Monroe County is one of the most diverse counties in Indiana and has gotten even more so since 2010, according to census data released today.
Population estimates for 2015 show that in the past five years, along with a nearly 5 percent growth in overall population, Monroe County also has seen growth of at least 10 percent in all race groups other than those identifying as white.
According to the data, 10.3 percent more people identifying as blacks or African Americans, 14.9 percent more American Indians or Alaskan Natives, 34.5 percent more Asians, 20 percent more Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders, 13.8 percent more people who say they are of two or more races and 24.1 percent more Hispanics live in Monroe County now than in 2010.
Compared with the rest of the state, Monroe County has a higher proportion of nearly every nonwhite race group than does more than half of the rest of the 92 counties.
Its proportion of Asian residents comes in at second in the state with 6.8 percent, behind only Tippecanoe County, the home of Purdue University. Monroe’s lowest ranking is for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population group, which makes up just 0.06 percent of the county total, putting Monroe County at 53rd compared with other counties.
Monroe County also is much, much more diverse than other area counties, with just one exception.
It has a population that’s 3.5 percent black or African American, compared with less than 1 percent in Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Morgan and Owen counties.