​I have been thinking lately about how easy it has become not to leave the house.

We have access to more movies, television, music, and information than at any point in our lives. I can watch almost any movie I want tonight without going anywhere. That's pretty remarkable. But having nearly everything available on demand makes me appreciate the things that are better when other people are there.

Years ago, Robert Putnam wrote Bowling Alone, looking at bowling leagues, civic clubs, and the organizations that put people in a room together. I have been thinking about that book again because a good portion of my job at the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce involves doing exactly that.

At our recent Business After Hours at First Financial Bank, more than 200 people showed up. Some came to make a business connection. Others were catching up with people they knew. Even more wanted to bask in the glow of IU Henke Hall and Indiana Football. Let's focus on the few who came because somebody invited them and figured they should get out of the office — and once they did, they had a pretty good time.

There's good news in Indiana's latest population estimates.

Indiana added nearly 38,600 residents in 2025, pushing the state close to 7 million people. Sixty-six of Indiana's 92 counties grew last year, and Indiana's 0.56% growth rate outpaced every neighboring state. For the fourth straight year, international migration was the largest driver of that growth.

Monroe County grew, too. Our population reached an estimated 143,345 in 2025, an increase of 513 residents, or about 0.4%, from the year before. That's a meaningful turn: Monroe County's population had declined in both 2023 and 2024, driven largely by domestic out-migration. Last year's growth reverses that trend. 

Nothing is alarming about the size of that rebound...
Bloomington and Monroe County anchor southern Indiana in higher education, health care, employment, and arts and culture. Indiana University draws tens of thousands of young people here every year. We have major employers, a nationally recognized research university, a strong entrepreneurial community, and amenities most communities our size would envy. A regional center like ours should reasonably aim for steady growth closer to 1% a year — not a boom, just consistent, sustainable growth that shows people are coming here.