2024 Wayne County Indicator Report Released

The Wayne County Foundation and Forward Wayne County have released the County Indicator Report for 2024. This report provides valuable insights into the county’s economic, social, and health-related trends, highlighting both progress and areas that require attention. The 2024 report was delayed due to the late release of new data.

“This year’s report has been condensed down some due to reporting sources no longer gathering data,” said Program Director, Acacia St. John. “From budget cuts to reprioritizations, reporting agencies’ abilities to collect information, if at all, will be increasingly difficult. However, we were still able to gather some highlights and areas to continue to work on.”

Positive Highlights

• The household poverty rate has decreased slightly by 0.7% from 2023.
• The percentage of people with insurance increased by 1.0% since 2023.
• Adults aged eighteen and over reporting physical inactivity decreased by 1.0% from last year.
• The number of households in Wayne County increased from 26,837 to 27,536.
• The median household income increased by 4%.
• The percentage of people with access to exercise opportunities increased by 7% from 2023.

“Partners across Wayne County have been collectively working on health metrics, wages, and housing. We are slowly starting to see the positive results of all of that combined work. Every little bit helps.”

Areas to Work On

• The Wayne County population has gradually decreased by 0.6% since 2020.
• The unemployment rate has increased by 1.5%.
• The number of ALICE Households has increased by 3.0%.
• Wayne County has the third highest percentage of residents receiving Food Stamps or SNAP Benefits out of all the counties in Indiana.
• Wayne County’s Per Capita Personal Income is 14.3% less than the rest of the state and 24.8% less than the United States average.

“These metrics show that while we are gaining in wages, it is not at the rate as the rest of the State nor the nation. Like many communities across Indiana, we are seeing an increase in the number of ‘working poor.’ It is an opportunity for our employers to balance wage increases with revenue growth. It’s also an opportunity for our residents to consider additional credentialing or education to be able to apply for jobs with higher wages.”

The Foundation is also seeking input on indicators for the 2025 report which will come out in the first quarter of 2026.

“We know that some of our current reporting metrics and sources will be eliminated at the end of this year,” said Rebecca Gilliam, Executive Director. “We would love to hear from our partners and our residents on what valuable information they would like to see in further reports. Please reach out to Forward Wayne County with your thoughts.”

Anyone can access the full report on the Forward Wayne County Website.