The 10 States With The Most Amish Communities
Which states have the most Amish communities? I should first note that this post is about individual communities, also known as settlements, not total Amish population.
The two have some correlation, but are not the same thing.
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Amish Settlement Facts
An Amish settlement is a distinct geographic location where Amish live. The roughly 400,000-strong Amish population is found in close to 700 separate settlements.
Most of those are in the US, with around 20 in Canada and one in South America. Here are five points to keep in mind about Amish settlements:
1. Physical separation
Settlements describe the physical locations where Amish live. There is typically some amount of geographical distance that makes one settlement location physically separate from another.
2. Multiple communities in one county
There can be multiple settlements in one county (indeed, some counties – such as Crawford County, Pennsylvania – may contain even a half-dozen or more distinct settlements).
3. Communities may eventually overlap
In some cases, individual settlements may grow until they overlap with one another. This is the case with the northern Indiana settlement of LaGrange & Elkhart Counties, and the nearby Nappanee community.
They still remain distinct settlements, even though they have grown to the point where they have begun to merge into one another’s “space”.
4. An Amish settlement is different than an affiliation
A settlement is different than an affiliation, which is a way to describe the “type” of Amish.
Affiliations have been described as “loose federations of like-minded Amish churches” (see The Amish p. 140), which are generally similar (but not necessarily identical) in their Ordnung, permitted technologies, and so on. Some examples of affiliations are Swartzentruber, Adams County Swiss, and Troyer Amish.
One settlement can contain multiple affiliations. The best example of this is the Holmes County settlement, with 10+ affiliations. Other examples include the Big Valley settlement in Pennsylvania, and the Geauga County, Ohio settlement.
5. A settlement is different than a church district
Finally, a settlement is also different than a church district. A church district is what the Amish call their individual congregations, with each district having its own ministry.
The Amish typically meet every second Sunday with the others in their district for church service. A church district is typically 25-35 families in size, but can be larger or smaller. A settlement can contain a single church district, or hundreds in some cases.
Church districts have geographic borders. Many settlements are just a single church district in size. When a new settlement is just starting out, it might be just a handful of households in size until it begins to attract more settlers.
The 10 States With The Most Amish Settlements
As noted above, this list looks a little bit different than the total Amish population list (I’ve included that at the end for comparison purposes).
This list shows you where the Amish are found in the most distinct individual locations. It’s noteworthy that in some states, the Amish are more heavily concentrated in large settlements.
A good example of this is Indiana. It is #3 in terms of total Amish population, but #8 as far as number of settlements. That’s because it has five of the top largest Amish settlements – and relatively few small settlements.
Another state of note is Delaware, which is not on this list, and has just one Amish settlement. At the same time it has a greater Amish population than 17 other states, some of which have six, eight, or even 10 individual Amish settlements.
These figures are taken from the Young Center Amish Studies 2025 population numbers.
1. Ohio (74 Settlements)
Unsurprisingly, the state with the second greatest Amish population has the most settlements. It has both many individual communities, and two of the four largest in Holmes County and Geauga County.
2. Wisconsin (68 Settlements)
Not far behind is Wisconsin with 68 settlements. Despite Pennsylvania having nearly quadruple the Amish population, Wisconsin has a slightly greater number of settlements. This tells us that Wisconsin has many small communities.
3. Missouri (64 Settlements)
The Show Me State has more individual communities than #4 on our list (Pennsylvania), despite having less than one-fifth the total Amish population. This reflects the fact that most Amish communities in Missouri are quite small, and the state lacks communities of especially large size. Well over 40 of Missouri’s communities have been founded since the turn of the century.
4. Pennsylvania (63 Settlements)
Pennsylvania has the largest total Amish population, and it is also near the top with 63 settlements.
5. New York (60 Settlements)
The Empire State is right behind Pennsylvania in number of settlements at 60. Over 40 of those have been created since the year 2000, reflecting the state’s popularity among Amish looking for affordable farmland over the past several decades.
6. Kentucky (55 Settlements)
Since the 1970s, Kentucky has steadily added new Amish communities. Its two largest settlements, at Munfordville and at Hopkinsville, were both founded in 1989 and both number around 2,500 Amish each.
7. Michigan (53 Settlements)
Like Kentucky, Michigan has seen new communities founded steadily since the 1970s, and at a pace that has increased over the past decade-plus. There are currently 53 Amish communities in the Wolverine State.
