10 Best Counties To Live In Indiana [2025]

Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Indiana a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Indiana.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Hoosier State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.

The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Indiana, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 92 counties in the state.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary

The 10 Best Counties To Live In Indiana For 2025

Hamilton County
Warrick County
Boone County
Hancock County
Hendricks County
Johnson County
Dearborn County
Posey County
Putnam County
Porter County

Hamilton County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Indiana. And you should avoid Wayne County if you can — at least according to the data.

Now you know exactly where to move in Indiana. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Indiana and the cheapest places to live in Indiana.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The Best Counties To Live In Indiana For 2025

1. Hamilton County

Source: Wikipedia User Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Carmel
Population: 357,176
Median Income: $117,957 (best)
Median Home Price: $379,100 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.8% (15th best)
More on Hamilton County:

2. Warrick County

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Boonville
Population: 64,650
Median Income: $95,027 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $228,900 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.9% (19th best)
More on Warrick County:

3. Boone County

Source: Wikipedia User Paul J Everett | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Zionsville
Population: 72,827
Median Income: $104,865 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $341,800 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.0% (26th best)
More on Boone County:

4. Hancock County

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Greenfield
Population: 82,013
Median Income: $91,326 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $258,100 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.7% (14th best)
More on Hancock County:

5. Hendricks County

Source: Wikipedia User Paul J Everett | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Plainfield
Population: 179,379
Median Income: $99,988 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $281,500 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.5% (9th best)
More on Hendricks County:

6. Johnson County

Source: Wikipedia User Publichall | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Greenwood
Population: 163,983
Median Income: $87,227 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $260,400 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.0% (25th best)
More on Johnson County:

7. Dearborn County

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Bright
Population: 50,828
Median Income: $82,693 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $227,100 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.3% (8th best)
More on Dearborn County:

8. Posey County

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Mount Vernon
Population: 25,163
Median Income: $79,124 (14th best)
Median Home Price: $218,000 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.3% (7th best)
More on Posey County:

9. Putnam County

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Light at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Greencastle
Population: 37,091
Median Income: $76,182 (18th best)
Median Home Price: $205,800 (23rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1% (5th best)
More on Putnam County:

10. Porter County

Source: Wikipedia User GKChest | GFDL

Biggest Place: Portage
Population: 174,150
Median Income: $85,828 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $261,900 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (63rd best)
More on Porter County:

Richest Cities In Indiana

Methodology: How do you determine which Indiana county is the best?

To give you the best county in Indiana, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.

We paid particular attention to:

Violent Crime Rates
Property Crime Rates
Median Home Values
Median Income
Unemployment Rates
Adult Education Levels
Health Insurance Coverage
Poverty Rates

We then ranked each county in Indiana across each of the criteria from one to 92, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Indiana.”

The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Hoosier State.

We updated this article for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in Indiana.

Read on to see why Hamilton County is the best county, while Wayne County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Indiana.

Summary: The Best Counties In Indiana To Call Home For 2025

Living in Indiana can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

The best counties in Indiana are Hamilton County, Warrick County, Boone County, Hancock County, Hendricks County, Johnson County, Dearborn County, Posey County, Putnam County, and Porter County.

But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.

You are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Indiana according to the data:

