Edinburgh’s 2022 population is at 4,400, a decrease of 0.7%. The town’s population was 4,432 in 2021. Prince’s Lakes’ population decreased by 0.3% in 2022 to 1,366. This is a drop of four from the town’s 2021 population of 1,370, according to the estimates.
The losses continue a trend seen since 2020. Edinburgh’s population has dropped by about 0.9% from 2020 to 2022, while Prince’s Lakes population dropped by about 0.5% during the same period, the data shows.
