Wayne County Foundation Releases 2023 County Indicator Report

The Wayne County Foundation and Forward Wayne County (FWC) have released the County Indicator Report for 2023. The report gathers key community indicators from a variety of sources in one location. The results were not surprising.

“We expected numbers in poverty, ALICE households, and unemployment to trend higher as data pertaining to COVID started being computed into the calculations,” said Acacia St. John, Program Director for Forward Wayne County. “We were happy to see that Wayne County is making better strides in increased wages, access to physical health and insurance, and that we remain consistent in educational attainment.”

Highlights from the 2023 Report:

• The poverty level for Wayne County increased by 2.9%. This is reflective of the increase in poverty levels across the country.
• ALICE Households increased by 4%.
• Health outcomes and health factors are still a concern. Wayne County is ranked 76th out of 92 Indiana counties in Health Factors per County Health Rankings.
• However, there has been a reported 4% increase in physical activity from last year’s figures.
• Further, there was a 13% increase in access to exercise opportunities.
• People with insurance increased by 1.4%. 
• Per capita personal income increased in Wayne County to $48,785 – an increase of $3,286 over last year. Wayne County’s per capita personal income grew at a faster rate than the state.
• The median home value in Wayne County has increased to more than $120,000.
• Homeownership has seen a 3.5% decline in Wayne County. This reflects a decrease in homeownership on a state level.
   

Similar to last year, data continues to be calculated and added at different times throughout the year by state and federal entities. There were some indicators that were not updated in this report and are noted. The information remains valuable to residents, communities, and partners.
 
“We hope that having the most current data in one resource is helpful and convenient for our partners,” said Rebecca Gilliam, Executive Director for the Foundation. “They can use it for research, funding applications, collaboration, and more.”