List of U.S. states by Amish population

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Distribution of native speakers of Pennsylvania Dutch by state.
Old Order Amish population growth in the 20th century.

In 2021 there were 31 states of the United States that had a significant Amish population.

The Amish have settled in as many as 31 US-states though about 2/3 are located in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. The greatest concentration of Amish is in Holmes and adjoining counties in northeast Ohio, about 78 miles south of Cleveland. Next in size is a group of Amish people in Elkhart and surrounding counties in northeastern Indiana. Then comes the Amish settlement in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. According to Albrecht Powell, the Pennsylvania Amish has not always been the largest group of U.S. Amish as is commonly thought.

The Amish population in the U.S. numbers more than 350,000 and is growing rapidly, due to large family size (seven children on average) and a church-member retention rate of approximately 80%."[1][2]

Statistics of states[]

Amish population by state and date
State 1992 2000 2010 2020 2021 Increase
2020–2021 		% of the state
population, 2021 		% of the total U.S.
Amish population
Pennsylvania 32,710 40,100 59,350 81,500 84,100 Increase3.2% 0.65% 23.6%
Ohio 34,830 49,750 58,590 78,280 80,240 Increase2.5% 0.68% 22.6%
Indiana 23,405 32,650 43,710 59,305 60,960 Increase2.8% 0.90% 17.1%
Wisconsin 6,785 10,250 15,360 22,235 23,195 Increase4.3% 0.39% 6.5%
New York 4,050 5,000 12,015 21,230 21,725 Increase2.3% 0.11% 6.1%
Michigan 5,150 9,300 11,350 16,525 17,695 Increase7.1% 0.18% 5.0%
Missouri 3,745 6,100 9,475 14,520 14,610 Increase0.6% 0.24% 4.1%
Kentucky 2,625 5,150 7,750 13,595 14,215 Increase4.6% 0.32% 4.0%
Iowa 3,525 4,850 7,190 9,780 9,845 Increase0.7% 0.31% 2.8%
Illinois 2,940 4,200 6,860 7,240 7,565 Increase4.5% 0.06% 2.1%
Minnesota 1,135 1,600 3,150 4,740 4,935 Increase4.1% 0.09% 1.4%
Tennessee 750 1,500 2,125 3,325 3,560 Increase7.1% 0.05% 1%
Kansas 675 1,100 1,485 2,025 2,135 Increase5.4% 0.06% >
Delaware 1,200 1,100 1,350 1,750 1,795 Increase2.6% 0.18% >
Maryland 810 800 1,350 1,650 1,695 Increase2.7% > >
Virginia 75 500 300 1,590 1,620 Increase1.9% > >
Montana 270 550 675 935 1,045 Increase11.7% 0.10% >
Maine − − 225 955 1,020 Increase6.8% 0.07% >
Colorado − − 810 650 755 Increase16.1% > >
Oklahoma 540 700 675 675 730 Increase8.1% > >
West Virginia − − 225 390 430 Increase10.3% > >
Nebraska − − 150 355 345 Decrease2.9% > >
Arkansas − − 225 265 290 Increase13.2% > >
Wyoming − − − 220 285 Increase29.5% > >
North Carolina 75 − 75 270 255 Decrease5.6% > >
Mississippi − − 75 290 220 Decrease24.1% > >
Florida* 75 − 75 100 100 Steady > >
Vermont − − − 95 100 Increase5.3% > >
Texas 405 − 75 65 70 Increase7.7% > >
South Dakota − − 75 60 65 Increase8.3% > >
Idaho − − − 55 60 Increase9.1% > >
Total 125,850 175,200 244,770 344,670 355,660 Increase3.2% 0.107% 100%
  • The settlement in Pinecraft (Sarasota), Florida is very atypical and its population varies a lot according to the season.

Sources of the statistics[]

The data for 1992 are from "Amish Studies - The Young Center".[3]

The data for 2000 are from a book published in 2001 (Donald Kraybill, The Riddle of Amish Culture).[4]

The data for 2010 are from "Amish Studies - The Young Center".[5] The 2010 census of Amish population was published in 2012, compiled by Elizabeth Cooksey, professor of sociology, and Cory Anderson, a graduate student in rural sociology, both at The Ohio State University.[6] It was commissioned by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies for the 2010 U.S. Religion Census (published in 2012).[6][7]

The data for 2021 comes from "Amish Studies – The Young Center".[2]

The percentage of the state's population is from a 2021 estimate.[8]

Largest settlements[]

Settlement in State Estimated
population (2020) 		Estimated
population (2021) 		Annual
growth
rate
Lancaster County area Pennsylvania 40,525 41,795 Increase3.13%
Holmes County area Ohio 36,955 37,770 Increase2.20%
Elkhart/LaGrange counties area Indiana 26,380 27,105 Increase2.75%
Geauga County area Ohio 18,820 19,420 Increase3.19%
Adams County area Indiana 10,305 10,630 Increase3.15%
Nappanee area Indiana 6,300 6,445 Increase2.30%
Daviess County area Indiana 5,465 5,595 Increase2.38%
Arthur area Illinois 4,095 4,270 Increase4.27%
Mifflin County area Pennsylvania 4,090 4,205 Increase2.81%
Allen County area Indiana 3,445 3,550 Increase3.05%
Seymour area Missouri 3,170 3,110 Decrease1.89%
Indiana County area Pennsylvania 3,355 2,945 Decrease12.22%
  • The annual growth rate (Increase/Decrease) is calculated for the period from June 2020 to June 2021.

Sources: 2020[9] and 2021[2][10]

Amish settlements outside the US[]

There are Amish settlements in four Canadian provinces, Ontario, founded in the 1820s, Manitoba, founded in 2018,[11] New Brunswick in 2015 and Prince Edward Island, in 2016.

There was an Amish settlement in Honduras from about 1968 to 1978 but the settlement failed.[12]

In 2015 new settlements of New Order Amish were founded in Argentina and Bolivia.

References[]

  1. ^ Powell, Albrecht. "Amish 101 - Amish Beliefs, Culture & Lifestyle, History of the Amish in America,". about.com. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Amish Population in 2021". Elizabethtown College, the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  3. ^ "Amish Population Change 1992-2013 (Alphabetical Order)" (PDF). Population Trends 1992-2013. 21-Year Highlights. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  4. ^ Donald Kraybill (2001). The Riddle of Amish Culture. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-6772-9.
  5. ^ Amish Studies: "Population Change 2010-2015"
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Emily Caldwell (July 27, 2012). "Estimate: A new Amish community is founded every three and a half weeks in US". Phys.org. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  7. ^ 2010 U.S. Religion Census, official website.
  8. ^ "Amish Population 2020". World Population Review. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Twelve largest settlements, 2020". Groups.etown.edu. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  10. ^ Amish Population in the United States by State and County, 2021
  11. ^ 1st Amish settlement west of Ontario prepares for Prairie winter in quiet Manitoba town.
  12. ^ Cory Anderson and Jennifer Anderson. "The Amish Settlement in Honduras, 1968-1978" in Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies 4,1, pages 1-50.
Retrieved from ""