Migration Patterns

Immigrants, defined here as those not native to Indiana, always have contributed to the growth of Indianapolis’ population. Although they constituted the vast majority of the city’s earliest population, immigrants became an ever-declining source of population growth over subsequent decades. Recent expansion of the metropolitan region, however, has been fueled by arrivals from outside the city and state.

Indianapolis is, in some ways, a microcosm of Indiana. Both city and state possess a fairly limited diversity of immigrants, especially those of foreign birth, which gives each a reputation of being rather homogeneous. The immigration history of Indianapolis, however, differs from that of Indiana because immigrants generally, and specifically those from foreign countries, comprised a greater proportion of the city’s population than the state’s. Indeed, Indianapolis throughout its history has been more ethnically diverse, particularly with respect to foreign-born settlers, and more racially diverse, than has Indiana. But the sources and proportions of the city’s immigrants have not differed dramatically from the state.

In 1850, the first year in which the federal census recorded state or country of birth, Indianapolis already contained proportionally more foreign-born immigrants and African Americans than resided in the rest of Indiana. Just over 65 percent of the immigrants were U.S.-born natives; 17.1 percent originated in the east southcentral region (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi) with Kentucky supplying 15.4 percent. The states of Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin—the east northcentral region—supplied the next largest group (16.1 percent) with 15.2 percent born in Ohio. Southeastern states followed at 15.6 percent (North Carolina, 6 percent; Virginia, 5.6 percent); mid-Atlantic states (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York) provided 13.6 percent; and New England, 2.1 percent. Those of foreign birth accounted for 35 percent of the immigrants (more than twice the statewide average), with Germans constituting 20 percent and the Irish 12 percent; those of Scottish and English birth accounted for approximately 1 percent each. African Americans, who comprised 6.5 percent of the city’s population, immigrated from beyond Indiana, primarily from North Carolina (38.5 percent), Kentucky (22.3 percent), Virginia (13.2 percent), Tennessee (7.2 percent), and Ohio (4.9 percent).

The U.S.-born and foreign-born proportions of Indianapolis’ 1880 population were similar to 1850, with few changes occurring in the sources of migrants. The greatest differences were an increase in immigrants from the east northcentral region (from 16.1 percent in 1850 to 24.1 percent in 1880, with Ohio accounting for 19.7 percent) and a decrease in mid-Atlantic natives to 7.1 percent. Minor changes occurred among the foreign-born immigrants, with a slight decrease in German natives and a comparable increase in English natives. African Americans comprised 8.7 percent of the population.

During the early decades of the 20th century, Indianapolis witnessed significant changes in the sources of its immigrants, influenced primarily by changes occurring at the national level. The United States experienced its greatest numerical influx of foreign immigrants between 1900 and 1910. By the early 1920s the federal government had enacted a series of increasingly restrictive immigration policies. The character of the city’s population reflected both factors.

In 1910, 36.1 percent of Indianapolis’ population had been born beyond Indiana. Twenty years later that percentage had declined to 30.1 percent. More significantly, the foreign-born portion of the immigrant population was cut nearly in half, from 23.5 percent in 1910 to 12.7 percent in 1930, reflecting the overall decrease in immigration and the impact of immigration restriction.

Germans continued to comprise the largest group of foreign-born, although their actual numbers decreased noticeably, and their proportion of immigrants fell from 8.9 percent in 1910 to 3.6 percent in 1930. The Irish also experienced a decline from 3.9 percent in 1910 to 1.6 percent in 1930. Natives of England and Canada also decreased but not as dramatically, while those born in Scotland and Italy held steady in percentage and numbers.

Among migrants to Indianapolis who were born in the United States, natives from the east southcentral region increased in number and percentage during the period, from 25.8 percent of the immigrants in 1910 to 43.7 percent in 1930. Natives of Kentucky dominated, but Tennessee’s portion expanded as well.

The portion of the population from other U.S. regions or states varied over the years. Natives of southeastern states increased from 5.2 percent to 6.8 percent; those from the east northcentral region remained about the same, 29.5 percent in 1910 and 30.7 percent in 1930; the mid-Atlantic states contributed 7.4 percent in 1910 and 5.8 percent in 1930. Natives of Ohio, the largest source after Kentucky, accounted for 18.1 percent of the immigrants in 1910 but 13.7 percent in 1930. African Americans comprised 12.1 percent of the city’s 1930 population.

