Indiana was originally inhabited by Native Americans and European immigrant farmers. With industrialization, Indiana attracted various immigrant groups like the Irish, Hungarians, Italians, Poles, Croats, Slovaks, and Syrians. However, it witnessed a sharp decline in immigration in the 20th century.

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.