2026 editionMidwestPop. 6,973,333Capital Indianapolis19th state, admitted 1816Cook PVI R+10
Is Indiana a Good Place to Live? Indiana Rankings, Cost of Living, Crime & Taxes
Indiana ranks #22 of 50 with a composite score of 59.2 and a B grade, strongest in education (#7) and weakest in outdoor access (#44). The median household earns $71,959 (11% below the national median), homes typically cost $260,095 (29% below the national average), and violent crime is 254 per 100,000 (22% below the national average).
Indiana's schools rank #7, its best category, and fiscal health a sound #16, yet the overall rank is #22 because health and outdoor access drag it down. It fits people who'd rather have a predictable tax bill and a cheap house than scenery: price to income is 3.6x, #7 nationally.
Indiana by the numbers
Six measures every state is judged on, each with Indiana's rank of 50 and the national figure beside it.
Sources, latest releases: Census Bureau ACS (income), Zillow Research (home value), BEA Regional Price Parities (cost index), FBI state crime estimates (crime), BLS LAUS (unemployment), WalletHub tax burden study (taxes). Rank 1 is the best value in each measure: highest income, lowest cost, lowest crime.
Read the Indiana overview
Indiana scores above the national average in 5 of 11 categories and ranks #7 of 12 states in the Midwest, behind 6 regional neighbors. Its biggest edge over the country is typical home value ($260,095, 29% below the national average); its biggest shortfall is median household income ($71,959, 11% below the national median). That mix of top-10 finishes (1) and bottom-10 finishes (2) is why the composite alone undersells the tradeoffs a mover here faces.
Where does Indiana rank in each category?
All 11 categories that make up the composite, heaviest weight first. Indiana is top 10 in 1 and bottom 10 in 2.
| Category | Score | Rank | Grade | Weight | US avg | The numbers behind it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 42.9 | #30 of 50 | C+ | 15% | 47.1 | Its unemployment rate is 3.7% and median household income is $71,959. |
| Safety | 79.9 | #11 of 50 | B+ | 12% | 68.9 | The FBI estimates 254.4 violent crimes and 1,052.2 property crimes per 100,000 residents. |
| Health | 40.3 | #39 of 50 | C | 12% | 54.4 | Life expectancy is 75.4 years, 38.4% of adults have obesity, and 7.5% of residents are uninsured. |
| Education | 73.5 | #7 of 50 | A | 12% | 57.5 | Eighth graders average 278 in NAEP math and 262 in reading, and the high school graduation rate is 87.7%. |
| Affordability | 75.7 | #19 of 50 | B | 10% | 65.2 | Typical home value $260,095 (3.6x median income); cost of living index 93.3 (100 = US); center-based infant care $17,461 a year. |
| Fiscal Health | 65.3 | #16 of 50 | B+ | 8% | 58.1 | It carries $2,340 of debt per resident, has 82% of pensions funded, and holds a AAA credit rating. |
| Growth | 42.7 | #21 of 50 | B | 7% | 38.8 | Population grew 0.56% last year; Census net domestic migration is +1.8 per 1,000 residents (the Moving section below uses IRS household counts, a different series). |
| Transportation | 42.1 | #44 of 50 | D | 7% | 49.8 | The average commute is 24.6 minutes, 0.6% of workers use public transit, and 9.6% work from home. |
| Livability | 30.0 | #30 of 50 | C+ | 7% | 34.3 | It has 1.66 restaurants and 0.016 arts venues per 1,000 residents, plus 0.124 bars and 0.129 social associations per 1,000. |
| Outdoor Access | 9.8 | #44 of 50 | D | 6% | 29.4 | 2.1% of its land is public, with 2.29 recreation facilities per 10,000 residents. |
| Environment | 38.4 | #28 of 50 | C+ | 4% | 42.5 | Its median air quality index is 41, 15% of its electricity is renewable, and its FEMA disaster risk score is 16.9. |
Weight, US average and the evidence sentence for each category are shown on wider screens.
