As they do each year, the Young Center has published estimated numbers for the Amish population in 2015.
A few highlights from the figures:
- Amish communities are now found in 31 states and 2 Canadian provinces. The new state this year is Vermont. A fresh settlement in the Green Mountain State made news back in July.
- Also new on the Amish map: the province of New Brunswick (a potential settlement on Prince Edward Island has apparently not yet materialized).
- The current number of settlements is at 501, with around 20 being founded in the past year.
- If you’re Amish, odds are you live in one of three states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Indiana, together home to 63% of the Amish population.
- Most settlements are small. Over half (52%) are just one church district in size.
- The current Amish population is estimated to be 300,000 individuals.
Thanks to their large families and tendency to keep their own within the faith, the Amish continue to grow at a significant pace. The Young Center estimates that the Amish population has increased by 50,000 since 2010.
You might also like:
Question on the Amish? Get answers to 300+ questions in 41 categories at the Amish FAQ.
Influence out of proportion to numbers
I was surprised to see how relatively small the Amish movement is – they seem to wield an influence worthy of a numerically bigger grouping. Is this paradoxical, given that they are probably about the last people to be interested in public relations – or is there a lesson here for the rest of the church?
It’s always interesting to see the numbers from the Young Center. It’s good to know the Amish continue to increase. But I can’t help but wonder how long their growth can continue. There’s just so much land (not necessarily farm land, either) where it seems likely they’d settle and thrive. I guess all I can do is continue “following” them (via this blog, the Young Center info., their publications, etc.).
Whether they know it or not, they’ve had a big influence on me. 🙂
Alice Mary
I'm not so sure...
…they’ll be running out of land too soon. Take a look at a map of global population density and compare the middle US with Europe. Apart from the coasts we really arent that densely populated a country.
help
I’m trying to find Amish communities in Utah. are there any?
There are no Old Order Amish in Utah, Gena. The closest are in Colorado. https://amishamerica.com/colorado-amish/
Idaho?
Somewhere I heard that Old Order Amish have settled in Idaho. Is that so, and where?
Mary, a settlement was founded in the area of Salmon in Lemhi County in 2012.
Thanks
Thanks, Erik! My son lives in Boise and we’d been wondering where they are.
I just spoke with Amish friends who have family members looking at land on PEI.
Interesting Tom, if you hear about any settlement officially starting feel free to let us know. I imagine there might also be news coverage since there have already been a couple articles about the potential Amish interest.
Thanks for this information. I always enjoy this type of postings on Amish America and have several Amish friends with whom I will share these updated statistics.
Amish in Bolivia
In the Oct. 21 issue of The Budget, a scribe from an Amish community in Holmes County, Ohio, writes that now there is an officially established Amish church in Bolivia, South America. Several Amish ministers from the U. S. went to Bolivia this month (Oct. 2015) and helped the group there establish church guidelines, have a council meeting, and communion services. It seems like this new Amish group might have developed from former Old Colony Mennonites in Bolivia. Does any Amish America reader have more information about this development?