How many people live in Indianapolis?

Answer 1

There are two ways to look at this.

The first is the population of Indianapolis proper, meaning population WITHIN Indianapolis's city limits. As of the 2014 Federal census, there were 848,788 residents within the City.

The second way to look at this, is the metropolitan area of Indianapolis. This is an area that includes not only the corporate city limits of Indianapolis, but many outlying areas (bedroom areas/suburbs/outskirts) that are an integral part of Indianapolis's street/highway systems, business sectors, and users of the City's resources, assets, and opportunities. When you add those people into the City's population, the population number balloons to 1,988,817.

These statistics are from the 2014 U.S. Census, so the numbers may have changed since then. But until the next census is taken (another eight years or so), population numbers won't be updated with hard facts.

Answer 2

As of 2021, approximately 886,220 people live in Indianapolis, making it the most populous city in Indiana.

Answer 3

781,870,890 in January 2012.