(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Poverty rates across northeastern Indiana declined from 2023 to 2024, but they remain higher than levels recorded at the start of the century, according to newly released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The data comes from the bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program.
County-level estimates for 2025 will not be released until 2027.
Most counties in northeastern Indiana reported poverty rates below both the Indiana and national averages, which were each estimated at 12.1% in 2024. Both the state and national figures also showed modest year-over-year improvement.
The Census Bureau's estimates are based on several data sources, including Internal Revenue Service income records, state- and county-level SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) data, and other poverty-related indicators.
The federal poverty threshold varies by household size. For 2025, for example, a family of five earning less than $39,950 is considered to be living in poverty.
County Trends:
Whitley County recorded the lowest poverty rate in the region at 8.2% in 2024, down from 8.5% in 2023. While lower than its recession-era rate of 9.3% in 2010, the figure remains higher than the county's 5.3% estimate in 2000.
LaGrange County had the second-lowest rate at 8.4% in 2024, unchanged from the previous year. The county had the region's highest poverty estimate in 2010 at 16.1%. Its rate in 2000 was estimated at 8.0%.
DeKalb County experienced the largest year-over-year decline, dropping from 11.3% in 2023 to 8.9% in 2024. The county's poverty rate was estimated at 10.6% in 2010 and 5.7% in 2000.
Steuben County's poverty rate fell from 10.2% in 2023 to 9.4% in 2024. The county's estimate was 12.8% in 2010 and 7.1% in 2000.
Noble County recorded the highest poverty rate in the region in 2024 at 9.8%, down from 10.6% the year before. The county's rate was 9.3% in 2010 and 6.8% in 2000.
Despite recent improvements, all five rural counties in northeastern Indiana reported higher poverty rates in 2024 than they did at the turn of the century. DeKalb County saw the largest increase over that 24-year span, rising from 5.7% in 2000 to 8.9% in 2024. LaGrange County experienced the smallest increase, moving from 8.0% to 8.4%.
Allen County, the region's most populous county, had an estimated poverty rate of 12.3% in 2024, down from 13.0% in 2023. Its rate was 13.9% in 2010 and 8.2% in 2000, placing it above most surrounding counties.
Presidential Term Comparison:
A comparison of poverty estimates from 2020 and 2024 shows mixed results across northeastern Indiana. Poverty rates were lower in 2020 than in 2024 in DeKalb and Whitley counties, while LaGrange, Noble, and Steuben counties posted lower rates in 2024 than in 2020.
Statewide, Indiana's poverty rate was estimated at 11.6% in 2020 and 12.1% in 2024. Nationally, the estimated rate increased from 11.9% to 12.1% over the same period.
Data Source:
The Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program was created to provide more frequent and detailed poverty data than the census alone. Development of the program began in the early 1990s through partnerships between the Census Bureau, the Internal Revenue Service, and several federal agencies to produce annual income and poverty estimates at the state and local levels.