List of U.S. states by Amish population
In 2021 there were 31 states of the United States that had a significant Amish population.
.jpg.webp)
.jpg.webp)
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
| State | 1992 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | 2021 | Change 2020–2021 |
% of the state population, 2021 |
% of the total U.S. Amish population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 32,710 | 44,620 | 59,350 | 81,500 | 84,100 | 3.2% | 0.65% | 23.6% |
| Ohio | 34,830 | 48,545 | 58,590 | 78,280 | 80,240 | 2.5% | 0.68% | 22.6% |
| Indiana | 23,405 | 32,840 | 43,710 | 59,305 | 60,960 | 2.8% | 0.90% | 17.1% |
| Wisconsin | 6,785 | 9,390 | 15,360 | 22,235 | 23,195 | 4.3% | 0.39% | 6.5% |
| New York | 4,050 | 4,505 | 12,015 | 21,230 | 21,725 | 2.3% | 0.11% | 6.1% |
| Michigan | 5,150 | 8,495 | 11,350 | 16,525 | 17,695 | 7.1% | 0.18% | 5.0% |
| Missouri | 3,745 | 5,480 | 9,475 | 14,520 | 14,610 | 0.6% | 0.24% | 4.1% |
| Kentucky | 2,625 | 4,850 | 7,750 | 13,595 | 14,215 | 4.6% | 0.32% | 4.0% |
| Iowa | 3,525 | 4,445 | 7,190 | 9,780 | 9,845 | 0.7% | 0.31% | 2.8% |
| Illinois | 2,940 | 3,785 | 6,860 | 7,240 | 7,565 | 4.5% | 0.06% | 2.1% |
| Minnesota | 1,135 | 1,420 | 3,150 | 4,740 | 4,935 | 4.1% | 0.09% | 1.4% |
| Tennessee | 750 | 1,270 | 2,125 | 3,325 | 3,560 | 7.1% | 0.05% | 1% |
| Kansas | 675 | 990 | 1,485 | 2,025 | 2,135 | 5.4% | 0.06% | > |
| Delaware | 1,200 | 1,080 | 1,350 | 1,750 | 1,795 | 2.6% | 0.18% | > |
| Maryland | 810 | 1,020 | 1,350 | 1,650 | 1,695 | 2.7% | > | > |
| Virginia | 75 | 335 | 300 | 1,590 | 1,620 | 1.9% | > | > |
| Montana | 270 | 335 | 675 | 935 | 1,045 | 11.7% | 0.10% | > |
| Maine | − | 25 | 225 | 955 | 1,020 | 6.8% | 0.07% | > |
| Colorado | − | − | 810 | 650 | 755 | 16.1% | > | > |
| Oklahoma | 540 | 620 | 675 | 675 | 730 | 8.1% | > | > |
| West Virginia | − | 70 | 225 | 390 | 430 | 10.3% | > | > |
| Nebraska | − | − | 150 | 355 | 345 | 2.9% | > | > |
| Arkansas | − | 35 | 225 | 265 | 290 | 13.2% | > | > |
| Wyoming | − | − | − | 220 | 285 | 29.5% | > | > |
| North Carolina | 75 | 240 | 75 | 270 | 255 | 5.6% | > | > |
| Mississippi | − | 90 | 75 | 290 | 220 | 24.1% | > | > |
| Florida* | 75 | 100 | 75 | 100 | 100 |  | > | > |
| Vermont | − | − | − | 95 | 100 | 5.3% | > | > |
| Texas | 405 | 45 | 75 | 65 | 70 | 7.7% | > | > |
| South Dakota | − | − | 75 | 60 | 65 | 8.3% | > | > |
| Idaho | − | 120 | − | 55 | 60 | 9.1% | > | > |
| Total | 125,850 | 174,810 | 244,770 | 344,670 | 355,660 | 3.2% | 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] and from "Amish Studies – The Young Center".[5]
The data for 2010 are from "Amish Studies - The Young Center".[6] 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.[7] It was commissioned by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies for the 2010 U.S. Religion Census (published in 2012).[7][8]
The data for 2021 comes from "Amish Studies – The Young Center".[2]
The percentage of the state's population is from a 2021 estimate.[9]
Largest settlements
| Settlement in | State | Estimated population (2020) |
Estimated population (2021) |
Annual growth rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster, Chester, York and Berks counties area | Pennsylvania | 40,525 | 41,795 | 3.13% |
| Holmes, Wayne, Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Stark counties | Ohio | 36,955 | 37,770 | 2.20% |
| Elkhart, LaGrange and Noble counties area | Indiana | 26,380 | 27,105 | 2.75% |
| Geauga, Trumbull, Ashtabula and Portage counties area | Ohio | 18,820 | 19,420 | 3.19% |
| Adams / Jay counties area | Indiana | 10,305 | 10,630 | 3.15% |
| Elkhart, St. Joseph, Marshall and Kosciusko counties area | Indiana | 6,300 | 6,445 | 2.30% |
| Daviess / Martin counties area | Indiana | 5,465 | 5,595 | 2.38% |
| Moultrie, Douglas and Coles counties area | Illinois | 4,095 | 4,270 | 4.27% |
| Belleville, Mifflin county | Pennsylvania | 4,090 | 4,205 | 2.81% |
| Allen, Allen county | Indiana | 3,445 | 3,550 | 3.05% |
| Seymour, Webster county | Missouri | 3,170 | 3,110 | 1.89% |
| Smicksburg, Indiana county | Pennsylvania | 3,355 | 2,945 | 12.22% |
| Lawrence / Mercer counties area | Pennsylvania | 2,740 | 2,820 | 2.92% |
| Heuvelton, St. Lawrence county | New York | 2,540 | 2,640 | 3.94% |
| Clearfield / Jefferson counties area | Pennsylvania | 1,850 | 2,560 | 38.38% |
| Conewango Valley, Cattaraugus county | New York | 2,450 | 2,515 | 2.65% |
| Spartansburg, Crawford county | Pennsylvania | 2,335 | 2,425 | 3.85% |
| Munfordville, Hart county | Kentucky | 2,340 | 2,360 | 0.86% |
| Monroe / Vernon counties area | Wisconsin | 2,420 | 2,360 | 2.48% |
| Medina / Ashland counties area | Ohio | 2,165 | 2,245 | 3.70% |
- The annual growth rate (/) is calculated for the period from June 2020 to June 2021.
