Kidney disease is a significant and growing public health burden in Indiana, affecting tens of thousands of Hoosiers each year through kidney failure, dialysis dependence, and the lifelong demands of transplantation. Behind these numbers are real costs — to patients’ health and ability to work, to families’ finances, and to the state’s health care system — that have shifted only modestly over the past decade even as treatment options have improved.
This article compiles statistics from several distinct reporting periods to paint as complete a picture as possible: a Medicare-focused snapshot referencing 2016 data, annual American Kidney Fund (AKF) fact sheets published between 2021 and 2025, transplant center performance data from the National Kidney Registry, and state and county-level cancer and mortality figures. Together, these sources describe how many Hoosiers live with kidney failure, what causes it, how well the transplant system performs, what kidney disease costs, who is most affected, and how kidney disease and kidney cancer death and incidence rates vary across Indiana’s counties.
From cancer rates to transplant center performance and county-by-county mortality, the sections that follow move from the clinical and financial experience of individual patients toward a broader, statewide view of how kidney disease shapes public health across Indiana.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Prevalence in Indiana
- Adults who report ever being told they have kidney disease (excludes kidney stones, bladder infection, and incontinence): 5.0%
- Indiana’s rank among states on this measure: 46
- Statewide kidney disease death rate: 17.4 per 100,000
- Statewide kidney disease deaths: 1,490
One in twenty Indiana adults reports having been diagnosed with kidney disease. Indiana’s rank of 46 on this self-reported measure indicates the state sits well outside the middle of the national distribution.
Kidney Failure (ESRD) in Indiana
Kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is the most advanced stage of kidney disease and requires either dialysis or a transplant to survive.
Prevalence Over Time
The American Kidney Fund has published yearly state fact sheets on kidney failure. Each fact sheet reports the current population living with kidney failure alongside transplant and dialysis figures for a different underlying data year.
Multi-Year Prevalence Trend
| Metric | 2021 Report (data through 2020) | 2023 Report (data through 2022) | 2024 Report (data through 2023) | 2025 Report (data through 2024) |
| Hoosiers living with kidney failure | 14,490 | 14,682 | 14,647 | 14,597 |
| Hoosiers on dialysis | 10,077 | 10,012 (68.2%) | 9,879 | 9,730 |
| Hoosiers living with a kidney transplant | 4,413 | 4,670 (31.8%) | 4,768 | 4,867 |
| Increase in prevalence vs. baseline year | not reported | 30% since 2010 | 27% since 2011 | 21% since 2012 |
The total number of Hoosiers living with kidney failure has stayed in a fairly narrow band (roughly 14,490–14,682) across the four reporting years, but the composition has shifted: the dialysis population has gradually declined (10,077 → 9,730) while the number of Hoosiers living with a functioning transplant has steadily risen (4,413 → 4,867).
New Kidney Failure Diagnoses
| Metric | 2021 Report (2018 data) | 2023 Report (2020 data) | 2024 Report (2021 data) | 2025 Report (2022 data) |
| New kidney failure cases diagnosed | 2,532 | 2,465 | 2,653 | 2,456 |
| — Received a kidney transplant | 69 | 76 | 77 | 77 |
| — Began dialysis | 2,463 | 2,389 | 2,576 | 2,379 |
Across all four years of new-diagnosis data, the overwhelming majority of newly diagnosed kidney failure patients began dialysis rather than receiving an immediate transplant — typically more than 96% of new cases.
Causes of Kidney Failure
- 2023 Report: Diabetes 47%, High Blood Pressure 30%
- 2024 Report: Diabetes 44%, High Blood Pressure 29%
- 2025 Report: Diabetes 43%, High Blood Pressure 30%
Diabetes and high blood pressure together account for roughly 72–77% of all kidney failure cases in Indiana.
