Tuesday, March 4, 2025

AUBURN, Ind. — Auburn, Indiana (DeKalb County) has been named by Site Selection Magazine as one of the top 10 Micropoitans in America. 

This is the fourth time in the past five years that Auburn (DeKalb County) has been ranked in the top 10. In 2024 the county was tied for eighth place with Tupelo, Mississippi and Danville, Virginia. 

As defined by the White House Office of Management and Budget, a Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of a core urban area with a population between 10,000 and 49,999, along with adjacent counties that have a high degree of economic and social integration with the core, primarily measured through commuting patterns.

For 2024, 125 micros from 29 states found spots in the ranking. The threshold for inclusion in the ranking is a minimum of two qualifying projects of at least $1 million investment, 20 new jobs created or 20,000 square-feet of new or expanded facility space. 

For the 2024 ranking 10 projects were submitted by Anton King, executive director of the DeKalb Economic Development Partnership. Of those eight projects qualified for the ranking. 

Those 10 projects included: 

•    Auburn Gear, (Auburn) — $7 million investment with 18 new jobs created after the purchase of new equipment and a building remodel. 

•    DeKalb Metal Finishing, (Auburn) — $30 million investment with 53 new jobs created after the purchase of the former Graphic Packaging building, 1201 S. Grandstaff. The company will be moving its operations to the new facility in 2025. 

•    Metal Technologies (Auburn) — $34 million investment with no new jobs created. The company purchased new equipment and completed an internal remodel to increase proficiency. 

•    Walmart Distribution Center (Garrett) — $660 million investment with 26 new jobs created. The center expanded its cold storage with a 600,000 square-foot expansion. 

•    Arbor Wood Company (St. Joe) — $5 million investment with eight new jobs created. The company purchased new equipment and completed an internal remodel. 

•    API Construction (LaOtto) — $3 million investment with four new jobs created. The company relocated its headquarters to LaOtto in 2024. 

•    Country Heritage Winery & Distillery (LaOtto) — $5 million investment with five new jobs created. The company expanded its services adding a distillery operation to its campus. 

•    Nucor Corporation (St. Joe) —$3 million investment with no new jobs created. The company added an industrial truck shop. 

•    Denali (Garrett) — $2 million investment with 20 new jobs created. The company constructed a new distribution center. 

•    Vans Home Store (Garrett) — $4 million investment with the creation of 25 new jobs. The company opened its new distribution center.  

The total investment in the City of Auburn was $71 million with 71 new jobs. The county as a whole saw $753 million in investment with the largest being the $660,000 million investment to the Walmart Distribution Center. 

The top Micropolitan in the United States was Findlay, Ohio with 24 new projects for 2024. Findlay is consistently in the top ten ranking. Other Northeast Indiana communities/counties on the list included Angola (Steuben County tied for 19th) and Kendallville (Noble County tied for 39th). Other Indiana Micropolitans included: Plymouth (Marshall County), Richmond, Wabash (Wabash County), Crawfordsville (Montgomery County), Huntington (Huntington County) and Jasper (DuBois County).