In 1991, there were 215 Amish settlements in North America. 20 years later, the number was 427 (see this 20-year review at the Amish Studies site). The Amish population doubles every 2 decades (give or take). But this doesn’t mean that existing communities just double in size. As they grow, Amish move. Big communities lose members to daughter settlements. [...]
Continue reading Could Amish be headed to your neighborhood? 8 factors to consider
How big is the Amish population? As of 2011, the total Amish population is 261,150, according to the latest estimates by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. No new states made the list this year. So the total Amish tally remains at 28 states (and Ontario). I guess we’ll have to wait [...]
Continue reading How many Amish live in North America?
Once, an Amish acquaintance with an interest in numbers showed me a few calculations. He had worked out the theoretical Amish population far into the future, using the assumption that it doubles every 20 years. The numbers get big quickly. Total Amish population (currently 250,000) hits a million sometime in the 2050s, and rockets from [...]
Continue reading 7 Million Amish by 2100?
Amish have lived in Iowa for over 160 years. The oldest and largest community in Iowa is found in Johnson and Washington Counties, around the town of Kalona. Iowa has a significant but relatively modest Amish population given its long history. Amish in Iowa number around 7,000 today (see Young Center Amish Studies website). Facts [...]
Continue reading Amish in Iowa
Sometime in the next few weeks, we’ll be launching a new feature on Amish America. The Amish State Guide will provide a state-by-state look at Amish communities in all 28 states (plus Canada) where they are currently present. The Amish State Guide will cover locations of present communities, history of Amish settlement in the state, [...]
Continue reading Previewing the new Amish State Guide: Michigan Amish
“New York” and “Amish” may seem an odd match. But the Empire State has seen its Amish population soar in recent years, and is currently home to the 5th-largest grouping of Amish in North America. SUNY-Potsdam Professor of Anthropology Karen Johnson-Weiner has spent years researching the various Amish communities in New York. Karen’s new book [...]
Continue reading New York Amish: Book giveaway and interview with Karen Johnson-Weiner
How large is the typical Amish family? The answer can vary by community. Seven is commonly given as an average number of children for Amish. In some settlements, however, it may be closer to six, and in others, can even reach 8 or 9. In The Riddle of Amish Culture, Donald Kraybill notes that roughly [...]
Continue reading Amish family size
Just got word the new Amish population stats are up on the Young Center Amish Studies web site. The big shocker is Pennsylvania coming in ahead of the Ohio Amish, and Lancaster County a hair ahead of Holmes County (by 25 people, which means that if Holmes County delivers more babies this week, they could [...]
Continue reading Pennsylvania Amish edge out Ohio in latest Amish population figures
New York state is home to a large number of Amish communities–around 30 settlements–totaling over 70 church districts. New York ranks as the state with the sixth largest Amish population and has attracted a large number of out-of-state ‘immigrant Amish’–in fact, more than any other state since 2002. Brock shares photos from an Amish settlement in Montgomery County, [...]
Continue reading Reader photos: New York Amish