Counties with the highest percentage
Data according to "2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates".[13] Percentage is calculated via the language statistics given by the ACS, wich in the category "Language Spoken at Home", has the "other [than English or Spanish] Indo-European language" subcategory; in the following counties this is primarily Pennsylvania Dutch, the language of majority of the Amish people.
| County | State | estimated % (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Holmes | Ohio | 48.0% |
| LaGrange | Indiana | 40.6% |
| Davis | Iowa | 21.0% |
| Daviess | Indiana | 15.1% |
| Adams | Indiana | 12.5% |
| Douglas | Illinois | 12.1% |
| Geauga | Ohio | 11.0% |
| Moultrie | Illinois | 10.5% |
| Jefferson | Iowa | 9.5% |
| Wayne | Ohio | 9.4% |
| Daviess | Missouri | 8.9% |
| Todd | Kentucky | 8.3% |
| Vernon | Wisconsin | 8.2% |
| Mifflin | Pennsylvania | 8.1% |
| Lancaster | Pennsylvania | 7.9% |
| Coshocton | Ohio | 7.4% |
| Clark | Wisconsin | 7.1% |
| Scotland | Missouri | 6.8% |
| Oscoda | Michigan | 6.4% |
| Elkhart | Indiana | 5.9% |
| Van Buren | Iowa | 5.9% |
| Webster | Missouri | 5.8% |
| Todd | Minnesota | 5.7% |
| Tuscarawas | Ohio | 5.3% |
| Hart | Kentucky | 5.2% |
| Green Lake | Wisconsin | 4.9% |
| St. Joseph | Michigan | 4.7% |
| St. Lawrence | New York | 4.6% |
| Jefferson | Pennsylvania | 4.5% |
| Marshall | Indiana | 4.5% |
| Fillmore | Minnesota | 4.4% |
| Ashtabula | Ohio | 4.3% |
| Centre | Pennsylvania | 4.2% |
| Kosciusko | Indiana | 4.2% |
| Chester | Pennsylvania | 4.1% |
| Crawford | Pennsylvania | 4.1% |
| Indiana | Pennsylvania | 4.1% |
| Monroe | Wisconsin | 3.9% |
| Ashland | Ohio | 3.8% |
| Christian | Kentucky | 3.8% |
| Noble | Indiana | 3.5% |
| Knox | Ohio | 3.4% |
| Noble | Ohio | 3.4% |
| Lawrence | Tennessee | 3.3% |
| Trumbull | Ohio | 3.3% |
| Branch | Michigan | 3.2% |
| Summit | Ohio | 3.0% |
| Jay | Indiana | 3.0% |
Amish settlements outside the US
There are Amish settlements in four Canadian provinces, Ontario, founded in the 1820s, Manitoba, founded in 2018,[14] 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.[15]
In 2015 new settlements of New Order Amish were founded in Argentina and Bolivia.
References
- Powell, Albrecht. "Amish 101 - Amish Beliefs, Culture & Lifestyle, History of the Amish in America". about.com. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- "The Amish Population in 2021". Elizabethtown College, the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "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.
- Donald Kraybill (2001). The Riddle of Amish Culture. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-6772-9.
- "Amish Population Change, 2000-2021" (PDF). Elizabethtown College, the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. August 12, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Amish Studies: "Population Change 2010-2015"
- 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.
- 2010 U.S. Religion Census, official website.
- "Amish Population 2020". World Population Review. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- "Twelve largest settlements, 2020". Groups.etown.edu. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- Amish Population in the United States by State and County, 2020
- Amish Population in the United States by State and County, 2021
- Census Bureau data for each of the counties.
- 1st Amish settlement west of Ontario prepares for Prairie winter in quiet Manitoba town.
- 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.
| Affiliations (by number of church districts) |
|
|---|---|
| Distribution | |
| Way of life | |
| Other | |
 Christianity portal | |