Kidney & Renal Pelvis Cancer in Indiana
Cancer Incidence by Site, Indiana vs. U.S. (Age-Adjusted, 2018–2022)
| Cancer Site | Indiana Rate | U.S. Rate |
| Bladder | 20.2 | 18.8 |
| Brain & ONS | 6.5 | 6.3 |
| Breast (Female) | 127.3 | 131.3 |
| Breast (in situ) (Female) | 27.3 | 29.8 |
| Cervix (Female) | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| Colon & Rectum | 39.4 | 36.7 |
| Esophagus | 5.6 | 4.6 |
| Kidney & Renal Pelvis | 19.3 | 17.5 |
| Leukemia | 14.1 | 14.3 |
| Liver & Bile Duct | 8.2 | 8.6 |
| Lung & Bronchus | 65.0 | 52.5 |
| Melanoma of the Skin | 20.4 | 23.1 |
| Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | 18.3 | 18.5 |
| Oral Cavity & Pharynx | 13.1 | 12.1 |
| Ovary (Female) | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Pancreas | 14.2 | 13.7 |
| Prostate (Male) | 111.2 | 116.4 |
| Stomach | 5.6 | 6.5 |
| Thyroid | 11.3 | 12.9 |
| Uterus (Female) | 29.0 | 27.9 |
Kidney & Renal Pelvis cancer incidence in Indiana (19.3 per 100,000) runs about 10% above the national rate (17.5 per 100,000).
Dialysis Infrastructure in Indiana
- Patients depending on dialysis: 9,731
- Dialysis clinics across Indiana: 158
- People on the kidney transplant waiting list: 1,180
- People who have already received a transplant: 4,867
With 158 dialysis clinics statewide serving roughly 9,700 patients, this works out to an average of about 62 dialysis patients per clinic, underscoring how dependent Indiana’s kidney failure population is on a distributed network of dialysis infrastructure even as transplant numbers grow.
Kidney Transplant Centers in Indiana
Indiana has three hospital-based kidney transplant programs, two of which are affiliated with the National Kidney Registry (NKR), a network that facilitates living-donor kidney exchanges and offers donor protections and incentive programs.
Kidney Transplant Waiting List and Transplants Performed
| Metric | 2021 Report (2020 data) | 2023 Report (2022 data) | 2024 Report (2023 data) | 2025 Report (2024 data) |
| Hoosiers on kidney transplant waiting list | 887 | 1,017 (as of 2/17/2023) | 1,010 | 1,179 |
| Total transplants performed in Indiana | 377 | 317 (2.5% decrease vs. 2012) | 305 (2% increase vs. 2013) | 349 (19% increase vs. 2014) |
| — Living donor transplants | not broken out | 54 | 53 | 73 |
| — Deceased donor transplants | not broken out | 263 | 252 | 276 |
| Change in living donor transplants vs. comparison year | not reported | 39.3% decrease vs. 2012 | 47% decrease vs. 2013 | 17% decrease vs. 2014 |
| Share of waitlisted patients who received a transplant | about 1 in 2 (2020) | about 1 in 3 (2022) | not reported | not reported |
The transplant waiting list grew substantially over this period, from 887 in the earliest report period to 1,179 in the most recent one, even as total transplants performed each year fluctuated between roughly 305 and 377.
Donor-Side Program Features (Last 12 Months)
| Rank | Center | State | NKR Transplants (12 mo) | Deceased Donor Priority | Living Donor Priority | Donor Shield | Remote Donation | Voucher Program | NKR Member | Equal Access Commitment | Donor Referral Network | Kidney for Life | Donor Care Network | Nutcracker Care Network |
| 1 | IU Health University Hospital | IN | 30 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| 2 | Ascension St. Vincent Hospital | IN | 9 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| 3 | Lutheran Hospital of Indiana | IN | 0 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Totals | 39 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
IU Health University Hospital and Ascension St. Vincent Hospital are the only two NKR-affiliated centers in the state, and both have enrolled in the same eight donor-support programs.
