Inclusive (2004)

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2.1 Population

Data from the 2000 Census tell two very different stories. The population demographics of the urban core, which includes Gary, Hammond, East Chicago and Michigan City, have changed little over the past decade. At the same time, the surrounding metropolitan area has experienced dramatic growth, especially Porter County and several towns in south Lake County.

Lake County’s population rose by 1.9% between 1990 and 2000, yet experienced a total decline of 11.3% over the 30year period. LaPorte County’s population increased by 2.8% between 1990 and 2000 and grew by 4.5% since 1970. In contrast, Porter County’s population expanded by 13.9% since 1990 and increased by 68.5% over the last 30 years.

Table 3:  Population (2000)
Year	Lake	LaPorte	Porter
2000	484,564	110,106	146,798
1990	475,594	107,066	128,932
1980	522,910	108,630	119,810
1970	546,253	105,342	87,114
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Seven towns and cities in Lake County experienced population growth in excess of 10%. In LaPorte County, Wanatah was the only town in which the population increased by 10%. Six town and cities in Porter County grew by more than 10%.

Table 4:  Population Change (2000)
Lake County 1990	2000	% Change
Winfield 645	2,298	256.3
St. John 4,921	8,382	70.3
Dyer 10,923	13,895	27.2
Schererville 20,155	24,851	23.3
Lowell 6,430	7,505	16.7
Merrillville 27,257	30,560	12.1
Crown Point 17,728	19,806	11.7
Munster 19,949	21,511	7.8
Cedar Lake 8,885	9,279	4.4
Hobart 24,440	25,363	3.8
Schneider 310	317	2.3
Lake Station 13,899	13,948	0.4
New Chicago 2,066	2,063	-0.1
Whiting 5,150	5,137	-0.3
Highland 23,696	23,546	-0.6
Hammond 84,236	83,048	-1.4
Griffith 17,914	17,334	-3.2
East Chicago 33,892	32,414	-4.4
Gary 116,646	102,746	-11.9
Balance of County 36,447	40,561	11.3

LaPorte County 1990 2000 % Change

Wanatah 852 1,013 18.9 Pottawattamie Park 281 300 6.8 LaPorte 21,507 21,621 0.5 Westville 5,255 5,211 -0.8 Kingsford Heights 1,486 1,453 -2.2 Michigan City 33,822 32,900 -2.7 Trail Creek 2,463 2,296 -6.8 Kingsbury 258 229 -11.2 Michiana Shores 378 330 -12.7 LaCrosse 677 561 -17.1 Long Beach 2,044 1,559 -23.7 Balance of County 38,043 42,633 12.1

Porter County 1990 2000 % Change

Porter 3,118 4,972 59.5 Portage 29,062 33,496 15.3 Chesterton 9,118 10,488 15.0 Beverly Shores 622 708 13.8 Hebron 3,183 3,596 13.0 Valparaiso 24,414 27,428 12.3 Kouts 1,603 1,698 5.9 Town of Pines 789 798 1.1 Burns Harbor 786 766 -2.5 Ogden Dunes 1,499 1,313 -12.4 Dune Acres 263 213 -19.0 Balance of County 54,475 61,322 12.6

Source: NIRPC

Looking ahead, the U.S. Census does not predict significant changes in this pattern of population growth and decline over the course of the next 20 years. Lake County’s population is expected to increase by a modest 3.5%. In LaPorte County, 2.7% growth is anticipated. The population of Porter County is expected to increase by 11.9% between now and the year 2020. Some observers, however, believe that higher growth levels will be achieved over the course of the next ten to twenty years. They point, in particular, to higher than expected building starts in Lake County and Porter County over the course of the last three years.

Table 5:  Population Projections (2000)
Year	Lake	LaPorte	Porter
2020	503,185	113,217	169,493
2015	500,195	112,698	166,306
2010	496,886	112,124	162,781
2005	492,903	111,433	158,537
2000 (baseline)	486,308	110,289	151,509
Source: U.S. Census

Age represents another important demographic variable. It can shed light on a community’s economic vitality as well as its social needs (e.g., education and services for seniors). In fact, age is one of the few variables in which we do not find significant differences among the region’s three counties. At

37.1 years, LaPorte County’s median age is about two years older than the median age for the state as a whole. The median ages in Lake and Porter County are closer to the state median.

Table 6:  Median Age (2000)
	Lake	LaPorte	Porter	Indiana
Median Age	35.9	37.1	36.3	35.2
Source: Indiana Business Research Center

In Lake County, the percentage of residents under the age of 18 stands at 26.7%, while 13.0% of the population is over the age of 65. In LaPorte County, 26.4% of the population is under the age of 18 and 13.5% is over the age of 65. In Porter County, individuals under the age of 18 account for 25.8% of the population and seniors account for 10.9% of Porter County’s population.