Wayne County
Grant County
Blackford County

For more Indiana reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Indiana

Rank	County	Population	Median Income	Median Home Price
1	Hamilton County	357,176	$117,957	$379,100
2	Warrick County	64,650	$95,027	$228,900
3	Boone County	72,827	$104,865	$341,800
4	Hancock County	82,013	$91,326	$258,100
5	Hendricks County	179,379	$99,988	$281,500
6	Johnson County	163,983	$87,227	$260,400
7	Dearborn County	50,828	$82,693	$227,100
8	Posey County	25,163	$79,124	$218,000
9	Putnam County	37,091	$76,182	$205,800
10	Porter County	174,150	$85,828	$261,900
11	Jasper County	33,198	$79,634	$204,400
12	Spencer County	19,871	$70,890	$180,200
13	Brown County	15,543	$72,644	$242,500
14	Wells County	28,261	$69,741	$180,000
15	Dubois County	43,563	$71,918	$212,500
16	Harrison County	39,785	$72,468	$219,200
17	Decatur County	26,411	$74,228	$189,900
18	Ohio County	5,993	$67,942	$193,500
19	Morgan County	72,202	$79,088	$220,100
20	Floyd County	80,512	$78,179	$235,100
21	Bartholomew County	82,881	$80,365	$221,100
22	Franklin County	22,929	$79,702	$236,700
23	Ripley County	29,039	$71,084	$205,300
24	Clark County	122,800	$72,298	$212,400
25	Gibson County	32,986	$67,763	$170,500
26	Steuben County	34,648	$71,483	$204,300
27	Shelby County	45,104	$71,301	$188,300
28	Tipton County	15,329	$78,309	$166,000
29	Warren County	8,469	$74,635	$160,000
30	Whitley County	34,388	$75,790	$205,200
31	Dekalb County	43,584	$70,080	$177,900
32	Huntington County	36,757	$62,734	$146,400
33	Lagrange County	40,596	$83,741	$249,500
34	Kosciusko County	80,357	$73,922	$200,300
35	Union County	7,028	$79,500	$162,200
36	Monroe County	139,822	$63,372	$261,700
37	Tippecanoe County	187,399	$58,622	$217,600
38	Wabash County	30,901	$68,414	$143,600
39	Carroll County	20,443	$64,003	$167,700
40	Lawrence County	45,077	$65,551	$164,500
41	Clay County	26,431	$67,676	$128,900
42	Pike County	12,187	$66,250	$128,400
43	Jackson County	46,319	$70,208	$174,500
44	Noble County	47,417	$70,908	$183,400
45	Allen County	388,791	$68,839	$194,300
46	Daviess County	33,442	$68,561	$187,500
47	Marshall County	46,225	$68,041	$184,500
48	Clinton County	32,967	$63,690	$157,300
49	Laporte County	112,141	$70,452	$180,700
50	Lake County	498,990	$68,985	$214,700
51	White County	24,709	$66,143	$163,000
52	St. Joseph County	272,574	$64,885	$179,800
53	Perry County	19,218	$61,099	$146,000
54	Martin County	9,854	$65,345	$150,400
55	Montgomery County	38,155	$66,571	$166,300
56	Pulaski County	12,441	$59,956	$134,600
57	Benton County	8,708	$61,811	$135,400
58	Howard County	83,610	$62,496	$151,500
59	Vanderburgh County	179,908	$60,938	$172,300
60	Knox County	36,108	$58,863	$123,500
61	Henry County	48,896	$60,144	$140,200
62	Jefferson County	33,074	$59,987	$180,600
63	Adams County	35,995	$63,128	$173,100
64	Orange County	19,746	$64,758	$143,900
65	Vermillion County	15,452	$59,363	$109,500
66	Scott County	24,468	$54,583	$145,400
67	Elkhart County	206,868	$65,617	$194,400
68	Newton County	13,859	$68,596	$159,300
69	Rush County	16,734	$64,393	$155,900
70	Starke County	23,300	$62,933	$148,400
71	Jennings County	27,584	$68,476	$154,600
72	Switzerland County	9,914	$65,148	$183,200
73	Fountain County	16,546	$62,526	$133,200
74	Washington County	28,167	$61,358	$162,400
75	Marion County	971,822	$63,450	$207,000
76	Madison County	130,949	$62,632	$147,700
77	Owen County	21,434	$59,586	$162,400
78	Cass County	37,703	$56,525	$118,700
79	Crawford County	10,494	$48,993	$115,400
80	Fulton County	20,411	$62,878	$144,700
81	Randolph County	24,425	$61,121	$106,000
82	Delaware County	112,109	$56,932	$127,600
83	Fayette County	23,390	$56,659	$114,800
84	Sullivan County	20,766	$54,985	$122,200
85	Greene County	30,954	$59,753	$129,900
86	Vigo County	106,201	$52,525	$140,400
87	Jay County	20,281	$54,114	$110,100
88	Parke County	16,346	$66,776	$139,300
89	Miami County	35,772	$61,130	$118,000
90	Blackford County	12,007	$47,560	$96,700
91	Grant County	66,377	$54,007	$116,000
92	Wayne County	66,377	$56,652	$126,100