Census shows Indiana grows nearly 5%, retains all nine U.S. House seats

Indiana’s population grew about 5% during the past decade, to nearly 6.8 million residents, and the state held onto its nine U.S. House seats, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday in the first release of data from the 2020 national headcount.

The census figures released Monday show that Indiana’s population grew 4.7% between 2010 and 2020, from about 6.5 million residents in 2010 to about 6.8 million in 2020, for a net gain of nearly 302,000 residents.

Indiana lost one seat after the 2000 count, but held onto its nine congressional seats in 2010 and now in 2020. In 1910, Indiana had 13 House seats, but it lost one seat each in 1930, 1940, 1980 and 2000 as the nation’s population shifted.

The 435 seats in the House of Representatives are divided among the states based on population. As growing states get more congressional seats because of population gains, that means fewer seats for states that lost population or did not grow as fast.

Indiana lawmakers face the once-a-decade task of drawing new districts for congressional seats, along with the 100 Indiana House and 50 state Senate districts, based on population shifts.

Delays in receiving data from last year’s census mean that legislators will return to the Statehouse later this year in order to approve new congressional and General Assembly election districts.

Republicans rejected calls from Democrats and voting-rights advocates for the establishment of an independent commission to oversee the once-a-decade map drawing.