Table 7:  Age Cohorts (2000)

Lake		LaPorte	Porter	Indiana
Senior (65 plus)	63,234	14,912	15,972	752,831
Percent	13	14	11	12
Adult (18-64)	291,533	68,192	93,024	3,753,258
Percent	60	62	63	62
School Age (5-17)	95,158	19,886	28,314	1,151,181
Percent	20	18	19	19
Preschool (0-4)	34,639	7,116	9,488	423,215
Percent	7	6	7	7

Source: Indiana Business Research Center

Similar to age, disability is another demographic variable which highlights opportunities for economic participation and community involvement. Again, like age, the percentage of the disabled population in the three counties does not differ significantly at the county level and is comparable to the state. In Lake County, 18% of the population is disabled while LaPorte County’s rate is 15%. Porter County’s percentage of the disabled population equals the state average of 17%.

Table 8:  Persons with a Disability, Age 5+ (2000)

Lake		LaPorte	Porter	Indiana
Persons	88,638	18,794	21,490	1,054,757
Source: U.S. Census

Note: Disability status excludes persons in institutions, Armed Forces and those under 5 years old.

2.2 Race and Ethnicity

As a region, we are culturally and racially diverse yet our cities and towns reveal a highly segregated pattern of living. Race thus remains a defining characteristic in the region. In all, 25.3% of Lake County’s residents identify themselves as African-American. This compares to 10.1% and 0.9% respectively in LaPorte and Porter Counties. African-Americans account for 8.4% of the population statewide. Just under a third of all African-American citizens who live in Indiana reside in the region.

In all, 12.2% of Lake County’s residents identify themselves as Hispanics. This compares to 3.1% and 4.8% respectively in LaPorte and Porter Counties. Hispanics account for 3.5% of the population statewide. Just under a third of all Hispanics who live in Indiana call the region home.

Table 9:  Race (2000)

Lake         LaPorte     Porter     Indiana

 One Race                     475,585     108,432     144,854     6,004,813

African-American        122,723     11,156         1,344         510,034

American-Indian             1,343         342             326            15,815

Asian                                3,983         498         1,341           59,126

White 323,290 94,972 139,946 5,320,022

Other 24,246 1,464 1,897 99,816 Two or More Races 8,979 1,674 1,944 75,672 Hispanic (any race) 59,128 3,402 7,079 214,536

Source: Indiana Business Research Center

Again, race is a defining characteristic of the region because of the lack of diversity within individual communities. In 2002, the Detroit News used Census data to identify the ten most segregated metropolitan areas of the country. The Gary metropolitan area, which includes Lake and Porter Counties, scored second on the list, just behind Detroit and just ahead of Milwaukee. The appropriateness of this ranking is evident in the concentration of or absence of minorities in individual communities in the region. African-Americans, in particular, remain concentrated in the region’s urban core. The only four cities or towns in the region in which we see significant diversity overall are East Chicago, Michigan City, Merrillville and Hammond. But even in these cases, neighborhoods tend to be segregated by race.

Table 10:  Percent of African-American Population (2000)

City	%
Gary	84.0
East Chicago	36.1
Westville (skewed by institutional residents)	26.4
Michigan City	26.3
Merrillville	22.9
Pottawattamie Park	16.3
Hammond	14.6
	15

Table 12:  Percent of Households in which English is Only

Griffith	10.1
Kingsford Heights	9.7
Balance of Lake County	4.7
Trail Creek	2.7
Schererville	2.1
La Porte	1.9
Valparaiso	1.6
Portage	1.4
Crown Point	1.4
Hobart	1.4
Highland	1.3
Balance LaPorte County	1.0
Munster	1.0
Porter	0.8
Lake Station	0.8
Beverly Shores	0.7
Dyer	0.7
Whiting	0.6
New Chicago	0.5
Balance Porter County	0.5
Chesterton	0.4
Long Beach	0.4
Winfield	0.3
Schneider	0.3
Michiana Shores	0.3
Hebron	0.3
Burns Harbor	0.3
Ogden Dunes	0.2
La Crosse	0.2
St. John	0.1
Town of Pines	0.1
Wanatah	0.1
Cedar Lake	0.1
Lowell	0.0
Dune Acres	0.0
Source: NIRPC

As a percentage of total population, the foreign-born do not comprise a significant proportion of the population in Northwest Indiana. The majority of the foreign-born in each county are naturalized citizens. In LaPorte and Porter Counties, the percentages of households in which some language other than English is spoken are comparable to the percentage for the state as a whole. At the same time, 5,201 households in Northwest Indiana can be classified as “linguistically isolated.”

