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“Let every nation know... whether it wishes us well or ill... that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (20 January 1961). PHOTO CAPTION: Amish Family on different horses and buggies [PHOTO SOURCE: https://amishrules.com/amish-values/] |
“Let every nation know... whether it wishes us well or ill... that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (20 January 1961).
Those were the words of the late JFK in a speech in 1961. The Amish population have more than doubled every year in North America, for two reasons: they have large families and a high retention rate of 85% to 90%. I will post this article: ‘More PA Amish families moving farther west as population hits record highs: researchers’, before I write my thoughts.
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“Let every nation know... whether it wishes us well or ill... that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (20 January 1961). PHOTO CAPTION: Houses being built by the Amish in Kilgore, Nebraska [PHOTO SOURCE: https://panhandle.newschannelnebraska.com/story/52315148/inside-the-growing-amish-community-in-nebraskas-sandhills] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/04/amish-repopulating-nebraskas-sandhills.html |
More PA Amish families moving farther west as population hits record highs: researchers
by Grace Miller
Thu, November 13, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Updated Fri, November 14, 2025 at 1:25 PM
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Pennsylvania’s Amish population is the largest it’s been, prompting some Amish families in the Lancaster area to move farther west, researchers said.
“It is growing fast,” said Kyle Kopko, an Amish researcher and professor at Elizabethtown College. “The Amish double in size about every 20 years.”
The Lancaster County area, the largest Amish settlement in the country, is home to around 44,000 Amish adults and children, according to Steven Nolt, Amish expert and director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College.
Nolt is also a professor of history and Anabaptist studies, which includes, in part, the history and culture of Pennsylvania’s Amish and Mennonite populations, among other areas.
The Young Center’s research found that as of May, Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 95,410 of the United State’s 404,575 Amish population— around 23.6%.
Nolt said Amish don’t label their communities by the traditional county, borough and township lines—they define their communities by settlements, which are made up of districts. Districts are like the local units of the church, similar to how the Catholic church establishes parishes.
As of May, Nolt said there are 267 districts in what’s called the “Lancaster settlement.”
Today, about 88% of the Lancaster settlement is actually in Lancaster County, Nolt said. The other 12% of the settlement has stretched into parts of Chester, Dauphin and Berks counties, along with Cecil County, MD.
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“Outdo one another in showing honor (Rom. 12:10) Live in harmony with one another (Rom. 12:16) Admonish one another (Rom. 15:14) Greet one another with a holy kiss (Rom. 16:16) Wait for one another (1 Cor. 11:33) Have the same care for one another (1 Cor. 12:25) Be servants of one another (Gal. 5:13) Bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2) Comfort one another (1 Thess. 5:11) Build one another up (1 Thess. 5:11) Be at peace with one another (1 Thess. 5:13) Do good to one another (1 Thess. 5:15) Put up with one another in love (Eph. 4:2) Be kind and compassionate to one another (Eph. 4:32) Submit to one another (Eph. 5:21) Forgive one another (Col. 3:13) Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16) Pray for one another (James 5:16) Love one another from the heart (1 Pet. 1:22) Be hospitable to one another (1 Pet. 4:9) Meet one another with humility (1 Pet. 5:5)” ― Eberhard Arnold, Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/11/plain-people-and-mutual-aid-why-we-live.html Big Amish Event: Horse
Progress Days 2025 (20 Photos) ~ [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1121946049967570&set=a.613847060777474] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/06/amish-mutual-aid-amish-helping-to.html |
Neat photo set from Milo G.
Miller (publisher of The Budget newspaper).Nolt points to several reasons for this growing population.
For one thing, Amish families tend to have more kids than the average family, and around 80-90% of kids born to Amish parents end up joining the Amish church when they’re adults, staying in that lifestyle, Nolt said.
“So when you have large families and you have what sociologists call a high retention rate of between 80 and 90%, yeah, that's where you end up with, you can get a doubling rate of, you know, about every 20 years,” he said.