Grades follow rank, not score: A+ for ranks 1–5, A for 6–10, B+ for 11–18, B for 19–26, C+ for 27–34, C for 35–42, D for 43–48, F for 49–50. US avg is the mean score of the 50 states. Click a category for its 50-state ranking.
Category shape
Indiana's 11 category scores. A balanced state fills the wheel evenly; Indiana bulges toward education and dips at outdoor access.
How expensive is Indiana?
Indiana's cost of living index is 93.3 against a national baseline of 100, 7% below the national average and #18 of 50 (1 = cheapest). The typical home is worth $260,095 (29% below the national average); buying it takes an income of about $70,704, $1,255 less than the median household earns. Inside the state the spread is wide: among tracked cities, Terre Haute is cheapest (index 87.8) and Gary priciest (103.6).
Housing market snapshot · August
Cool marketRanked #40 of 50 most expensive by typical value and #6 on price relative to income (1 = most affordable). The median household earns enough to buy the typical home.
Full Indiana housing market: 26-year chart, rent vs. buy, cities →What a household keeps at $75,000
| Household | Indiana | Median state | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family of fourTwo adults, two kids, one in daycare | −$10,175 | −$11,758 | #23 of 50 |
| Single adultOne-bedroom rent, no childcare | +$36,449 | +$31,418 | #10 of 50 |
| Retiree coupleOwn the home, no payroll tax | +$41,032 | +$35,970 | #9 of 50 |
Take-home pay minus housing, childcare, utilities, groceries and transport for a $75,000 household, from the affordability engine. Positive = money left over; negative = costs exceed take-home. Rank 1 = most left over.
What are taxes like in Indiana?
Indiana's tax mix is middle of the pack on income, property and sales taxes. The total state and local tax burden comes to 9.09% of income, 0.3 points above the national average (#33 of 50, 1 = lightest). Property tax is 0.77% of home value (#20), and combined sales tax averages 7% (#26).
Tax Foundation (rates) and WalletHub tax burden study (burden as a share of income), latest releases. Rank 1 = lowest. Income tax is the top marginal rate including typical local taxes where they apply.
Can the state pay its bills?
Fiscal health scores 65.3 out of 100, #16 of 50. Pew Fiscal 50, Census state finances and the rating agencies, latest releases.
Is Indiana safe?
Indiana reports 254 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 22% below the national average and #21 of 50 (1 = safest). Property crime runs 1,052 per 100,000, 31% below the national average (#8 of 50). The safety score is 79.9 out of 100, #11 of 50; among tracked cities, Carmel has the lowest violent crime rate.
Indiana vs. the United States, per 100,000 residents
FBI state crime estimates, latest release. US is the mean of the 50 states; blue = below it, terracotta = above it. Florida and North Dakota use the FBI's prior-year estimate because their latest year is based on limited data.
Safest tracked cities in Indiana
| City | Population | Violent / 100K | Property / 100K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel | 101,651 | 51 | 689 |
| Westfield | 54,677 | 66 | 435 |
| Noblesville | 73,362 | 71 | 443 |
| Fishers | 102,337 | 78 | 467 |
| Columbus | 51,824 | 88 | 1,228 |
Lowest violent crime among the 21 Indiana cities we track with 50,000 or more residents. City rates come from each city's police agency and are not strictly comparable across agencies.
What is the job market like in Indiana?
Indiana's unemployment rate is 3.7%, 0.3 points below the national average and #19 of 50 (1 = lowest), and the median household earns $71,959, 11% below the national median. Real GDP grew +2% in the latest year (#22 of 50) and GDP per capita is $59,218, 8% below the national average. The population is growing 0.56% a year, 0.1 points above the national average. The economy score is 42.9 out of 100, #30 of 50.
Census Bureau ACS (income), BLS LAUS (unemployment), BEA (GDP), Census population estimates (growth), latest releases.