Transplant Outcomes
Adult
| Rank | Center | State | NKR Transplants (12 mo) | LD Transplants, Prior Year | LD 1-Yr Graft Survival | LD 3-Yr Graft Survival | LD 1-Yr Patient Survival | LD 3-Yr Patient Survival | DD 1-Yr Graft Survival | DD 3-Yr Graft Survival | DD 1-Yr Patient Survival | DD 3-Yr Patient Survival |
| 1 | IU Health University Hospital | IN | 30 | 55 | 99% | 94% | 99% | 96% | 93% | 81% | 95% | 87% |
| 2 | Ascension St. Vincent Hospital | IN | 9 | 14 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 97% | 92% | 99% | 94% |
(LD = Living Donor Transplants; DD = Deceased Donor Transplants)
Both adult programs report excellent living-donor outcomes, with 1-year graft and patient survival at 99–100%. Deceased-donor outcomes are strong but noticeably lower, particularly 3-year graft survival (81% at IU Health vs. 92% at Ascension St. Vincent).
Pediatric
| Rank | Center | State | NKR Transplants (12 mo) | LD Transplants, Prior Year | LD 1-Yr Graft Survival | LD 3-Yr Graft Survival | LD 1-Yr Patient Survival | LD 3-Yr Patient Survival | DD 1-Yr Graft Survival | DD 3-Yr Graft Survival | DD 1-Yr Patient Survival | DD 3-Yr Patient Survival |
| 1 | IU Health University Hospital | IN | 30 | 55 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 95% | 91% | 100% | 100% |
IU Health University Hospital is the only pediatric kidney transplant program in the state and reports perfect (100%) 1- and 3-year living-donor graft and patient survival.
Kidney Disease Mortality
Kidney Disease (Nephritis & Nephrosis) Death Rates by County, 2019–2023
This county-level table covers all races and both sexes, all ages, and is sorted from the highest to the lowest age-adjusted death rate.
| County | Age-Adjusted Death Rate (95% CI) | Avg. Annual Deaths | 5-Year Trend | 5-Year Trend Rate (95% CI) |
| Indiana (statewide) | 18.0 (17.6, 18.5) | 1,453 | falling | -1.0 (-3.0, -0.6) |
| United States | 13.4 (13.3, 13.4) | 54,332 | stable | 0.0 (-0.3, 0.5) |
| Scott | 38.6 (28.9, 50.6) | 11 | rising | 3.4 (1.1, 6.6) |
| Clay | 30.8 (22.8, 40.9) | 10 | NA | NA |
| Starke | 30.4 (21.9, 41.3) | 9 | NA | NA |
| Switzerland | 28.1 (16.2, 46.0) | 4 | NA | NA |
| Fountain | 27.2 (18.8, 38.7) | 7 | NA | NA |
| Newton | 27.0 (17.4, 40.7) | 5 | NA | NA |
| Vigo | 25.4 (21.7, 29.7) | 34 | stable | 1.3 (-0.3, 3.0) |
| Clark | 25.3 (21.7, 29.4) | 36 | rising | 16.4 (9.4, 22.6) |
| Decatur | 25.1 (18.1, 34.1) | 9 | NA | NA |
| Delaware | 25.1 (21.6, 29.2) | 36 | rising | 1.8 (0.5, 3.3) |
| Rush | 24.4 (16.3, 35.6) | 6 | NA | NA |