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African Proverb: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. 56 Amish workers are helping in Western North Carolina with victims of Helene. They are in search of a base camp close to Black Mountain. They are bringing their own supplies to build “Cabins for Christ”. This is the America I love! People coming together from all walks of life and helping one another. https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/06/amish-mutual-aid-amish-helping-to.html |
A shift away from farming
As the Amish population increases, less farmland is becoming available in places like Lancaster County, Nolt said. This is pushing more Amish people to find a livelihood outside of agriculture.
“It's not that Amish people who were farming quit farming,” Nolt said. “It's that, all the new marriages, all the new households that are getting started, beginning in the ‘80s, there just weren't enough.
“When you have a population that is growing that rapidly, there just aren't enough farms that are available for sale, frankly.”
Previously, around 90% of Amish families were farm owners, Nolt said. Today, that number sits around one-third. But when you account for the larger population, there are technically still more Amish-owned farms today than before–there are just also more Amish in other fields.
“The shift to non farm work has been probably the biggest consequence of Amish population growth for the Amish themselves,” Nolt said.
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An Amish farmhouse AKA Heemet in Pennsylvanian Dutch |
Moving west for farmland
This scarcity of farmland has led some families in the Lancaster settlement to leave and search for properties farther west, like Littlestown in Adams County.
“I wouldn't necessarily say it's always about economic opportunity or they want to farm,” said Kopko, formerly the executive director for the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. “Certainly that is a consideration, but sometimes it's very practical where there might not be the opportunity to buy the type of property that they'd like to in Lancaster County... so they might have to go further west.”
Nolt said small-scale migration is a trend they’re noticing, but it’s not yet evident in the data.
It’s a trend Littlestown Mayor Jennifer Beskid said her borough has seen first-hand.
“Littlestown has experienced an increase in the Amish population on the farms outside of the Borough limits,” Beskid wrote in an email to CBS 21. “Two families who have purchased farms just outside of the Borough limits have established businesses - Pennland Greenhouse and Kings Farmstead and Market. There is another family that has a farmstand but not a store front.”
After visiting these businesses, Beskid said her sense is that the community has embraced the new Amish families.
Although, she said, there were some initial complaints about the increase in horse and buggy traffic.
“The Borough Manager/Chief of Police and I met with one of the owners and asked for information about the few complaints I have seen regarding the horse droppings,” the mayor said. “The owner educated us, the information was passed on to the community, and I have not seen or heard any negative comments since.”
Beskid said she knows of three Amish families nearby Littlestown who "operate their farms in peace” and then work with non-Amish borough residents to get information about their markets onto social media channels.
“In general, I'd say the influx of the Amish into our community has been well-received,” Beskid said. “Our residents seem to appreciate the farm land being maintained and the markets being available.”
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This file photo shows members Old Order Amish meeting with a local attorney in Washington Township. Across Pennsylvania local and health officials have rolled out special outreach to inform Amish communities of the coronavirus pandemic. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.pennlive.com/coronavirus/2020/04/the-amish-present-unique-challenges-amid-coronavirus.html] |
More government interaction
As the population grows, so does the Amish’s interaction with non-Amish people and government entities, Kopko said—at least for the Lancaster settlement.
Kopko, who is also the executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, said he’s hearing about more Amish people engaging agencies for things like tax credits, business opportunities and grants.
“So with [population growth] comes the greater opportunity for Amish to have interaction with non-Amish, meaning that they're going to have more government interaction,” Kopko said. “They're going to, at least in Lancaster settlement, even volunteer a little bit more.”
Kopko said it tends to be the younger, entrepreneurial generation within the Lancaster settlement.
“I haven't heard of that really in other settlements across the United States, but I think that's also unique for Lancaster just because they are interacting with non-Amish so regularly,” he said.
“Because of that, they're willing to engage in some of these types of activities that maybe historically hasn't been the case.”
Kopko said he and Nolt are monitoring to see if this will be a long-term phenomenon.
But when discussing the impacts of a growing Amish population, Kopko said there are positives that are often overlooked.
“For example, you know, anytime that they buy a property, well, there's going to be a property transfer tax that's collected,” he said.