Over two-thirds of African Americans were native to states other than Indiana; Kentucky accounted for 43.4 percent, Tennessee, 24.4 percent, and Georgia, 7 percent. The 1940 census gathered different population origin information. For those born outside the U.S., country of birth continued to be listed. For natives of the U.S., instead of identifying state of birth, individuals were asked to identify the state in which they resided five years previously, thus complicating any comparison with earlier birthplace data.

Censuses after 1970 include some combination of broad geographical groupings of birthplaces (regions in the U.S. or a general “Foreign” category) and identify the population by “race.” Immigrants from other parts of the U.S. and abroad comprised 26.4 percent of Indianapolis’ population in 1940, slightly below the 30.1 percent of 1930. Foreign-born residents comprised 10.3 percent of the immigrants (compared to 12.7 percent in 1930), with Germany (2.5 percent), Ireland (1.6 percent), and Russia (0.8 percent) supplying the largest segments.

Natives of the U.S., based on residence five years previously, continued to come from the same general areas: the east northcentral region (43.6 percent) with Ohio supplying 14.4 percent; the east southcentral region (24.3 percent) with 16.8 percent from Kentucky; and the mid-Atlantic (7.9 percent) and southeast (6.1 percent) regions. Sources of U.S. immigrants to Indianapolis between 1955 and 1960 shifted, in some cases dramatically, but in others only slightly from the 1935-1940 sources.

Natives from the east northcentral region declined from 43.6 percent to 34.4 percent, with Ohioans comprising 11.5 percent; those from the east southcentral region rose from 24.4 percent to 28.6 percent, due in part to an increase in natives from Tennessee (4.9 percent to 8.1 percent); immigrants from the south Atlantic region increased from 6.1 percent in 1935-1940 to 13.5 percent in 1955-1960.

By 1970 the foreign-born portion of Indianapolis’ immigrant population had fallen below 5 percent, while most immigrants from within the U.S. were native to the east southcentral (38.8 percent) or the east northcentral (23.8 percent) regions. African Americans comprised 18 percent of the population, most of whom were Indiana-born, in contrast to the pre-World War II years. However, African Americans who immigrated from beyond Indiana continued to originate in the same regions as previously—the east southcentral (68.7 percent) and the south Atlantic (11.4 percent).

Not only did the percentage of foreign-born immigrants to Indianapolis decline after 1940, but the origins of those people shifted. Countries such as Germany, Ireland, and England, which traditionally accounted for most of the foreign-born, sent proportionally fewer to the city while members of ethnic groups who before rarely settled in Indianapolis arrived in increasing numbers.

In 1990 there were 7,681 Hispanics (1.1 percent of the population), whereas in 1910 there were only 33 in the city and as recently as 1970 they comprised only 0.1 percent of the total population. Their leading countries of origin in 1980 (in descending order) were Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, and Argentina. Persons of Asian origin had settled in Indianapolis since the late 19th century, but always in small numbers. The 1910 census reported 54 Asians in the city (0.02 percent). By 1990 natives of Asia comprised 0.9 percent of the population, an increase from 0.5 percent in 1980. Leading countries of origin (in descending order) were India, China, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Indigenous Peoples were 0.2 percent of the 1990 population, and African Americans were 22.6 percent, the largest number and percentage for both groups recorded in any census to date.

While immigrants constitute proportionally less of Indianapolis’ population today than in the past, the city’s ethnic and racial diversity is increasing. African Americans and Indigenous Peoples are a larger part of the city. Reflecting general trends in immigration to the U.S., greater numbers of Asians and Hispanics are evident today. In addition, U.S.-born immigrants also help diversify the city. Although the proportional impact of immigrants and their cultural diversity have not been as great in Indianapolis as in larger, more industrialized cities of the Midwest and beyond, both U.S.-and foreign-born immigrants have provided and will continue to provide the city with a rich economic and cultural heritage.

*Note: This entry is from the original print edition of the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (1994). We are currently seeking an individual with knowledge of this topic to update this entry.