ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WANE)— Greater Fort Wayne (GFW), Allen County's chamber of commerce, said that the county saw $2.6 billion in private investment in 2024, more than double the previous record. That amount of private investment is in addition to 1,050 new jobs created by GFW's partners, which resulted in $75 million in new payroll for Allen County workers. Those statistics are why GFW called 2024 a year of historic growth. Allen County did not just grow financially, but also in population, which is often a key indicator of moving in the right direction. The county's population grew by nearly 3,000 in 2024 alone (0.74%). That figure is about four times the regional average for the Midwest (0.18%), and well above the Indiana (0.44%) and national (0.49%) averages. GFW said that population growth is due to the county finally beginning to achieve a longtime goal: attracting and retaining new talent. According to U.S. Census Bureau, Allen County lost population with people moving away from 2012 to 2016. But since 2017, there have been seven consecutive years of more people moving into the county than leaving. That is quite possibly thanks to the increase in private investment, according to the director of the Purdue Fort Wayne Community Research Institute, Rachel Blakeman. "It's not just jobs, but it's also about bringing higher wage jobs," Blakeman said. "And that's something that we have lacked in this location significantly for decades." While Blakeman said it was hard to tell if Allen County is officially turning a corner, she said there has been an undeniable trend of more high paying jobs. President and CEO of Greater Fort Wayne Inc. John Urbahns agreed that high wage jobs are key to continued growth. He also said that Fort Wayne is currently experiencing the perfect rate of growth in his eyes. "You look at some other larger communities like a Nashville or a Raleigh that are seeing 3-4% population increases," Urbahns said. "They're seeing a lot more traffic congestion a lot more pressure on their housing markets. I think we are in a sweet spot and we need to work to continue to stay in that sweet spot." Urbahns said to continue on that path Fort Wayne is on, the focus needs to shift to local colleges and universities. "When you think about wanting to focus on higher wage jobs, we need people that are trained in those areas," Urbahns said. Urbahns said Allen County has a goal of constructing 2,500 new student housing units in the next 10 years. About 800 units are already under construction.