Table 11:  Number & Percent Foreign-Born (2000)

Lake		LaPorte	Porter	Indiana
Naturalized Citizens	21.5	22.6	27.6	23.8
Non-Citizens	27.2	31.3	32.1	29.8
Percent	11.3	9.3	7.4	9.1
Source: U.S. Census

Language Spoken (2000)
Lake		LaPorte	Porter	Indiana
Households	86.5	94.1	93.8	93.6
Source: U.S. Census

Table 13:  Number of Linguistically Isolated Households

(2000)
Households	4,319				498	385
Source: U.S. Census

2.3 Households

The traditional household in which a married couple live with their minor children is becoming something of a rarity. In Lake and LaPorte Counties, just over one-fifth of all households now fit this conventional pattern. Porter County’s percentage of traditional households far exceeds the percentages in Lake and Porter Counties as well as the percentage for the state as a whole. The number of people who live alone in Lake and Porter Counties now exceeds the numbers who live in households comprised of married couples who live with their minor children. At 11.3%, the percentage of single parents who live with children far exceeds the percentages in LaPorte County, Porter County and, indeed, the state as a whole. The percentage of single parents who live with their children in LaPorte County is comparable to the state’s percentage. The percentage in Porter County is substantially smaller than the state’s percentage.

Table 14:  Types of Households (2000)
	Lake	LaPorte	Porter	Indiana
Married with Children	21.5	22.6	27.6	23.8
Married without Children	27.2	31.3	32.1	29.8
Single Parent Households	11.3	9.3	7.4	9.1
Living Alone	25.8	25.2	22.2	25.9
Other	14.2	11.6	10.7	11.4
Source: Indiana Business Research Center

 

Grade: D Trend: Hopeful

Demographic data are not typically graded because a community’s demographics generally serve as a backdrop against which specific public policy concerns can be addressed. In this view, race, per se, does not lend itself to public policy initiatives of one kind or another. This is not to say that race is ignored in other community-based indicators projects. On the contrary, it is often featured as a key element in one policy domain or another, typically education, housing, health or economic opportunity. As has been noted, however, race is now broadly recognized as Northwest Indiana’s “Achilles Heel.” Although featured throughout the report, race is directly addressed in our assessment of the region’s demographic profile.

A grade of ”D” is assigned in recognition of the tremendous challenge that we face with respect to diversity. In fact, the region avoided a grade of ‘F’ only because of initiatives undertaken by the Unity Council of Healthy Communities in LaPorte County, United for a Purpose in Porter County, Valparaiso University, the City of Hammond, the Race Relations Council of Northwest Indiana, the Catholic Diocese of Gary and other organizations.

Goal: The Quality of Life Council recognizes that greater understanding and education cannot serve as a substitute for action. For this reason, specific actions that addresses disparities that occur along racial and ethnic lines are identified in several sections of this report. At the same time, polarization along racial lines is endemic to the region. We believe that certain institutions can do a great deal to break down the barriers that exist between and among White, African-American and Hispanic citizens. We believe that they can contribute to greater understanding across confessional lines as well. Unfortunately, it is not possible to establish a concrete goal with respect to this kind of understanding; no baseline as such now exists. To this end, our first action step focuses on gathering and analysis of data. Once a baseline has been established, we encourage the region to commit to substantial improvement before the year 2010.

Action: To a certain extent, race relations can be improved through the full implementation of the action steps that are included in several sections of this report. Indeed, positive action across a broad front will probably be needed in order to establish the conditions for ongoing dialogue on this most difficult of concerns. At the same time, certain steps can be taken to promote dialogue.

The Race Relations Council of Northwest Indiana should develop and administer an annual survey designed to assess the quality of race relations in the region. The resulting data should then be published and used by various institutions and organizations to develop appropriate action agendas. Although this recommendation was first advanced in June 2003, little action has yet been taken to initiate a survey of this kind.

The efforts undertaken by the Unity Council of Healthy Communities of LaPorte County and Valparaiso University to sponsor study circles, a proven methodology developed by the Topsfield Foundation, should be applauded. These efforts should be continued and expanded. Churches, school systems, businesses and labor unions should step forward to sponsor study circles pertaining to race. This action item was first proposed in June 2003. Funds sufficient to underwrite a community effort of this kind have yet to be secured.

The ongoing effort of the Race Relations Council of Northwest Indiana to develop best practice pledges or Codes of Inclusiveness pertaining to race and ethnicity for various sectors of the community, e.g., law enforcement, nonprofit organizations, school systems, the media, the business community, etc., should be pursued to completion. The pledges should then be circulated for consideration and adoption by the identified institutions and organizations.

We applaud the thirty police departments from our three counties that publicly adopted the Law Enforcement Codes of Inclusiveness in 2004. These departments have committed themselves to fair and equal treatment of all citizens and to address behaviors or policies that violate a citizen’s right under the law. Currently, key organizations in our non-profit sector are reviewing the Non-Profit Code of Inclusiveness.