“They're going to pay property taxes, but their children don't go to public schools, so at least from a school district perspective, that is a benefit. They are collecting revenue from families whose children aren't going to a public school, but they're still benefiting, economically speaking.”
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4 Types of Amish Gardens
~ For the Amish, gardens provide food, beauty, remedies, and even memorials. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1129571015871740&set=a.613847060777474] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/02/simple-living-quotes-part-1-meet-titus.html |
Kopko said many people tend to hold misconceptions about their Amish neighbors.
“They are not backward people,” he said. “I think that we have this maybe historical stereotypical perception of what an Amish person is and what the Amish lifestyle is, that they're all just farmers that only go to school to the eighth grade, and they're not terribly educated.
“That's not the case at all. They are very successful entrepreneurs. They are proliferating, obviously, their communities are growing. They have a tremendous amount of wealth, not just in Lancaster, but all throughout the United States.”
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“Let family worship be short, savory, simple, tender, heavenly.” – Richard Cecil 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. – Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV) PHOTO CAPTION: Amish family praying together before dinner [PHOTO SOURCE: https://au.pinterest.com/pin/317081630014236023/ https://churchandfamilylife.com/resources/60ca750123fa965169a3c94e https://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/FamilyWorship.pdf https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/puritanevangelism.pdf https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2019/puritan-evangelism/ https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/leading-family-worship https://www.apuritansmind.com/the-christian-walk/the-christian-family/family-worship-by-a-w-pink/ |
MY THOUGHTS:
“So when you have large families and you have what sociologists call a high retention rate of between 80 and 90%, yeah, that's where you end up with, you can get a doubling rate of, you know, about every 20 years.” – Steve Nolt
Amish expert, Steve Nolt, was right - the Amish population have more than doubled every year in North America, for two reasons: they have large families and a high retention rate of 85% to 90%. They need more land. Due to their four core values, they have managed to maintain their communities well. Their ‘cousins’ - the Hutterites and Mennonites are historically Anabaptist and share a strong emphasis on family and community. Large families are seen as a blessing and a way to strengthen community bonds, and are common within the Anabaptist Trio communities.
Due to their high fertility and high retention rate, they have established 9 new communities [as of July 2025]:
1. Lexington, Jefferson County, Indiana
2. Vevay #3, Switzerland County, Indiana
3. Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky
4. Friendsville, Garrett County, Maryland
5. Hersey #2, Osceola County, Michigan
6. Dadeville, Dade County, Missouri
7. Rock Island/Spencer, Van Buren County, Tennessee
8. Camp Douglas, Juneau County, Wisconsin
9. Port Loring, Parry Sound, Ontario
SOURCE: https://amishamerica.com/the-amish-population-has-grown-over-130-percent-this-century-2025-report/
Just like the Amish are repopulating Nebraska’s Sandhills, those PA Amish are doing the same thing, by moving west of Pennsylvania to for example, Littlestown, Adams County. This increase is part of a larger trend where Amish families from the denser Lancaster County settlement move west to find available farmland.
I hope and pray that their Amish population will grow more like those in Maryland AKA Gortner Amish, where it is a mixture of both Old and New Order Amish combined community.
As Eberhard Arnold said:
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True community arises out of transformation, and only transformation can make real community. – Eberhard Arnold Explanation: Eberhard Arnold's quote, "True community arises out of transformation, and only transformation can make real community," highlights the deep connection between personal growth and the formation of genuine communities. According to Arnold, an authentic sense of belonging and interdependence within a community can only be achieved through individual transformation. This transformation encompasses inner change, personal development, and a willingness to transcend self-interest for the greater good of the community. In this context, transformation refers to an ongoing process of self-reflection, growth, and a conscious effort to nurture meaningful relationships. It is through this collective commitment to transformation that individuals can contribute to the creation of a vibrant, supportive, and interconnected community, where shared values, empathy, and mutual respect flourish. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.bookey.app/quote-author/eberhard-arnold] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/11/plain-people-and-mutual-aid-why-we-live.html |
AMISH-MENNONITES
FAMILY PHOTOS:
I love admiring Amish-Mennonites large families, they represent family and community values. I will post photos of them.