| Bartholomew | 23.3 (19.2, 28.0) | 23 | stable | 0.1 (-1.8, 2.2) |
| Madison | 22.3 (19.2, 25.7) | 39 | stable | 0.9 (-0.2, 2.0) |
| Jasper | 22.0 (16.2, 29.4) | 10 | NA | NA |
| Parke | 21.9 (14.1, 33.0) | 5 | NA | NA |
| Marion | 21.4 (20.1, 22.8) | 198 | stable | 0.5 (-0.2, 1.2) |
| Lake | 21.3 (19.7, 23.1) | 134 | stable | -0.9 (-1.7, 0.0) |
| Hancock | 21.2 (17.3, 25.8) | 21 | NA | NA |
| Howard | 21.2 (17.5, 25.6) | 24 | stable | -0.8 (-2.3, 0.7) |
| Jennings | 20.8 (14.1, 29.8) | 6 | NA | NA |
| Gibson | 20.6 (14.9, 27.9) | 9 | NA | NA |
| St. Joseph | 20.6 (18.4, 22.9) | 69 | rising | 6.7 (3.9, 15.1) |
| Daviess | 20.5 (14.6, 28.1) | 8 | NA | NA |
| Floyd | 20.4 (16.5, 24.9) | 20 | stable | 0.0 (-1.6, 1.6) |
| Huntington | 20.3 (15.0, 27.0) | 10 | NA | NA |
| Marshall | 20.1 (15.4, 25.9) | 13 | stable | -0.5 (-3.4, 2.5) |
| Jackson | 19.8 (14.9, 25.9) | 11 | NA | NA |
| Wells | 19.6 (13.7, 27.2) | 8 | NA | NA |
| Vanderburgh | 19.5 (17.0, 22.3) | 45 | stable | 2.0 (-4.4, 16.2) |
| Pulaski | 19.4 (11.2, 31.9) | 4 | NA | NA |
| Sullivan | 19.1 (12.7, 28.2) | 6 | NA | NA |
| Miami | 18.9 (13.7, 25.7) | 9 | NA | NA |
| Perry | 18.7 (11.9, 28.3) | 5 | NA | NA |
| LaPorte | 18.5 (15.5, 22.0) | 28 | rising | 15.3 (0.1, 28.0) |
| Jefferson | 18.4 (13.1, 25.5) | 8 | NA | NA |
| Vermillion | 18.4 (11.2, 29.2) | 4 | NA | NA |
| Kosciusko | 18.2 (14.6, 22.4) | 18 | stable | -0.2 (-1.9, 1.6) |
| Tipton | 17.9 (11.3, 27.7) | 5 | NA | NA |
| Franklin | 17.4 (11.1, 26.0) | 5 | NA | NA |
| Montgomery | 17.4 (12.7, 23.5) | 9 | NA | NA |
| Porter | 17.3 (14.8, 20.0) | 37 | stable | -0.5 (-2.0, 1.1) |
| Henry | 17.1 (12.9, 22.4) | 11 | NA | NA |
| Grant | 17.0 (13.3, 21.4) | 15 | NA | NA |
| Washington | 16.4 (10.6, 24.2) | 5 | NA | NA |
| White | 16.3 (11.0, 23.6) | 6 | NA | NA |
| Randolph | 16.1 (10.8, 23.4) | 6 | NA | NA |
| Fulton | 16.0 (10.2, 24.4) | 5 | NA | NA |
| Spencer | 16.0 (10.1, 24.5) | 5 | NA | NA |
| Harrison | 15.9 (11.4, 21.8) | 8 | NA | NA |
| Knox | 15.9 (11.3, 22.1) | 8 | NA | NA |
| Morgan | 15.9 (12.3, 20.4) | 14 | NA | NA |
| Fayette | 15.2 (9.7, 22.9) | 5 | NA | NA |
| Jay | 15.2 (9.3, 23.7) | 4 | NA | NA |
| Lawrence | 15.0 (10.9, 20.2) | 9 | NA | NA |
| Wayne | 15.0 (11.6, 19.1) | 14 | stable | -0.8 (-3.0, 1.1) |
| Allen | 14.9 (13.3, 16.7) | 64 | falling | -6.0 (-7.4, -4.9) |
| Elkhart | 14.9 (12.8, 17.4) | 34 | stable | 1.6 (-5.4, 11.5) |
| Greene | 14.9 (10.3, 21.2) | 7 | NA | NA |
| Whitley | 14.8 (10.1, 21.1) | 6 | NA | NA |
| DeKalb | 14.5 (10.2, 20.0) | 8 | NA | NA |
| Posey | 14.4 (9.3, 21.6) | 5 | NA | NA |
