Market insight

Market Overview

  • Fort Wayne is located in the northeast corner of Indiana.
  • The population of Fort Wayne is 261,285 based on the 2021 Estimated U.S. Census Data.
  • The population of Allen County is 388,608 based on the 2021 Estimated U.S. Census Data.
  • The population of the Fort Wayne area CSA is 645,409 based on the 2020 Estimated U.S. Census Data.
  • The CSA consists of Allen, Whitley, DeKalb, Huntington, Wells, Noble and Adams counties.
  • 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 = 14,271,770 SF
  • Total Allen County office inventory = 13,349,124 SF
  • Total NE IN (or 10 county) industrial inventory  = 115,680,859 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

2021 2020 % Change
Adams 35,961 35,809 0.4%
Allen 388,608 385,410 0.8%
DeKalb 43,333 43,265 0.2%
Huntington 36,717 36,662 0.2%
Kosciusko 80,106 80,240 -0.2%
LaGrange 40,524 40,446 0.2%
Noble 47,227 47,457 -0.5%
Steuben 34,632 34,435 0.6%
Wabash 30,816 30,976 -0.5%
Wells 28,197 28,180 -0.1%
Whitley 34,430 34,191 0.7%
NEI 800,551 797,071 0.4%
Indiana 6,805,985 6,785,528 0.3%
U.S. 331,893,745 331,449,281 0.1%

Source: U.S Census Bureau and Development Counsellors International (DCI)

MARKET REPORTS

2023 Office Market Report

The office market statistics for the 12 months commencing with October 2022 and ending with September 2023 weakened considerably compared to 2022 as evidenced by negative absorption, increased vacancy and less new construction. This trend is a result of fewer employees working in an office setting, causing companies to reduce their office footprint. Fort Wayne’s office real estate environment mirrors the national landscape. The vacancy rate today is 12.3%. This rate has increased steadily in the past 3 years from 9.21% in 2021 to 10.95% in 2022. However, the Fort Wayne office vacancy rate is lower than the national average.

2023 Industrial Market Report

Industrial real estate in northeast Indiana continued a five year trend of strong significant growth in 2022. This positive impact was a direct result of attractive investment opportunities and expanding demand for locally sourced products and services. The vacancy rate is historically low at 2.91%.

2023 Retail Market Report

The retail market statistics for the 12 months from May 2022 to April 2023 reflect a positive absorption of 109,000 SF. The market vacancy decreased slightly from 10.9% to 10.8%. Overall, the factors that have led to three positive years of retail market growth are unlikely to continue.

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