By Dan Ridenour, Mayor of Muncie—
MUNCIE, IN—Recently released US Census data shows that the Muncie Metro Area has grown by 1,044 people since the April 2020 Census. Increasing from 111,907 up to 112,951 in 2024. This result indicates a clear and positive improvement since 2020 following decades of population losses. Now with four consecutive years of population gains, the Muncie MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) is on an upward trend. In the last 4 years, Muncie MSA grew more than South Bend, Kokomo, Elkhart, Evansville, Terre Haute, Bloomington, and Michigan City to name some similar size communities. Growth has been a goal of this administration since 2020. These population gains confirm some of the fruits of our efforts over the last four years. Developments like Cityview 1 and 2, Riverbend Flats, White River Lofts, Washington Square, Storer Estates, and Southern Terrace to name a few. City and County efforts in Muncie and Delaware County helped the East Central Indiana Region (ECI) Counties overall to also register population growth by +17 since 2020. Yes, ECI is up in population since the 2020 Census.
Results from the 3/13/25 release by US Census:
Increasing population is unusual for us and is very welcome for many reasons. Some of those reasons include that population growth means that since there are more people in our area, available incomes increase. Those new residents will spend their funds at our local retail stores, local restaurants and with our local service providers. Additional spending for local business is a big boon to the local economy. It also bodes well for our future when there are more consumers spending income. A growing population, resulting in an expanded workforce gives us more leverage when competing for new manufacturing and business locations as workforce is a key determinate used by companies looking to build and/or expand.
Lastly, this gain in population indicates something else that is important for us to recognize. #1- More people, who currently are living local, are choosing to stay local. That’s important. #2- and just as gratifying, is that potential residents, looking at the positives and the lifestyle that we have here in the Muncie and Delaware County area, are saying yes to our quality of life. Over 1000 people in the last four years have moved here, rather than to a neighboring county. This fact is a huge win for Muncie and Delaware County.
I am certain that some naysayers will dispute the results for some reason or another. That’s life and just the way it is. But regardless of the naysayers, these population results are not internal estimates but instead, are from the US Census and easily confirmed. These numbers are from a third-party agency that specializes in this area of expertise (populations and data). Plus, these results are not for just for a single year. Instead, these results cover the last four years combined, which provides more validity to the data.
In closing, Muncie has been taking actions for the last four+ years to bring about these types of gains and so has Delaware County. There will be more collaborations between the City and the County as we continue to work to help assure that population gains can continue.