| Boone | 14.1 (10.5, 18.5) | 11 | NA | NA |
| Clinton | 13.9 (9.3, 20.1) | 6 | NA | NA |
| Dearborn | 13.8 (9.9, 18.7) | 9 | NA | NA |
| Noble | 13.7 (9.7, 18.9) | 8 | NA | NA |
| Owen | 13.7 (8.3, 21.7) | 4 | NA | NA |
| Cass | 13.6 (9.5, 19.0) | 7 | NA | NA |
| Orange | 13.6 (8.3, 21.7) | 4 | NA | NA |
| Shelby | 13.6 (9.7, 18.7) | 8 | NA | NA |
| Tippecanoe | 13.6 (11.2, 16.4) | 22 | falling | -14.5 (-36.9, -0.6) |
| Wabash | 13.2 (9.3, 18.6) | 8 | NA | NA |
| Johnson | 13.0 (10.7, 15.5) | 24 | rising | 21.3 (9.8, 31.3) |
| Putnam | 13.0 (8.8, 18.8) | 6 | NA | NA |
| Steuben | 13.0 (8.8, 18.7) | 6 | NA | NA |
| Brown | 12.9 (7.3, 22.2) | 3 | NA | NA |
| Warrick | 12.7 (9.5, 16.7) | 11 | NA | NA |
| Hamilton | 12.6 (10.9, 14.4) | 42 | falling | -2.1 (-3.4, -0.7) |
| Hendricks | 12.6 (10.3, 15.2) | 22 | falling | -4.1 (-12.7, -1.5) |
| Monroe | 12.6 (10.1, 15.5) | 18 | falling | -6.7 (-16.0, -2.4) |
| Dubois | 11.3 (7.8, 16.2) | 7 | NA | NA |
| Ripley | 10.1 (6.0, 16.1) | 4 | NA | NA |
| Adams | 9.0 (5.4, 14.2) | 4 | NA | NA |
| LaGrange | 8.5 (4.8, 13.9) | 3 | NA | NA |
Indiana’s statewide kidney disease death rate (18.0 per 100,000) is roughly 34% higher than the national rate (13.4 per 100,000), and the statewide trend is falling.
Kidney & Renal Pelvis Cancer Death Rates by County, 2019–2023
This table includes only counties with sufficient death counts to calculate a reliable rate.
| County | Urban/Rural | Age-Adjusted Death Rate (95% CI) | Rank (95% CI) | Avg. Annual Deaths | Trend | 5-Year Trend Rate (95% CI) |
| Indiana (statewide) | N/A | 4.0 (3.8, 4.2) | N/A | 336 | falling | -1.2 (-1.8, -0.6) |
| United States | N/A | 3.4 (3.4, 3.5) | N/A | 14,378 | falling | -1.4 (-2.3, -1.1) |
| Johnson | Urban | 2.7 (1.8, 4.0) | 24 (12, 24) | 5 | falling | -3.3 (-5.8, -0.8) |
| Delaware | Urban | 3.4 (2.2, 5.2) | 23 (4, 24) | 5 | stable | -1.7 (-4.6, 0.9) |
| Lake | Urban | 3.5 (2.9, 4.3) | 22 (9, 24) | 23 | falling | -2.4 (-3.5, -1.4) |
| Allen | Urban | 3.5 (2.8, 4.4) | 21 (8, 24) | 16 | stable | -0.7 (-2.4, 1.1) |
| Hamilton | Urban | 3.6 (2.7, 4.6) | 20 (7, 24) | 13 | falling | -2.9 (-4.7, -0.8) |
| LaPorte | Urban | 3.6 (2.4, 5.3) | 19 (3, 24) | 6 | stable | -1.5 (-4.1, 1.2) |
| Monroe | Urban | 3.7 (2.4, 5.4) | 18 (3, 24) | 5 | * | * |
| Elkhart | Urban | 3.7 (2.7, 5.0) | 17 (4, 24) | 9 | falling | -17.6 (-32.9, -0.8) |
| Hancock | Urban | 3.8 (2.3, 6.0) | 16 (2, 24) | 4 | * | * |
| Hendricks | Urban | 3.9 (2.8, 5.5) | 15 (3, 24) | 7 | falling | -2.7 (-5.1, -0.1) |
| Boone | Urban | 4.1 (2.4, 6.5) | 14 (1, 24) | 4 | * | * |
