Fort Wayne has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Fort Wayne without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Fort Wayne: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Fort Wayne for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Fort Wayne? Leo-Cedarville ranks as the best suburb of Fort Wayne for 2026 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.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Indiana:
The 10 Best Fort Wayne Suburbs To Live For 2026
/10
Population: 3,695
Median Income: $116,375
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 0.0%
More on Leo-Cedarville: Data | Movers
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 $116,375 a year, which is the highest in the Fort Wayne region. And only 2.33% are out of work. Homes average more than $378,065 each.
/10
Population: 3,384
Median Income: $71,563
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 6.7%
More on Ossian: Data | Movers
Ossian is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Fort Wayne for 2026.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 4.72% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
3. Avilla, IN
/10
Population: 2,878
Median Income: $78,880
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Avilla: Movers
Here in Avilla, 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 Avilla.
/10
Population: 15,698
Median Income: $70,970
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 9.7%
More on New Haven: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
New Haven ranks as the 4th best suburb of Fort Wayne for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in New Haven and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 13,565
Median Income: $68,750
Unemployment Rate: 5.9%
Poverty Rate: 9.8%
More on Auburn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Auburn.
Auburn gets kudos for having the 3rd most expensive homes in the Fort Wayne area, where houses sell for an average of $275,151. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
6. Albion, IN
/10
Population: 2,723
Median Income: $70,565
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 8.6%
More on Albion: Crime | Movers
Albion 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 2.56%.
According to online reports, Albion is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Fort Wayne area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 6,642
Median Income: $64,179
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 15.3%
More on Garrett: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Garrett.
Garrett 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 18.3 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 9,811
Median Income: $58,646
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 11.3%
More on Decatur: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Decatur 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 8.63% of people lack insurance, good for 17th in the area.
/10
Population: 10,556
Median Income: $58,939
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 12.4%
More on Kendallville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Is ‘Everything Better In Kendallville?’
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.
The m**h is crazy in Kendallville it has took over a lot of the town
Bixler is their main attraction in my eyes I grew up there and loved going to the lake I would watch out if your kids are growing up there though make sure they stay around the good crowd
/10
Population: 17,030
Median Income: $56,520
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 15.0%
More on Huntington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Huntington.
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.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Fort Wayne for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Fort Wayne was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- 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
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.
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.
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 more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Fort Wayne suburbs. 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 2026
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.
The best suburbs of Fort Wayne are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Fort Wayne but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Indiana reading, check out:
Table: Best Fort Wayne Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo-Cedarville, IN | 3,695 | $116,375 | $378,065 |
| 2 | Ossian, IN | 3,384 | $71,563 | $256,933 |
| 3 | Avilla, IN | 2,878 | $78,880 | $277,900 |
| 4 | New Haven, IN | 15,698 | $70,970 | $240,072 |
| 5 | Auburn, IN | 13,565 | $68,750 | $275,151 |
| 6 | Albion, IN | 2,723 | $70,565 | $259,883 |
| 7 | Garrett, IN | 6,642 | $64,179 | $187,133 |
| 8 | Decatur, IN | 9,811 | $58,646 | $229,668 |
| 9 | Kendallville, IN | 10,556 | $58,939 | $220,523 |
| 10 | Huntington, IN | 17,030 | $56,520 | $192,024 |
| 11 | Bluffton, IN | 10,529 | $57,539 | $183,602 |
| 12 | Hicksville, IN | 3,174 | $63,088 | $177,252 |
| 13 | Waterloo, IN | 2,073 | $67,083 | $250,084 |
| 14 | Rome, IN | 31,795 | $59,925 | $202,146 |
| 15 | Butler, IN | 2,660 | $54,688 | $201,402 |
| 16 | Paulding, IN | 3,230 | $53,750 | $155,201 |
| 17 | Columbia, IN | 4,808 | $47,299 | $168,644 |