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Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.
There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.
But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.
Of course, not all suburbs of Fort Wayne are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...
Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Fort Wayne for 2022:
What's the best suburb of Fort Wayne? Leo-Cedarville ranks as the best suburb of Fort Wayne for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Leo-Cedarville, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Fort Wayne 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.
Note: This result may differ from our state wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a larger selection of suburbs.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Indiana:
The 10 Best Fort Wayne Suburbs To Live For 2022
Leo-Cedarville is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Fort Wayne area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Leo-Cedarville."
Everyone here is rich; families average $79,767 a year, which is the highest in the Fort Wayne region. And only 2.36% are out of work. Homes average more than $209,700 each.
/10
Population: 3,814
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $79,767
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Leo-Cedarville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Avilla is the second best 'burb we looked at near Fort Wayne for 2022.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 3.56% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
/10
Population: 2,725
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $66,250
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Avilla: Real Estate | Data
Here in Ossian, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Fort Wayne metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Ossian.
/10
Population: 3,352
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $52,500
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 4.8%
More on Ossian: Real Estate | Data
Auburn ranks as the 4th best suburb of Fort Wayne for 2022.
You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Auburn and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 13,209
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $51,855
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%
Poverty Rate: 12.3%
More on Auburn: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Coming in as the fifth best is New Haven.
New Haven gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Fort Wayne area, where houses sell for an average of $111,500. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 15,934
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $52,827
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%
Poverty Rate: 6.7%
More on New Haven: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Decatur is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here's why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.54% which is 5th best in the area.
According to online reports, Decatur is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Fort Wayne area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 9,700
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 2)
Median Income: $46,287
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
Poverty Rate: 15.2%
More on Decatur: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Hicksville.
Hicksville schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it's only 24.3 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
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Population: 3,088
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Median Income: $54,782
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 9.9%
More on Hicksville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Garrett is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 5.74% of people lack insurance, good for 8th in the area.
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Population: 6,507
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Median Income: $51,096
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 10.9%
More on Garrett: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Is 'Everything Better In Bluffton?'
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it's really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 10,298
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Income: $46,663
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 13.3%
More on Bluffton: Real Estate | Data | Photos
And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Albion.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It's far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
/10
Population: 2,789
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Income: $51,531
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 14.3%
More on Albion: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Fort Wayne for 2022
Figuring out the best suburbs around Fort Wayne was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Low unemployment rate
- High Median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.
FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Fort Wayne.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 17 suburbs to evaluate around Fort Wayne.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 17 in each category, where 1 was the "best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Fort Wayne." We're lookin' at you, Leo-Cedarville. You can download the data here.
Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Fort Wayne 'Burbs of 2022
We said it once and we'll say it again--life in the big city isn't for everyone. At least not all the time.
So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Fort Wayne, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.
For more Indiana reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best Fort Wayne Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo-Cedarville, IN | 3,814 |
| 2 | Avilla, IN | 2,725 |
| 3 | Ossian, IN | 3,352 |
| 4 | Auburn, IN | 13,209 |
| 5 | New Haven, IN | 15,934 |
| 6 | Decatur, IN | 9,700 |
| 7 | Hicksville, IN | 3,088 |
| 8 | Garrett, IN | 6,507 |
| 9 | Bluffton, IN | 10,298 |
| 10 | Albion, IN | 2,789 |
| 11 | Kendallville, IN | 9,365 |
| 12 | Rome, IN | 32,217 |
| 13 | Huntington, IN | 17,083 |
| 14 | Waterloo, IN | 2,217 |
| 15 | Paulding, IN | 3,653 |
| 16 | Butler, IN | 2,889 |
| 17 | Columbia, IN | 4,748 |