| Marion | Urban | 4.2 (3.6, 4.9) | 13 (5, 20) | 40 | stable | -1.0 (-2.3, 0.3) |
| St. Joseph | Urban | 4.5 (3.5, 5.7) | 12 (2, 22) | 15 | stable | -0.5 (-2.2, 1.2) |
| Howard | Urban | 4.5 (2.9, 6.7) | 11 (1, 24) | 5 | stable | -2.1 (-5.4, 0.9) |
| Vanderburgh | Urban | 4.5 (3.4, 6.0) | 10 (2, 23) | 11 | stable | -0.8 (-3.6, 2.1) |
| Vigo | Urban | 4.7 (3.1, 6.8) | 9 (1, 24) | 6 | stable | 0.0 (-2.7, 3.0) |
| Porter | Urban | 4.7 (3.5, 6.2) | 8 (1, 22) | 11 | stable | 0.4 (-2.4, 3.7) |
| Tippecanoe | Urban | 4.8 (3.4, 6.6) | 7 (1, 23) | 8 | falling | -2.8 (-4.9, -0.8) |
| Warrick | Urban | 5.0 (3.1, 7.8) | 6 (1, 24) | 4 | * | * |
| Madison | Urban | 5.1 (3.7, 6.9) | 5 (1, 22) | 9 | stable | -0.1 (-2.8, 2.5) |
| Dearborn | Urban | 5.3 (3.2, 8.5) | 4 (1, 24) | 4 | stable | 13.9 (-3.2, 49.0) |
| Clark | Urban | 5.4 (3.8, 7.4) | 3 (1, 22) | 8 | stable | -0.9 (-3.4, 1.7) |
| Morgan | Urban | 5.6 (3.5, 8.4) | 2 (1, 23) | 5 | * | * |
| Dubois | Rural | 6.7 (4.0, 10.7) | 1 (1, 22) | 4 | stable | 0.2 (-3.8, 4.9) |
Indiana’s statewide kidney & renal pelvis cancer death rate (4.0 per 100,000) is about 18% higher than the national rate (3.4 per 100,000), though both are trending downward.
Financial and Social Burden of Kidney Disease in Indiana
Financial Assistance from the American Kidney Fund (AKF)
AKF provides grants to help low-income dialysis and transplant patients cover insurance premiums and other health care costs not covered by insurance.
Grant Recipients and Total Assistance by Year
- 2020: 1,336 recipients — $3.9 million in total assistance
- 2022: 1,119 recipients — $3,377,794 in total assistance
- 2023: 1,009 recipients — $3,031,750 in total assistance
- 2024: 1,005 recipients — $3,008,802 in total assistance
Both the number of Hoosiers receiving AKF grants and the total dollar amount of assistance declined steadily across these four years — recipients fell from 1,336 to 1,005 (about a 25% drop) and total assistance fell from roughly $3.9 million to about $3.0 million (about a 23% drop).
Insurance Breakdown of AKF Premium-Assistance Recipients
| Insurance Type | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Medicare Part B | 40.9% | 44.6% | 25% |
| Medicare Advantage | 1.3% | 1.4% | 0.6% |
| Medigap | 27.2% | 23.4% | 27.3% |
| Commercial/Employer Group Plans (incl. COBRA) | 17.7% | 17.2% | 20.1% |
Traditional Medicare Part B was the single largest insurance category among AKF grant recipients in 2022 and 2023, but its share dropped sharply by 2024 (from 44.6% to 25%), while the Commercial/Employer Group share rose (17.2% to 20.1%).
