Originally an agricultural state, Indiana was settled by Native Americans moving west, by a small group of French Creoles, and by European immigrant farmers. Although railroad building and industrialization attracted other immigrant groups—notably the Irish, Hungarians, Italians, Poles, Croats, Slovaks, and Syrians—foreign immigration to Indiana declined sharply in the 20th century, although there was a rebound in the final decade. As of 2000, foreign-born Hoosiers numbered 186,534 (3% of the total state population), nearly double the figure of 94,263 in 1990.
Restrictions on foreign immigration and the availability of jobs spurred the migration of black Americans to Indiana after World War I; by 2000, the state had 510,034 blacks, representing about 8.4% of the total population. Approximately one-fifth of all Indiana blacks live in the industrial city of Gary.
In 2000, approximately 3.5% (214,536) of Indiana's population was of Hispanic or Latino origin, up sharply from 1.8% (99,000) in 1990. The Asian population was estimated at 59,126 in 2000, including 14,685 Asian Indians (up from 6,093 in 1990), 12,531 Chinese (6,128 in 1990), 6,674 Filipinos, 7,502 Koreans, 5,065 Japanese, and 4,843 Vietnamese (2,420 in 1990). Pacific Islanders numbered 2,005.
The natives of early-19th-century Indiana came from a variety of Algonkian-speaking tribes, including Delaware, Shawnee, and Potawatomi. By 1846, however, all Indian lands in the state had been seized or ceded, and most Indians had been removed. In 2000, there were 15,815 Native Americans.