8. Indiana (28 settlements)
Notice the big drop-off here. Indiana, as noted above, is one of the “big three” states in total Amish population, but has relatively few individual settlements. It does have multiple large communities which are home to thousand of Amish each.
9/10. (tie) Iowa (25 settlements)
Iowa has about the same number of settlements as Indiana, but just one-sixth the total Amish population.
9/10. (tie) Minnesota (25 Settlements)
The Land of 10,000 Lakes rounds out the list, currently tied with Iowa at 25 Amish settlements.
The Top 10 States by Total Amish Population
For comparison, here are the top 10 states by total Amish population:
1. Pennsylvania – 95,410 people
2. Ohio – 86,325
3. Indiana – 67,310
4. Wisconsin – 27,535
5. New York – 25,220
6. Michigan – 20,090
7. Missouri – 18,465
8. Kentucky – 16,720
9. Iowa – 10,965
10. Illinois – 9,280
Read more on the Amish population in 2025.
small Amish groups
We may not be one of the 10 states with the most Amish Settlements but Virginia has some of the best settlements. The Burkes Garden Fall Festival was cancelled because of COVID but our Amish had wonderful foods anyway. I bought the best pecan pie I have ever eaten, and I am a GA girl whose grandmother had pecan trees in her yard and grew up on pecans. These people want to make you happy. I believe he said he raised 245 mums. Sorry!!! They sold out. I guess we can keep our secret to ourselves and those it leaked out to.
Virginia is still on the lower end when it comes to Amish population, but it has been adding new communities lately and with two new additions last year is all the way up to 10 settlements now. I love the Burke’s Garden settlement and visited it twice last year. Sorry to hear the fall festival was canceled…gotta admit I’m a little envious at the thought of that pecan pie!
Buried Garden
I can’t imagine anyone visiting Burke’s Garden not loving it. An amazing place for it’s geology alone and the addition of Amish is the perfect combination. I would assume they are “hunkering down” for the winter now as that place can get hit hard with snow.
Good article, Erik. Thanks.
Thanks Jerry, glad you liked it. I’m actually planning another trip to Burke’s Garden soon.
Wisconsin?
I have traveled thru Wisconsin for years and years. I am so surprised by this number where are they? It seems like Indiana has a tourist interest in the amish. Does Wisconsin have anything like that?
Wisconsin Amish
Wisconsin Amish are found away from the main roads. You will not see many signs warning of horse and buggys. In the southwest is Brodhead and some west of there. North of Madison is Dalton,Hillboro,Cashton, Viroqua and many more north of there. Just cruise the back roads and keep your eyes wide open.
One of our readers, Terry, is a regular Amish visitor in WI communities. He has some regular spots he visits. I know the Kingston/Dalton area is one of them, and particularly Mishler’s Country Store seems to get high reviews by everyone: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mishlers-country-store-dalton
Amish in Gilman WI.
We have had many groups come to Gilman WI. 40 families within 10 miles.
IL hangin' in there!
It’s good to see that Illinois is still hangin’ in there (albeit at #10) as one of the top 10 states with total Amish population!
Yes, Wisconsin has Amish. I visited one community about 4 years ago on a bus tour, though I can’t recall its’ name just now!
Alice Mary
I think it will be in that spot for awhile, between Iowa and Minnesota – it’s far enough ahead MN and behind IA that without something big happening that will probably not change much. I could see other spots on this list flipping though, especially #4 and #5 (WI and NY), and #6-8 (MI, MO, KY). That middle chunk of 5 states are unlike the top 3 in that they have mostly outpaced the typical Amish growth rate with the possible slight exception of Michigan.
Illinois Amish
I visited my son in Edwardsville, IL and we went to Arthur, IL to an Amish Community and had lunch ar a wonderful restaurant. The food was delicious and their store was great. I loved shopping and eating there. Did I mention how polite everyone was? We were treated like family.
I used to live in Central Wisconsin. They have many Amish communities in Marquette, Wood and Price counties, in Green County and a few others. I actually thought the number would be higher.
Amish in Southern Indiana
Hello,
Would you be so kind as to identify where we might find Amish communities in Southern Indiana, below Indianapolis?
Our family would certainly enjoy visiting and eating at their restaurants and shopping at their road side stands or stores.
I appreciate your time and consideration.
Thank you so much,
LadyLinda88