Medicare-Specific Statistics (Data Through 2016)
Medicare Population Metrics
- Medicare patients diagnosed with CKD: 4,348
- Medicare patients on dialysis: 8,406
- Medicare patients with a kidney transplant: 6,093
- Medicare patients on the transplant waitlist: 1,227
- Transplants performed in 2016: 269
- Patients who died while on the waitlist in 2016: 60
Among the Medicare population specifically, patients on dialysis (8,406) outnumbered those living with a transplant (6,093).
Average Cost to Medicare
- Dialysis patient: $85,979
- Transplant patient (after first year): $32,586
- Kidney disease test: $80–$143
A Medicare dialysis patient costs the program roughly 2.6 times more per year than a transplant patient beyond the first year ($85,979 vs. $32,586).
Demographics, Risk Factors, and Financial Hardship
Ability to Work and Demographic Profile of AKF-Assisted Patients
- More than 80% of dialysis patients are unable to work, as ESRD is classified as a disability and managing it is described as more demanding than a full-time job.
- More than 60% of the patients AKF helps in Indiana are minorities.
- Racial/ethnic breakdown of AKF-assisted patients: 34.7% Black, 20.9% Hispanic/Latino, 5.2% Native American/Asian/Pacific Islander.
- Average income of AKF-assisted patients is less than $25,000 per year, while average out-of-pocket dialysis costs exceed $10,000 per year — a financial hardship ratio highlighted as 28%.
Population At Risk
- Diagnosed with diabetes: 12.4%
- Has high blood pressure: 34.8%
- Self-reports as obese: 35.3%
More than a third of Indiana’s general population reports having high blood pressure or being obese — both established risk factors for kidney failure — while roughly 1 in 8 Hoosiers has been diagnosed with diabetes, the leading cause of kidney failure statewide.
These figures describe a patient population that is disproportionately unable to work due to the demands of dialysis treatment, disproportionately composed of racial and ethnic minorities relative to Indiana’s overall population, and facing out-of-pocket health costs that can consume a substantial share of a typically low household income.
Conclusion
Taken together, this data shows that kidney disease has remained a remarkably stable but stubborn presence in Indiana over the past several years. The total number of Hoosiers living with kidney failure has held within a narrow band across every reporting period, and while a growing share of patients are living with transplants rather than depending on dialysis, the underlying drivers — diabetes and high blood pressure — continue to account for roughly three-quarters of all new cases. Indiana’s kidney disease death rate and kidney cancer rates also consistently run above national averages, underscoring that this is not simply a national trend playing out locally, but a burden the state carries more heavily than most.
The data also points to real and widening gaps. The transplant waiting list has grown even as the odds of an individual patient receiving a transplant in a given year appear to have worsened, and living donor transplant volumes remain well below where they stood a decade ago. Charitable assistance from the American Kidney Fund has declined in both dollars and number of recipients even as the patients who rely on it face disproportionate financial hardship, inability to work, and, according to the demographic data available, disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minority communities. County-level figures further show that the burden of kidney disease is not distributed evenly across Indiana, with some counties facing death and incidence rates several times higher than others.
Sources:
- Kidney Transplant Centers in Indiana
- Kidney failure in Indiana: 2025
- Kidney failure
- Kidney failure in Indiana: 2023
- Kidney failure (ESRD) – in Indiana
- Explore Chronic Kidney Disease in Indiana | AHR
- Kidney Disease Mortality | Stats of the States | CDC
- Kidney Disease (Nephritis & Nephrosis) Death Rates Table for Indiana by County
- KIDNEY DISEASE IN INDIANA
- Americans Living with Kidney Disease
- Incidence Rate Report for Indiana by County Kidney & Renal Pelvis (All Stages), 2018-2022
- Indiana Cancer Incidence: Quick Profile | HDPulse Data Portal
- Death Rate Report for Indiana by County Kidney & Renal Pelvis, 2019-2023
- Table 4b Cancer Death Rates* by Site, Sex, and Race for Counties Indiana, 1992