Indiana increased by 10 percent, or over 536,000 people, between 1990 and 2000.

Indiana’s immigrant population almost doubled during the 1990s, accounting for 17 percent of the state’s overall population increase during the decade.

Environmental and Quality of Life Profile 

Water: Between 2000 and 2006, Indiana’s foreign-born population increased by 41.3 percent.^4/ That compares with a 2.6 percent increase in the native-born population and that includes the children born to immigrants. When the U.S-born children of immigrants are included, immigration accounts for over half (51.7%) of the state’s overall growth during that time.^5/ By 2050 the state’s population is expected to rise from 6.3 million in 2006 to 7.7 million.^6/ Indiana has a daily, per-capita water demand of 110.6 gallons.^7/This means that by 2050 public water usage will have increased by 154.8 million gallons each day.

Traffic: As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for Indiana residents increased 11 percent during the 1990s, from 20 minutes to 23 minutes in 2000. 8/, 9/  32% of Indiana's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition and vehicle travel on Indiana's highways increased 35% from 1990 to 2003. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Indiana motorists $1.2 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs, $258 per motorist. 10/

The annual delay per traveler in 2003 in the Chicago-Indiana area was 58 hours, and the annual delay per traveler in the Indianapolis area was 38 hours. In the Cincinnati-Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana area, the annual delay was 30 hours.11/ 11percent of commuters in Indiana have a commute that is at least 45 minutes long. 12/

Traffic congestion is one of the biggest complaints of Indianapolis metro residents. Since 1990, the area’s traffic has grown more than 25 percent, and the number of vehicle registrations in the metro area has nearly tripled.13/

Disappearing Open Space: Each year, Indiana loses 39,100 acres of open space and farmland due to development.14/

A study of urban sprawl between 1970 and 1990 that calculated the impact of population increase and per capita land use found that 307 square miles of additional land were consumed by urban sprawl in the Chicago-IL-NW Indiana metropolitan area, and 5.3 percent of that sprawl was attributable to population increase. In the Indianapolis area sprawl consumed an additional 87.7 square miles and population increase accounted for 52.7 percent of the increase. 15/

Crowded Housing: in 2005 over 35,000 Indiana households are defined as crowded or severely crowded by housing authorities.13/ Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born.16/,17/

Sprawl: Other state’s sprawl is spilling over into Indiana. As people try to escape from the population congestion in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Louisville, they’re flooding into Indiana, where they can still commute to their jobs in the states they left. From 1997 to 2000, most Indiana counties bordering urban areas in neighboring states saw a 30 percent or more increase in the number of residents commuting to workplaces across state lines.18/

Air pollution: As population increases, pollution usually rises along with it. Indiana released more cancer-causing pollutants into the air and water in 2000 than all but two other states.19/

26 of Indiana’s 92 counties received a grade of “F” from the American Lung Associations state of the air 2005 report. 20/

Poverty: In 2005 18.8 percent of immigrants in Indiana have incomes below the poverty level, and increase of 56.4 percent since 2000. Among non-citizens, the poverty rate climbs to 23.3 percent. /21

Solid Waste: Indiana generates 1.55 tons of solid waste per capita. 22/

Education: Between 2000 and 2006 Indiana’s K-12 student enrollment increased by over 46,000 students (4.7 percent) 23/, 24/. Indiana’s student teacher ratio of 17.1 ranks 43^rd in the U.S.

With increasing enrollment, many districts have been forced to build more facilities, expand existing schools, and add portable classrooms.25/ In Hamilton Southeastern, nearly 1,000 new students showed up for classes in 2001.26/ Franklin Township officials say their enrollment is projected to double by 2013.27/

 Endnotes:

1. FAIR estimate based on the 2006 Current Population Survey.
2. "Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for
3. States based on the March 2005 CPS", Pew Hispanic Center.
4. U.S. Census Bureau 2006
5. Jack Martin. “Issue Brief: Estimation of Foreign Born Birthrate.” FAIR. 2008
6. ack Martin and Stanley Fogel. “Projecting the U.S. Population to 2050.” FAIR. March 2006
7. “Growing Region Stretching Water Resources,” Munster Times, April 29, 2001.
8. U.S. Geological Survey 2000
9. “Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000,” Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
10. “Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 1990,” 1990 Census, U.S. Census Bureau.
11. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
12. "The 2005 Urban Mobility Report", Texas Transportation Institute.
13. “U.S. Population 2007 Data Sheet,” Population Reference Bureau.
14. Diane Fredrick, Dan McFeely, and Lisa Renze-Rhodes, “Northern Expansion Creates Challenges,” Indianapolis Star, April 11, 2002.
15. “State Rankings by Acreage and Rate of Non-federal Land Developed,” Natural Resources Conservation Service, United
16. Beck, Roy and Leon Kolankiewicz, “Weighing Sprawl Factors in Large U.S. Cities,” NumbersUSA, March 2001.
17. Selected Housing Characteristics: 2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
18. Haya El Nasser, “U.S. Neighborhoods Grow More Crowded,” USA Today,July 7, 2002.
19. Randy Capps, “Hardship Among Children of Immigrants: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families,” Urban Institute, 2001.
20. “Out of State Workers Making Indiana Home,” Associated Press, July 5, 2002.
21. “Group Ranks Indiana Among Top 10 Polluting States,” Associated Press, January 23, 2003.
22. “State of the Air 2005: Indiana”, American Lung Association.
23. “Indiana State Factsheet,” Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
24. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
25. "Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools and Districts: School Year 1999-2000," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
26. "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007
27. Alisa Mabry, “Enrollment Up at Schools,” Indianapolis Star, October 13, 2001.24. Fredrick, McFeely, and Renze-Rhodes, op. cit.
28. Fredrick, McFeely, and Renze-Rhodes, op. cit.
29. Sharon Dunten, “Board Oks Elementary to Help Ease Crowding,” Indianapolis Star, February 20, 2003.