Amish Population Profile, 2024

Population. The estimated population of the Amish of North America (adults and children) as of June 2024 is 400,910. This is an increase of approximately 16,620 since 2023.

States and Provinces. North American Amish communities are located in 32 states and three Canadian provinces. Approximately 61 percent of the North American population lives in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.

South America. In the fall of 2015, horse-and-buggy-driving New Order Amish from the Midwest organized two settlements in South America—one in Bolivia and one in Argentina. Each settlement had one congregation. Most of the members came from Old Colony Mennonite background. The community in Bolivia has stabilized but declined in size. The Argentina community proved unsustainable, with some of the families moving to New Order settlements elsewhere.

Settlements. During the past year, 46 new settlements (geographical communities) were established and ten existing settlements dissolved. New settlements are typically small, with only a few families in a single church district (congregation).

Fifty-six percent of all Amish settlements in North America contain only a single church district. Older settlements such as those in the Holmes County, Ohio, and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, areas contain more than 250 districts. (See Twelve Largest Settlements.) Larger settlements may have several different subgroups whereas smaller ones typically have just one subgroup.

Districts. In North America, the number of districts (congregations), each of which generally consists of 20 to 40 households, grew from 2,914 in 2023 to 3,038 in 2024, an increase of 124 in the twelve-month period.

Growth Trends, 2000-2024. The North American Amish population grew by an estimated 223,000 since 2000, increasing from approximately 177,910 in 2000 to 400,910 in 2024, an increase of 125 percent. The Amish population doubles about every 20 years. Since 2000, the number of districts has grown from 1,335 to 3,038, an increase of 1,703 districts. The same period saw a net gain of 359 settlements, including settlements in six new states (Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming) and two new provinces (New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island).

Reasons for Population Growth. The primary forces driving the growth are sizable nuclear families (five or more children on average) and an average retention rate (Amish children who join the church as young adults) of 85 percent or more. A few outsiders have joined the Amish, but the growth is almost entirely from within the Amish community.

Reasons for Creating New Settlements. The Amish establish new settlements for a variety of reasons, including a desire for: (1) fertile farmland at reasonable prices, (2) nonfarm work in specialized occupations, (3) rural isolation that supports their traditional, family-based lifestyle, (4) social and physical environments (climate, governments, services, economy) conducive to their way of life, (5) proximity to family or other similar Amish church groups, and (6) a way to resolve church or leadership conflicts.

Note: Population estimates for 2024 were calculated using a variety of sources including Raber’s New American Almanac, reports by correspondents in Die Botschaft, The Budget, and The Diary, settlement directories, regional newsletters, and settlement informants. The data includes all Amish groups that use horse-and-buggy transportation, but excludes car-driving groups such as the Beachy Amish and Amish Mennonites.

To cite this page: “Amish Population Profile, 2024.” Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown College. https://groups.etown.edu/amishstudies/statistics/amish-population-profile-2024.