While the State of Indiana reported an 81.7% increase in Hispanic population in the period of 2000 - 2010, Starke County experienced a more modest increase of approximately 49%, after seeeing a 40.1% increase between 1990 and 2000.  For the communities in Starke County, Hamlet saw a 90.9% increase, Knox an increase of 28.2%, and North Judson an increase of 20.6% during the last decade.

The Northern part of Indiana saw rather large increases in their Hispanic population over the last decade, with the Counties that are contiguous to Starke County showing the following gains:

As an important part of the Census function, the U.S. Census Bureau also reports to each State the number of persons in each Congressional District, State House of Representatives District, and State Senate District, so that the Indiana General Assembly can redistrict as needed to keep each of those districts as close as possible to each other.  Based on the new 2010 counts, it appears quite likely that Starke County could see new districts that will affect some or all of its current elected officilas at those levels of government.

Based on the 2010 Census count for Indiana of 6,080,485, each Congressional District would have 720,422 persons, and at the present time, the 2nd District in which Starke is located has a total of 679,254 persons.  The 4th and 5th Districts are the most out of line, with the 4th District some 69,000 persons over that ideal number, and the 5th is more than 88,000 over the ideal number.

Each State House District would have 64,838 persons, and the current population count for the 17th District totals 61,387.

In the Indiana Senate, a perfect district would have 129,676 persons, and the current 5th District has a total of 127,561.

The indiana General Assembly is expected to begin the process of redistricting within the next month or so.

                     Coming on Friday, a look at the minority population changes in Starke County and the area around Starke County.

The release last week of 2010 Census figures for the State of Indiana included statistics on numbers of persons over and under age 18, minority populations, and numbers of residential units.  In comparison with the seven (7) adjoining Counties, Starke County appears to be about average as far as the age of its citizens, has a low minority population, and has a high percentage of vacant housing units as of April 1, 2010.

Starke County has about 24% of its residents who are under the age of 18, which matches that of Pulaski and Porter Counties.  LaPorte County is at 23%, Fulton and St. Joseph Counties are at 25%, Jasper County is at 26% and Marshall County has 27% of its population under 18.  The region as a whole is at 24% below the age of 18, while the State of Indiana as a whole has an under 18 population of about 25%.

With respect to minority populations, Pulaski is at 4%, Starke is 5%, Jasper and Fulton are both 7%, Marshall is 11%, Porter is 14%, LaPorte is 19%, and St. Joseph is 24%.  As a total region, the minority population stands at 18%, which matches that of the State level.

In the area of vacant housing units, the Census shows Porter at 7%, Jasper at 8%, St. Joseph at 11%, Marshall and LaPorte at 14%, Pulaski at 15%, Fulton at 18% and Starke at 21%.  As a region, the total is 11% vacant housing units, while the State as a whole is at 12%.

For all purposes above, the term "region" refers to Starke County and the seven (7) Counties that are contiguous to Starke County, which includes Fulton, Pulaski, LaPorte, Marshall, Porter, Jasper, and St. Joseph.

Coming on Thursday, Possible Redistricting Effects of the Census Count

    While Starke County experienced a very small decrease in population over the last decade, most of the Counties that are contiguous to Starke County showed gains in population according to preliminary figures released late last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.  Pulaski County lost 353 residents, or a total of 2.6%, while all other contiguous Counties showed some growth, with Porter County leading the way at a 12% increase.  Here is how each County fared over the last decade:

Coming on Wednesday, Regional Population Figures and Comparisons

In addition to providing counts as to population in the various Counties, the U.S. Census also looks at and counts total population in each school district, breaking down those counts into the number 18 years of age or older and those under the age of 18.  For Starke County, the Knox School District shows a 2010 count of 11,089 persons, of which, 8,313 are 18 years of age or older and 2,776 are under the age of 18 (25%).  For the North Judson-San Pierre Scholl District, the total population is 7,507, with 5,645 aged 18 or older and 1,862 under the age of 18 (24.8%).  For the Oregon-Davis School District, the total population is 4,410, with 3,379 aged 18 or older and 1,031 under the age of 18 (23.4%).  That makes for a total in the three districts of 23,006, of which 17,337 are 18 or older, and 5,669 are under the age of 18, or about 25%.

Coming on Tuesday, Population in Neighboring Counties Grows in Last Decade.

As reported in yesterday’s blog entry, Starke County and two of its three municipalities all lost small amounts of residents from 2000 to 2010, according to the most recent Census figures released yesterday.  Here is a breakdown by Township in Starke County, showing the 2000 population, the 2010 population, increase/decrease, and percentage of increase/decrease during the last decade.

Showing the greatest percentage increase was Oregon Township at 9.5%, followed by North Bend Township at 7.7%, Washington Township at 7.5%, and Jackson Township at 4.4%.  At the other end of the count, the largest percentage decrease in population was experienced by Railroad Township at 9.4%, followed by Wayne Township at 8.9% and Davis Township at 8.7%.

Township                               2000                 2010                    +/-                      %+/-

California                                 2116                 2011                 -105                   -5.0%

Center                                     6271                 6229                 -  42                    -.7%

Davis                                       1142                 1043                 -  99                  -8.7%

Jackson                                     526                   549                 + 23                  +4.4%

North Bend                               1294                 1394                 +100                  +7.7%

Oregon                                    3074                 3367                 +293                  +9.5%

Railroad                                   1353                 1226                 -127                   -9.4%

Washington                              2793                 3003                 +210                  +7.5%

Wayne                                     4987                 4541                  -446                  -8.9%    

Coming on Monday, Starke County School Corporations Population Counts

The United States Census Bureau on Wednesday of this week sent the Governor and legislative leaders in Indiana the first results of the 2010 Census showing populations for each County and municipality within the state, which figures have now been released to the general public.  The population for the entire State of Indiana was released earlier, with the State seeing a 6.6% increase in population since the 2000 Census was taken.  In 2000, the total state population was 6,080,485, which was then increased by 403,317 persons counted during the 2010 Census, for a total state population of 6,483,802 as of April 1, 2010.  On the national level, the total population saw a 9.7% increase over the decade, with total population as of April 1, 2010 pegged at 308,745,538.

Starke County saw a small decrease in its population from 2000 to 2010, going from 23,556 in 2000 to 23,363 in 2010, a decrease of less than 1%.  The City of Knox saw a decrease of 14 persons, going from 3,721 in 2000 to 3,704 in 2010, a decrease of .5%.  The Town of North Judson experienced an increase, going from 1,675 persons in 2000 to 1,772 persons in 2010, an increase of 5.8%.  The Town of Hamlet registered a small decrease during the last decade going from 820 persons in 2000 to 800 persons in 2010, a decrease of 2.5%.

Additional Census data for Starke County as well as its neighboring counties will be discussed in this blog in the next few days.

The United States Department of Labor has announced that the January unemployment rate fell for the second month in a row, from 9.4% in December to 9.0% in January, despite the fact that only 36,000 jobs were added during the month, well under what is normally needed for an adjustment to the unemployment rate of this size.  The national rate has now fallen from 9.8% in November to 9.0% in January.