Highest-paying tracked occupations in Indiana, adjusted for cost of living
| Occupation | Cost-adjusted | Median wage | Metro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physicians | $233,118 | $214,469 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson |
| Lawyers | $144,667 | $133,094 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson |
| Software Developers | $133,348 | $122,680 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $109,830 | $101,044 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson |
| General & Operations Managers | $102,621 | $94,411 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, latest release, for the 20 occupations we track. Cost-adjusted wage divides the metro median by its cost of living index.
How are Indiana's schools and healthcare?
Indiana's education score is 73.5 out of 100, #7 of 50. Eighth graders average 278 in NAEP math (#13 of 50) and 262 in reading (#6 of 50), and the high school graduation rate is 87.7%, 2.1 points above the national average (#18 of 50).
Indiana is #39 of 50 for health, with a life expectancy of 75.4 years, 1.5 years below the national average. 38.4% of adults have obesity (#45 of 50) and 7.5% of residents have no health insurance (#26 of 50). The health score is 40.3 out of 100, weighted 12% of the composite.
CDC National Center for Health Statistics (state life tables), CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (obesity), and Census Bureau American Community Survey (health insurance), latest releases.
Who is moving to Indiana, and who is leaving?
Indiana's flows are close to even: 69,372 households moved in and 70,640 moved out in the latest IRS release, a net of -1,268, or -0.2 per 1,000 residents (#31 of 50), too small to call a direction. Arriving households report an average income of $64,349 against $67,814 for those leaving. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which counts people rather than households, shows a net +2.9K people (133.4K in, 130.5K out, ±13.9K), pointing the other way, so treat the direction as uncertain.
Where should you live in Indiana?
By composite score, the best of the 21 Indiana cities we track are Carmel (73.1), Westfield (72.7), and Fishers (70.7). Terre Haute is the cheapest (cost index 87.8), Carmel the richest ($141,505), and Westfield the fastest growing (+5.3% a year). City ranks are among the 21 Indiana cities we cover, not every city in the state.
Standout cities in Indiana
| Best for | City | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Safest | Carmel | 51 violent crimes per 100K |
| Cheapest | Terre Haute | cost of living index 87.8 |
| Most walkable | Bloomington | walkability 13.9 of 20 |
| Cleanest air | Bloomington | median AQI 36 (county) |
| Best schools | Fishers | 98% graduation rate |
| Richest | Carmel | $141,505 |
Among the 21 Indiana cities we track. Safest uses a full year of FBI reports from the city's own police agency; air quality is measured by county, so cities in the same county share a reading.
Regions of Indiana
The state's job center and its money; Carmel, Fishers, Westfield and Noblesville have the incomes, schools and growth, Indianapolis has the jobs and the cheaper houses.
Chicago's Indiana suburbs, steel mills along the lake, and the highest cost index in the state; you live here for Illinois wages at Indiana tax rates.
RV plants, Notre Dame, lake-effect snow and factory-town swings; cheap housing and crime that varies sharply from one city to the next.
Lafayette and Bloomington have the universities; Muncie, Anderson, Kokomo and Terre Haute have the cheapest houses in the state; Columbus has Cummins and real architecture.
Hillier, more Southern in accent and pace, on Central time around Evansville; Toyota and the Ohio River towns, with Louisville's suburbs at the eastern end.
