Indianapolis, IN
Report: Indy tops Midwestern cities in three-year GDP growth – Inside INdiana Business
The Indianapolis metropolitan area surpassed its Midwestern peers in gross domestic product growth from 2019 to 2022, according to a report from a Washington, D.C.-based economist.
In a graphic posted on X, economist Joseph Politano showed Indianapolis outperforming peer cities including St. Louis and Cincinnati, as well as larger metropolitan areas like Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago. Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Politano found that the Indianapolis metro’s GDP grew by $12.1 billion, or 8.4%, during that period.
The calculation was made using chained 2017 dollars, a measure which calculates “as if everything is at 2017 prices” in order to adjust for inflation, Politano told IBJ.
The post garnered attention from local officials and celebrities, from Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett to Indianapolis-based author John Green. By midday Thursday, it had been viewed by nearly 370,000 users.
Where other Midwestern metros had modest GDP increases, Indianapolis was an outlier.
“[Indianapolis] was like a bright spot in what is otherwise like a pretty gloomy recovery for the Midwest as a whole,” said Politano, who was a financial management analyst at the Bureau of Labor Statistics before starting his Apricitas Economics newsletter.
The GDP increase in Indianapolis was mostly stirred by white collar jobs, followed by construction. These industries have increased hiring over the past few years, Politano said, but both have slowed down.
The Indianapolis metropolitan area includes suburbs. But, Politano said the bulk of the area’s GDP growth came from its core, with roughly two-thirds from Marion County.
Local business leaders told IBJ the data is a credit to Indianapolis’ competitiveness among its peers.
Indy Chamber CEO Matt Mindrum said he was surprised by the magnitude of the metro’s growth, calling it a “tremendous validation of the work that’s been happening, and I think a tremendous indicator of what’s possible in the future.”
The growth wasn’t reliant on corporate giants such as pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co., which Mindrum said was a credit to the breadth of local industries.
“It is pharmaceutical manufacturing, but it is more so professional services, finance, white collar jobs,” Mindrum said. “This is [spurred by] jobs, which I think is tremendous news, because if it’s jobs, it’s talent, and that is the kind of growth that’s going to be the most sustainable.”
The data also showed that Marion County was responsible for 25% of the state’s GDP growth, which Mindrum said is proof the state should “double-down” on the “economic driver,” or downtown Indianapolis. The economic enhancement district the state created for downtown Indianapolis is part of continuing that momentum, he said. The Indianapolis City-County Council approved the creation of the tax district last month.
It’s also proof to Mindrum that the metro’s fundamentals are solid.
“I don’t think we attracted that level of growth because Indianapolis across the country is perceived as the coolest and hippest place to be—I hope we’re going to get there over time—but I think this investment is business growth, this is talent growth.”
Gordon Hendry, managing director of real estate firm HRE, said the ranking “is really demonstrative of how Indianapolis is competing against our peer cities in the Midwest.” Outside of the Midwest, Seattle had a similar rate of GDP increase. Hendry said Indianapolis’ ability to compete with the base for tech giants including Amazon, Zillow and Microsoft shows Indy is excelling in the competitive landscape.
The graphic reflects “the Indianapolis story” of success despite the turbulence of the global pandemic, he added.
“We held our own, and rebounded strongly,” Hendry told IBJ.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – While Louisville is famous for one race in May, a Derby City native is set to make his first appearance in a different iconic May race.
Jacob Abel will be making his first appearance in the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, racing for Abel Motorsports, founded by his father, Bill Abel.
“I am excited and grateful to be able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to have a shot at the Indianapolis 500. It’s been a lifelong dream to compete in that race and to have the opportunity to do it with Abel Motorsports and Chevrolet makes it even more special,” Jacob said.
Both Abels, the driver and the team, had breakout years in 2024 with three pole positions and three wins in the INDY NXT drivers’ championship, propelling the 25-year-old driver to the NTT INDYCAR Series the following year.
Practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 begins on Tuesday, May 12 with qualifying being held on May 16 and May 17. The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway goes green on May 24, coverage begins at 10 a.m.
Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.
INDIANAPOLIS — A person was stabbed in downtown Indianapolis Sunday evening.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets around 8:28 p.m. to investigate a stabbing. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult male victim with apparent stab wounds.
IMPD has confirmed that the victim was transported from the scene to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.
Investigators believe the stabbing “stemmed from a disturbance between multiple individuals and the victim.”
IMPD has reported that it has not identified or detained any suspects or persons of interest at this point in its investigation of the stabbing. Police have indicated that they are hoping witnesses come forward with information that can help them identify or locate the suspects.
“The officers now are doing a complete investigation,” IMPD Lieutenant Frank Wooten said during a media briefing Sunday night. “They’re going to investigate this to the best of their ability. We’re going to try to locate our suspect, arrest the suspect, prosecute the suspect and hold that suspect accountable for this heinous crime in Indianapolis. This is not an indication of what our city is about. This is not an indication of what we do downtown, and we hold this to be very serious. So, we will hold whoever did this responsible for their actions tonight.”
Sunday night’s stabbing represented a continuation of a violent weekend in downtown Indianapolis.
Early Sunday morning, two men were critically injured in a shooting near a White Castle on South Street. Before that shooting occurred, police arrested two juveniles on gun charges at Monument Circle.
Police also conducted a shooting investigation near the Hilton hotel located at 120 W. Market St. around 4 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in that shooting.
Elsewhere in the city, a person was injured in a shooting in a CVS parking lot on Kentucky Avenue Saturday evening. Another individual was killed in a shooting outside a residence in the 2300 block of South Pennsylvania Street Saturday night.
Public police reporting systems indicate IMPD has investigated nine shootings that caused injuries since midnight Saturday. During that same timeframe, IMPD has investigated six shootings that did not result in any injuries and five stabbings.
Numbers available on shootings and stabbings in IMPD’s public reporting system may not be complete, as some reports on weekend shootings and stabbings may not have been entered yet.
“This is not what we want Indianapolis to be,” Wooten said. “This is not what we expect out of the citizens of Indianapolis. We expect them to be safe, come downtown and have a good time, and be able to go home the same way they came down here. So, we will hold these suspects, once located, accountable for this crime.”
INDIANAPOLIS — One person died in a shooting on Indy’s near south side on Saturday evening.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 2300 block of S. Pennsylvania Street at approximately 9:45 p.m. on report of a shooting. This is a residential area located near Raymond Street and Madison Avenue.
Officers reported finding an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound outside a residence. The victim was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition, but later was pronounced deceased.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office has not released the deceased’s name at this time.
Police ask anyone with information about this shooting to contact Detective Kristina Friel at the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail the detective at Kristina.Friel@indy.gov. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.
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