A Demographic Profile of the Elkhart-LaGrange Old Order Amish Settlement

Abstract

In 1970, Johns Hopkins University produced the first Indiana Amish directory. Its goals were narrowly related to genetic research, and it opened a window into a nearly complete census of this settlement. It is rare in social science to have such a complete picture of any population. A decade later, the second directory was published. The Amish decided to put their own energy into producing this compendium of birth dates, family size, district maps, and detailed information on the ministerial history of the settlement.

      Using the data from eight directories, we can provide a nearly complete analysis of demographic change in the third largest Amish settlement in the world. In this study, we look at growth in settlement size, changes in family size, migration in and out of the settlement, defection and retention of Amish young people, the growth in nonfarm occupations over time, and the frequency of prominent family names.