Many of you probably recognize the name Don Burke as someone who has provided many wonderful photos for the site here over the years – as well as a number of excellent guest posts about visits to Amish communities. In today’s post, Don shares with us how he first came to visit one of the Amish communities he grew to know well – that of…
Pennsylvania is home to the nation’s largest Amish population. These ten communities rank as the biggest in the state, based on the most current population estimates. Pennsylvania has the largest of all Amish settlements – found in well-known Lancaster County. But the Amish live in many more locations across the state. Here’s a look at the top 10 Pennsylvania Amish communities by size. Population numbers…
And while it’s uncommon, it’s not the only one like that. The Amish community at Littlestown, Pennsylvania (Adams County) also stretches into Carroll County, Maryland. The young settlement is the subject of a recent report by WHP/CBS 21. In 2021, Joe Donnermeyer compiled a list of Two-State Amish Settlements for us, which included over a dozen such communities. This one should also go on that…
Twenty years ago, I had the pleasure of spending the night in my pickup truck, heater on blast, in the parking lot of a Middlefield, Ohio, gas station. The reason? A heavy, early-April lake effect snowstorm had caught me off guard while I was in the area selling books. The roads too slick to exit town, and nary a hotel bed to be found, I…
Reflecting the beauty of the autumn season, today we have another nice photo set by Don Burke, featuring some fall sights from one of Kentucky’s 50+ Amish settlements. As you can see, autumn was in full effect when he took these (this set is not from this year, but some years back). These are from Crittenden County, Kentucky (Marion), home to a well-entrenched community of…
As of 2025, over 400,000 horse-and-buggy Amish live in 32 states. Scroll on for the full list, from the largest Amish population (Pennsylvania) to smallest (New Mexico). And for more on Amish in each state, check out the linked state guides for each entry. Numbers via the Young Center for Anabaptist & Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (source link at bottom). 1. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Amish…
Each year the Amish start new settlements (with nine new ones arising in the past year). Some grow slowly over time, others more quickly. Others eventually fail and disband. Dynamics such as the local economy, climate, and in-group harmony all can affect a given community’s chances of success. Today, Timothy L. Price shares a closer look at the goings-on in one such young Amish community,…
Today Don Burke take us into one of Missouri’s many smaller Amish settlements. This one is at Harwood in Vernon County, MO. Vernon County is in the western side of the state on the Kansas border. These photos are a nice reminder that there are many more Amish locations out there besides the better-known, larger communities. This community is currently at two church districts in…
The Amish population continues growing at a high rate, with over 400,000 Amish people living in America in over 650 communities. The Amish are currently found in 32 states. But which states have the largest Amish populations? Scroll on for the latest list, with figures by the Young Center for Anabaptist & Pietist Studies (Elizabethtown College). 1. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Amish Population: 95,410 The Amish in Pennsylvania…
The 2025 Amish Population Report The 2025 Amish population figures have just been released by the Young Center at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County, PA. As always, the Amish population continues going up (never down). This reflects their high birthrate, and the tendency for most people born Amish, to choose to remain Amish, by being baptized in the church. It’s a trend that has continued…