All 21 tracked cities, best to worst
| # | City | Grade | Score | Population | Income | Violent / 100K | Cost index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel | A+ | 73.1 | 101,651 | $141,505 | 51 | 95.7 |
| 2 | Westfield | A+ | 72.7 | 54,677 | $122,789 | 66 | 95.7 |
| 3 | Fishers | A+ | 70.7 | 102,337 | $130,203 | 78 | 95.7 |
| 4 | Noblesville | A | 66.6 | 73,362 | $104,047 | 71 | 95.7 |
| 5 | Greenwood | B+ | 60.4 | 66,029 | $83,608 | 142 | 95.7 |
| 6 | Columbus | B+ | 59.6 | 51,824 | $77,456 | 88 | 93 |
| 7 | Bloomington | B | 57.9 | 80,049 | $50,465 | 293 | 95.1 |
| 8 | Lafayette | B | 57.7 | 71,159 | $53,716 | 396 | 93.4 |
| 9 | Jeffersonville | B | 57.2 | 51,043 | $70,930 | 330 | 93.1 |
| 10 | Fort Wayne | B | 56.7 | 268,589 | $61,422 | 275 | 92.6 |
| 11 | Mishawaka | C+ | 53.7 | 51,021 | $54,291 | 306 | 92.9 |
| 12 | Elkhart | C+ | 52.8 | 53,733 | $51,028 | 220 | 90.3 |
| 13 | South Bend | C | 52.2 | 103,085 | $55,786 | 453 | 92.9 |
| 14 | Indianapolis | C | 50.9 | 885,860 | $66,219 | 769 | 95.7 |
| 15 | Anderson | C | 50.4 | 55,367 | $46,909 | 410 | 95.7 |
| 16 | Muncie | C | 49.8 | 64,751 | $44,471 | 485 | 88.1 |
| 17 | Kokomo | D | 48.8 | 59,122 | $55,360 | 477 | 89.6 |
| 18 | Terre Haute | D | 47.6 | 58,427 | $43,126 | 494 | 87.8 |
| 19 | Evansville | D | 45.1 | 116,116 | $53,387 | 1,087 | 91.5 |
| 20 | Hammond | D | 44.6 | 76,768 | $55,504 | 589 | 103.6 |
| 21 | Gary | F | 31.1 | 68,113 | $38,731 | 1,393 | 103.6 |
Swipe the table sideways for more columns. Rank is among the 21 Indiana cities we track: every city of 50,000 or more, plus the state's other largest places. City scores use city-level Census, FBI, BLS, CDC, EPA and NCES data, and a category with no city data is left out of the score rather than filled with the state's figure.
Best cities in Indiana for…
| # | City | Score | Education | Safety | Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fishers | 71.9 | 60.7 | 98.2 | 64.2 |
| 2 | Carmel | 71.6 | 65.4 | 98.6 | 58.9 |
| 3 | Westfield | 70.4 | 65.0 | 99.0 | 62.1 |
| 4 | Noblesville | 70.0 | 61.8 | 98.7 | 68.7 |
| 5 | Lafayette | 66.2 | 65.9 | 69.7 | 81.3 |
Who is Indiana best for?
The same 11 category scores, re-weighted for six kinds of household. Rank is among the 50 states; click through for the best Indiana cities for each.
Weights differ by household: families lean on education, safety and housing; retirees on fiscal health, healthcare and cost. See the weights →
How does Indiana compare with its neighbors?
Indiana ranks #22. Among its bordering states, Ohio ranks highest (#33) and Michigan lowest (#45). Ohio is the most similar on the composite score and Michigan the most different. Bordering states are listed best to worst; the national line is the mean of the 50 states.
| State | Overall | Score | Median income | Typical home | Cost index | Violent crime | Tax burden | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | #22 | 59.2 | $71,959 | $260,095 | 93.3 | 254 | 9.09% | |
| Ohio | #33 | 52.1 | $72,212 | $248,803 | 92.8 | 276 | 9.36% | Compare → |
| Illinois | #39 | 47.6 | $83,211 | $297,573 | 100 | 251 | 10.22% | Compare → |
| Kentucky | #41 | 44.8 | $64,526 | $232,577 | 90.2 | 212 | 8.93% | Compare → |
| Michigan | #45 | 42.7 | $72,389 | $266,292 | 96.2 | 416 | 8.25% | Compare → |
| United States | — | 57.9 | $80,903 | $368,697 | 100 | 328 | 8.74% |
Overall rank, median income, cost index and tax burden columns are shown on wider screens.
How the score works
Eleven categories, each scored 0–100 and weighted into one composite. Grades follow rank.
The weights
Economy 15% · Safety 12% · Health 12% · Education 12% · Affordability 10% · Fiscal Health 8% · Growth 7% · Transportation 7% · Livability 7% · Outdoor Access 6% · Environment 4%. The composite is the weighted sum, stretched linearly so states spread across most of the 0–100 range.
