 Northern Indiana has seen a steady population growth over the past century with the exception of 1990.Between 1980 and 1990, Lake County (which includes the city of Gary) saw a population decline of 47,371 residents, and it was this drop in population that hid the population rise which continued to occur in the majority of the region's other counties.The 2015 Census Estimate has shown that the rural counties (i.e., Wabash and Wells) are seeing a gradual population decline; when compared to the gradual increase (or steady) population trend in the more urban counties (i.e., St. Joseph).