Market insight

Market Overview

  • Fort Wayne is located in the northeast corner of Indiana.
  • The population of Fort Wayne is 267,927 based on the 2022 Estimated U.S. Census Data.
  • The population of Allen County is 391,449 based on the 2022 Estimated U.S. Census Data.
  • The population of the Fort Wayne area CSA is 618,411 based on the 2022 Estimated STATS Indiana Data.
  • The Fort Wayne CSA ranks 79 out of 172 total CSA’s in the US based on 2020 Estimated U.S. Census Data.

Market Inventory Totals

  • Total Allen County retail inventory = 14,677,281 SF
  • Total Allen County office inventory = 14,522,797 SF
  • Total NE IN (or 10 county) industrial inventory  = 118,889,384 SF

Distances of major cities from Fort Wayne:

  • Indianapolis 116 miles
  • Detroit 160 miles
  • Chicago 158 miles
  • Cincinnati 154 miles
  • Columbus 156 miles

Total Population by County - Northeast Indiana

2022 2020 % Change
Adams 36,068 35,809 0.7%
Allen 391,449 385,410 1.6%
DeKalb 43,731 43,265 1.1%
Huntington 36,834 36,662 0.5%
Kosciusko 80,826 80,240 0.7%
LaGrange 40,866 40,446 1.0%
Noble 47,367 47,457 -0.2%
Steuben 34,725 34,435 0.8%
Wabash 30,828 30,976 -0.5%
Wells 28,335 28,180 0.6%
Whitley 34,627 34,191 1.3%
NEI 805,656 797,071 1.1%
Indiana 6,833,037 6,785,528 0.7%
U.S. 333,287,557 331,449,281 0.6%

Source: U.S Census Bureau and STATS Indiana

MARKET REPORTS

2024 Office Market Report

The fundamental challenges of downsizing and hybrid work models in the office sector have continued for the fourth consecutive year, however, Fort Wayne is outperforming other Midwest markets in terms of vacancy rate. Office demand will remain soft and owners will need to be aggressive with pricing and terms in order to attract and retain users. We anticipate that these trends will continue into 2025.

2024 Industrial Market Report

While historically strong, the momentum of the industrial market in northeast Indiana has slowed relative to the preceding five years, as evidenced by barely positive net absorption and an increase in vacant space. The overall forecast for 2024 projects that industrial demand will continue to be challenged, due to an uncertain economic outlook.

2024 Retail Market Report

Despite the ongoing economic challenges, the Fort Wayne retail market is surprisingly strong, as evidenced by four consecutive years of increased occupancy. The retail vacancy fell from 10.8% to 9.4% in the past 12 months. The overall forecast for the next 12 months is optimistic with stable to falling vacancy, positive absorption and less new construction.

MARKET NEWS

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LOCAL & REGIONAL LINKS

Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership

Greater Fort Wayne Inc.

U.S. Department of Labor Unemployment Situation Summary

Regional Information
As prepared by Indiana Dept. of workforce Development

City of Fort Wayne
Business Information including demographics, economic development news and other facts

Allen County Government Site