From raw numbers to scores
Every raw measure is placed on a 0–100 scale between a fixed floor and ceiling, inverted where lower is better (crime, cost, taxes), then combined within its category. The same scale applies to every state.
Letter grades
Grades follow rank, not score: A+ for ranks 1–5, A for 6–10, B+ for 11–18, B for 19–26, C+ for 27–34, C for 35–42, D for 43–48, F for 49–50. A C+ state is not failing; it is in the middle third.
Cities, budgets and neighbors
The 21 Indiana city scores, the household budgets and the neighbor table on this page are computed from the same sources as the state score. City ranks are among the cities we track, not all cities in the state.
Editor's notes
Passages marked as editor's notes are written for this state and add context the numbers cannot: regions, tradeoffs, who the state fits. Every figure inside them is pulled from the data at build time, so the words cannot drift from the numbers.
Always the latest release
Each source is the most recent release its agency has published. The page is rebuilt when a source updates, so the score can move without any change in the state itself.
What the score cannot tell you
Weather and climate, culture and pace, politics beyond the Cook index shown for context, the quality of a specific school, hospital or neighborhood, job prospects in your field, and anything without a public, comparable, 50-state source. Statewide averages also hide the metro-versus-rural split, which is why the editor's notes name places.
Category briefs
Economy: Unemployment rate and median household income. Safety: Violent and property crime rates per 100,000 residents. Health: Health outcomes, behaviors, and access to care. Education: K-12 school quality, test scores, and graduation rates. Full methodology →
Key takeaways
What the Indiana numbers say when read together.
Education is Indiana's strongest suit
Indiana is a #22 state overall but #7 of 50 for education, 15 places better than its composite rank, with a score of 73.5 against a national average of 57.5. Safety (#11) is next. Education carries 12% of the composite.
Outdoor Access is where Indiana falls furthest behind
Indiana ranks #44 of 50 for outdoor access, 22 places below its overall #22, with a score of 9.8 against a national average of 29.4. At 6% of the composite, it is the category holding the overall score down most.
Typical home value is 29% below the national average
Indiana's typical home value is $260,095, 29% below the national average of $368,697, #11 of 50 (1 = cheapest). The largest gap in the other direction is median household income: $71,959, 11% below the national median. Source: Zillow Research ZHVI, latest release.
Migration is a wash
Net -1,268 households on 140,012 moves is too small a margin to call a direction; Indiana ranks #31 of 50 on net flow per 1,000 residents. The households arriving report $3,465 less in average income than those leaving ($64,349 against $67,814), so the state is trading down on income even as the headcount shrinks. Illinois is both the largest source and the largest destination.
A middle income is squeezed less here than in most states
A family of four earning $75,000 ends the year at a $10,175 shortfall after housing, childcare, utilities, groceries, transport and taxes, against a $11,758 shortfall in the median state (#23 of 50). A single adult on the same income comes out at a $36,449 surplus; a retiree couple at a $41,032 surplus. Infant childcare runs $17,461 a year, 12% above the national average.
Indiana outranks every bordering state
None of Indiana's 4 bordering states ranks above its #22; the closest match on the composite is Ohio. Median income among them runs from $64,526 in Kentucky to $83,211 in Illinois; Indiana is at $71,959.
Frequently asked questions about living in Indiana
Is Indiana a good place to live?
Indiana ranks #22 of 50 with a B grade, #7 of 12 in the Midwest. It is top 10 in education and bottom 10 in outdoor access and transportation. On the six headline measures it beats the national figure on 4 of 6 (home prices, cost of living, violent crime, and unemployment) and trails on income and tax burden. Whether that adds up to a good place to live depends on what you weigh; the household rankings below re-weight the same numbers for families, retirees and remote workers.
Where does Indiana rank among US states?
Indiana ranks #22 of 50 overall with a composite score of 59.2 (grade B), and #7 of 12 states in the Midwest. Its best category rank is #7 (education) and its worst #44 (outdoor access). The composite weights eleven categories, with economy, safety, health and education counting most; grades follow rank, so B means rank 19–26.
