Community Research Institute

About the Community Research Institute

The Community Research Institute (CRI) is one of IPFW's commitments at the Fort Wayne campus to the growth and development of northeast Indiana. The Institute serves as one of the portals linking the academic expertise at IPFW with the needs of the public and non-profit sectors in northeast Indiana by providing research and analytical support in the areas of socio-economic data, urban planning, municipal finance, public policy, and economic development.

Information is available on CRI's web site on various economic measures regarding the local economy such as employment and income and other area economic data. Also available on this web site is access to CRI's reports, the "TOP 100" (or major employers) list, and a list of other local and national economic resources. CRI also maintains economic data on the 10-county Northeast Indiana region.

Recent Reports

2012 Business Dynamics Report

The Community Research Institute has just released the 2012 Targeted Industry and Manufacturing Business Dynamics Report for the 10 county Northeast Indiana Region. This report was made possible thanks to the support of the Northeast Indiana Fund and the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. View the report.

The 2012 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities of 2012 and the Fort Wayne Area Economy- Commentary provided by the Community Research Institute

The Milken Institute just released its 2012 Best-Performing Cities rankings and the Fort Wayne metropolitan area’s ranking has improved significantly from last year’s report.  Of the 200 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities Index ranks the Fort Wayne are as the 59^th best in the country.  This is up from a 2011 ranking of 127^th. View the report.

A Demographic and Socio-Economic Profile of Allen County, Indiana based on the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey

New demographic and socio-economic data for Allen County has been released by the U.S. bureau of the Census over the past several months. This information comes from both the 2010 Census and from the American Community Survey. The Community Research Institute has analyzed this data in a series of reports to be utilized by citizens and local organizations as they seek to understand the changes occurring in our community over the past decade. Financial support for this project was provided by the John S. and James. L. Knight Foundation Fund held at the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne. See our Allen County Census Project section for the series of reports.

Additional Reports

The Reports Page also contains a link to the recently released long-term economic trends report prepared by CRI for the 11 county northeast Indiana region.

The Allen County Local Government Efficiency Study Committee has released the final version of their report. To obtain a PDF version please visit the CRI Reports page.