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Amish family coming out of a vehicle. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=704002987493487&set=p.704002987493487] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/john-troyer-memorial-award.html |
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"If we don't want the government to tell us how to conduct our church affairs, we had better not tell them how to run the government.” – 1001 Questions and Answers If the vaccine cartels were telling the truth, then the Amish should be wiped out! [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.memedroid.com/memes/detail/3799294/The-stabbing-pain-in-your-chest-means-its-working?refGallery=tags&page=1&tag=amish] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/10/how-amish-cope-with-covid.html |
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The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb Amish Family ~ Sarah’s Country Kitchen [PHOTO SOURCE: https://ca.pinterest.com/pin/amish-family-sarahs-country-kitchen--412853490835064682/ … …. https://images.app.goo.gl/8tVWbUpRXLnwRZ6X7] https://mommyish.com/the-big-family-backlash-is-having-a-dozen-kids-selfish-717/ https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/book-review-hannahs-children-women.html |
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The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb Georgia’s landscape, steeped in history and cultural richness, once attracted Amish settlers seeking a peaceful life. While attempts were made to establish communities in the early 1900s, unlike other regions, these settlements haven’t flourished long-term. However, the story of the Amish in Georgia is a captivating one. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.amishfurniturefactory.com/amishblog/amish-communities-in-georgia/] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/05/family-value-quotes.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-one-of-australias-few.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/john-troyer-memorial-award.html |
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Ohio Amish Gathering [PHOTO SOURCE: https://warther.org/information.php?Ohio-s-Amish-Country-14] |
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An Amish family with 6 children [PHOTO SOURCE: https://amishrules.com/amish-values/] |
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The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb An Amish family with 8 children [PHOTO SOURCE: https://amishrules.com/amish-values/] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/05/family-value-quotes.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/10/amish-baby-boom-part-1-proverbs-about.html |
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Good character, like good soup, is usually homemade. ~ Amish Proverb [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/420945896400133340/] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/05/family-value-quotes.html |
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The McCallums head into town, Scottsdale in their buggy, pulled by one of their horses, Terry. Credit: Meredith O'Shea The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb Meet the McCallums, one of Australia's few Amish families Ever wanted to not just slow down, but jump off the grid? A family leaves behind the trappings of the 21st century to lead a simple, pious life in rural Tasmania. BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-one-of-australias-few.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-and-their-community.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-mccallum-family-musical-group.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/08/springfield-farm-fresh-produce-mccallum.html |
RELATED LINKS:
" Community is like an old coat, you aren't aware of it until it is taken away." – Amish Proverb
JOHN TROYER MEMORIAL REPORT 2025
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/john-troyer-memorial-report-2025.html
https://amishamerica.com/amish-population-ranking-by-state/
The Amish, a strange community
Dubbed
3.38M subscribers
1,151,321 views Oct 13, 2024 ÉTATS-UNIS
Welcome to Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the Amish in the United States. They are a Christian ethno-religious group of Germanic origin and are known for leading a simple, peaceful and austere life, keeping themselves aloof from progress and influences from the outside world. After several months of attempts, we finally succeeded in filming the daily life of this community from another age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzWWkH0VxNU
Minnesota Amish Community
https://amishamerica.com/minnesota-amish/
https://worldcrunch.com/eyes-on-the-us/amish-america-minnesota/
“Let every nation know... whether it wishes us well or ill... that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (20 January 1961).
AMISH REPOPULATING NEBRASKA’S SANDHILLS
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/04/amish-repopulating-nebraskas-sandhills.html
https://amishamerica.com/visiting-the-amish-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-10-photos/
Gortner Amish Community
https://amishamerica.com/5-old-but-surprisingly-small-amish-communities/
http://www.mountaindiscoveries.com/images/ss2013/amish.pdf
http://www.mountaindiscoveries.com/stories/ss2003/gortneramish_plain.html