Is it expensive to live in Indiana?
At #18 of 50 for cost of living (1 = cheapest), Indiana is 7% below the national average: its index is 93.3 against a national baseline of 100. The typical home value is $260,095 (29% below the national average), and buying it takes an income of about $70,704 against a median household income of $71,959. At $75,000, a family of four comes out at a $10,175 shortfall after all costs, #23 of 50 (1 = most left over).
Does Indiana have a state income tax?
Yes. Indiana's top state income tax rate is 5.02% (#23 of 50, 1 = lowest), and the total state and local tax burden is 9.09% of income, 0.3 points above the national average. Property tax is 0.77% of home value and combined sales tax 7%.
What is the crime rate in Indiana?
Indiana reports 254 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 22% below the national average and #21 of 50 (1 = safest), and 1,052 property crimes per 100,000, 31% below the national average (#8). Its safety score is 79.9 out of 100, #11 of 50. Figures are FBI estimates from the latest release.
Does Indiana have good schools?
Indiana is #7 of 50 for education (score 73.5 out of 100). Its public school students average 278 in eighth-grade math on NAEP (#13) and 262 in eighth-grade reading (#6), and the high school graduation rate is 87.7%, 2.1 points above the national average (#18). Among tracked cities with at least three schools, Fishers has the highest graduation rate at 98%.
Is Indiana gaining or losing people?
Neither, to any meaningful degree: Indiana netted -1,268 households in the latest IRS release on 69,372 arrivals and 70,640 departures, -0.2 per 1,000 residents (#31 of 50), a flow too small to call a direction. The largest source of arrivals is Illinois (12,570 households) and the most common destination is Illinois (10,141). Arriving households report an average income of $64,349 against $67,814 for those leaving, so movers out earn more than movers in. The IRS files count tax returns and say nothing about motives.
Is Indiana a red or blue state?
Indiana leans red: its Cook Partisan Voting Index is R+10, meaning it votes about 10 points more Republican than the country as a whole. The political lean is shown for context and is not part of the composite score.
Is Indiana good for remote workers?
Better than its neighbors, #22 of the states. Broadband reaches 92% of households, 0.7 points below the national average, housing is cheap, and the flat income tax is simple. The catch is that only 9.6% of Hoosiers actually work from home, #39, because the economy is factories and hospitals. Remote workers cluster in Carmel, Fishers and Bloomington, and in the Region when the employer is in Chicago.
What should I know about Indiana's culture before moving?
A few things trip up newcomers. Most of the state runs on Eastern time, but the counties around Evansville and the northwest corner run on Central, so a drive across the state can change your clock. High school basketball is taken seriously in a way outsiders find hard to believe. Hoosier reserve is real: people are polite, slow to warm up, and settled.
Is Indiana cheaper than Illinois?
Yes, by more than the index suggests. Indiana's index is 93.3 against a higher Illinois figure, but the bigger gap is taxes: property tax is 0.77% against more than double that across the line, and the total burden is 9.09%. Illinois pays better, median income well above Indiana's $71,959. For a homeowner the Indiana math wins; for a renter with a Chicago salary it's closer.
Where in Indiana should I live?
Families with an Indianapolis job: Carmel, Fishers, Westfield or Noblesville. Anyone tied to Chicago: Hammond, near a South Shore stop. College-town people: Bloomington or Lafayette. Buyers who want cheap above all: Muncie, Anderson or Terre Haute, where houses cost a third of Carmel's. Columbus is the surprise, a small city with Cummins money, real architecture and some of the lowest crime among tracked cities.
What are the downsides of living in Indiana?
Flat land, flat wages, and a health record that ranks #39. Outdoor access is #44 because almost none of the state is public land, and transportation ranks #44 because nearly everyone drives. Winters are gray, with lake-effect snow across the north. Median income is 11% below the national median, so the cheap houses are cheap for a reason.
All the numbers
Every metric behind Indiana's 11 category scores, with the national figure beside each. Pick a category.