2026 Community Leadership Visit – Data
Explore how Springfield and Indianapolis, and their respective counties and metropolitan statistical areas, compare across key measures of community growth and competitiveness. This data snapshot examines population, economic and workforce trends, community indicators, housing, and quality of place to provide helpful context for trip participants. Unless otherwise noted, the information reflects the most current data available as of July 2026.
Springfield and Indianapolis offer a useful comparison because their metropolitan areas have grown at nearly the same rate while operating at very different scales.
In 2025, the Springfield MSA reached 500,694 residents, while the Indianapolis MSA reached 2,205,695. From 2020 to 2025, the Springfield MSA grew 5.1% and the Indianapolis MSA grew 5.4%. Springfield’s recent metropolitan population growth depended primarily on domestic migration, while Indianapolis benefited from international migration, domestic migration and natural population growth. In both metropolitan areas, most recent growth occurred outside the central city and core county.
Indianapolis’s larger metropolitan population supports a much deeper economy, labor market and transportation network. Its metropolitan economy is roughly seven times larger, with stronger concentrations in professional services, specialized occupations and exports. The Springfield MSA has nevertheless kept pace with Indianapolis’s rate of economic growth and has recorded strong employment gains in health care, education, manufacturing, trade and transportation. Springfield’s challenge is to build on those strengths while expanding higher-wage opportunities and attracting specialized talent.
The comparison also shows that regional growth does not benefit all residents equally. At the metropolitan level, Indianapolis reports higher bachelor’s degree attainment, labor-force participation and household income. Poverty is also higher in the Springfield MSA, and Springfield city records the highest poverty rate among the metro, county and city geographies examined. The Springfield MSA also has a higher uninsured rate. Although the Springfield and Indianapolis urban areas report nearly identical overall cost-of-living scores, Springfield-area households generally have less income available to absorb housing, medical and other expenses.
Housing affordability has weakened across both metropolitan areas. The Springfield MSA retains a lower typical home value than the Indianapolis MSA, but its lower household income reduces that advantage. Homeownership affordability has deteriorated as home prices, mortgage rates, property taxes and insurance costs have risen. Severe housing cost burdens are concentrated among renters, particularly in the Indianapolis MSA, Marion County and Indianapolis city.
Transportation and quality of place reveal a similar balance between scale and accessibility. Indianapolis International Airport offers far greater passenger volume and route depth than Springfield-Branson National Airport. Indianapolis also has a much larger hotel, visitor and arts economy. Springfield, however, benefits from shorter metropolitan and city commute times, and several local amenities compare favorably relative to its population, including its trail network and hospitality-business concentration.
Key Takeaway
The Indianapolis MSA is more than four times the size of the Springfield MSA; however, both grew at nearly identical rates. The Springfield MSA's growth depended more heavily on domestic migration with the Indy metro relying mostly international migration, with growth often occurring outside of the core city. Both metros also saw increases in young professional, prime working-age, and aging demographics.
Population Growth
Springfield and Indianapolis recorded nearly identical metropolitan population growth rates from July 2020 to July 2025, but the sources and geographic distribution of that growth differed.
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The Springfield MSA grew 5.1%, reaching 500,694 residents, while the Indianapolis MSA grew 5.4% to 2,205,695. Both metropolitan areas outpaced their respective states and the nation over the period, demonstrating that each region continues to attract new residents.
Migration
Migration accounted for nearly all of the Springfield MSA’s population increase from 2020 to 2025. Natural increase and international migration were key growth factors for the Indianapolis MSA.
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Springfield MSA
The metropolitan area added 24,748 residents through net migration, including 21,353 domestic migrants. Natural change contributed only 390 residents and international migration added 3,395 residents.
Indy MSA
The Indianapolis MSA added 81,856 residents through net migration and another 34,324 through natural increase. International migration was especially important in the Indianapolis MSA, contributing 61,882 residents.
Core Counties
Greene County, Missouri, grew because migration offset more deaths than births. Marion County, Indiana, by contrast, lost residents through net migration but continued to grow because births exceeded deaths. The Springfield MSA’s recent growth therefore depended more heavily on attracting residents from elsewhere, while the Indianapolis MSA benefited from both migration and natural increase.
Demographic Growth
From 2020-2025, both metros expanded their prime working-age and young professional populations; residents age 65 and older were the fastest-growing age group in both areas.
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Young Professionals (ages 25-39)
Residents ages 25 to 39 represented 21.1% of the Indianapolis MSA population in 2025, compared with 19.5% of the Springfield MSA population.
Prime Working-Age (ages 25-54)
Despite identical growth rates, the Indianapolis MSA retains a larger concentration of prime working-age residents. Adults ages 25 to 54 represented 39.9% of the Indianapolis MSA population in 2025, compared with 37.0% of the Springfield MSA population.
Aging Population
Older adults were the fastest-growing major age group in both metropolitan areas. The Springfield MSA remains the older of the two metros, but the Indy MSA aged more rapidly during the five-year period.
Growth Geography
Population growth was distributed differently across the two metropolitan areas with recent growth in both metropolitan areas extending beyond their central cities and core counties.
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Springfield MSA
Greene County added the most residents from July 2020 to July 2025, but Christian, Dallas, Polk and Webster counties collectively accounted for 59% of the metropolitan area’s increase. Christian and Webster counties were especially important contributors, showing that regional growth extended beyond Springfield city and Greene County.
Indy MSA
Growth in the Indianapolis MSA was even more concentrated outside its core county. Marion County (Indianapolis) accounted for only 13.7% of the metropolitan area’s population increase, while Hamilton County alone contributed more than one-third. Hendricks, Johnson, Hancock and Boone counties also added substantial numbers of residents, showing a strong outward growth pattern.
Key Takeaway
Indianapolis offers much greater economic scale, while Springfield has maintained a similar growth rate and has strong employment concentrations in several essential industries.
Economic Output and Growth
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Exports
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Employment and Industry
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Income and Workforce
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Industry Mix and Sector Momentum
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Education and Opportunity
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Health and Well-Being
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Workforce Participation
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Cost and Affordability
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Supply and Development
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Key Takeaway
Takeaway: Springfield’s lower metropolitan home values do not automatically produce stronger affordability because local incomes are also lower.
Home Values and Market Measures
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Residential Building Permits
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Employment and Industry
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Income and Workforce
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Housing Stock Growth and Population
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Education and Opportunity
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Health and Well-Being
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Renter Income and Rent Growth
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Cost and Affordability
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Supply and Development
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Homeownership Affordability
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Housing Cost Burden
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Key Takeaway
Takeaway: Indianapolis reports higher bachelor’s degree attainment, household income and labor-force participation, while both regions contain substantial differences among cities and counties.
Education and Human Capital
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Household Income
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Employment and Industry
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Income and Workforce
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Cost of Living Index
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Education and Opportunity
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Health and Well-Being
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Health Coverage Access
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Cost and Affordability
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Supply and Development
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Public Safety
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Poverty
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City Comparison
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Airport Access and Passenger Growth
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Ground Transportation and Mobility
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Employment and Industry
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Income and Workforce
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Tourism and Visitor Infrastructure
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Education and Opportunity
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Health and Well-Being
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Dining and Hospitality Businesses
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Cost and Affordability
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Supply and Development
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Parks and Trails
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Arts and Cultural Activity
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