Columbus
The Columbus, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Bartholomew County in south-central Indiana.* The city of Columbus, located 40 miles south of Indianapolis and known worldwide for its modern architecture, is the area’s principal municipality and its anchor.
* MSAs are defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.Quick Stats
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The Columbus Futurecast Event
Save the date!
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025
Lunch served at 12:00 pm.
The Commons Nugent-Custer Performance Hall & Upper Lobby
300 Washington Street,
Columbus, IN 47201
Registration details
coming soon
Potential Speakers at the Columbus Futurecast Event
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025
Join us to discuss how the changing economic environment will affect the local region, Indiana and the nation in the coming year.
This event is co-hosted by the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, the IU Columbus Division of Business, the IBRC and the Kelley School of Business.
What did we say last year about the Columbus region?
Published December 2024
Columbus concluded 2023 with higher unemployment than 2022. During 2024, the unemployment rate was 3.4% or higher for all but one of the first nine months of the year. Current expectations are for local economic output to increase during 2024 in light of vehicle production and sales projections.
Interest rates rose from January 2022 until July 2023 at a rate not seen since 1980 and the cost of construction continues at elevated levels. These factors are reflected in residential housing sales for the first nine months of 2023 and 2024. Both year-to-date values are approximately 750 units, well below the prior low of 844 housing sales in 2019. The lack of available and affordable new and existing housing in the Columbus MSA may continue as a drag on economic growth in the near term.
Columbus may experience flat to slightly higher real GDP growth between 0.0% and 2.0% in 2025. Weakness in the automotive and durable goods sector, fueled by continuing high interest rates combined with low consumer confidence, may be key to this scenario.
Unemployment may increase slightly to between 4.0% and 4.5% in 2025 due to potential slack in the manufacturing sector and the net addition of up to 500 new entrants into the job market. In this scenario, the number of employed is expected to decrease by between 0 and 300 in 2025.
Read the full Columbus article »
Each year in December, the Indiana Business Research Center publishes a special Outlook edition of the Indiana Business Review.
Published continuously since 1926, the Indiana Business Review is a quarterly publication that provides analysis and insight on economic and demographic issues.