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You've seen these lists before: Best places to live in Indiana, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them focus on major cities and towns in the Hoosier State and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that's all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in Indiana based on numbers--not opinions or hearsay.
We'll dive right into our methodology in the next section; but first, we thought you might just want to know which places in Indiana ranked the based--you know, based on science.
Before we get to the top 15, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in Indiana for 2022.
The 10 Best Small Towns To Live In Indiana For 2022
What's the best small town in Indiana? Battle Ground is the best small town in Indiana based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Battle Ground, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you--keep reading and we'll get to just why these small towns made our list.
For more reading on the Hoosier State check out:
The 15 Best Small Towns In Indiana For 2022
/10
Population: 1,796
Median Income: $84,773 (17th Best)
Median Home Value: $202,300 (17th Best)
More on Battle Ground: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,902
Median Income: $70,778 (31st Best)
Median Home Value: $150,400 (43rd Best)
More on Winona Lake: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,481
Median Income: $67,078 (36th Best)
Median Home Value: $159,700 (38th Best)
More on Melody Hill: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,738
Median Income: $64,375 (49th Best)
Median Home Value: $174,200 (29th Best)
More on Haubstadt: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,712
Median Income: $164,167 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $495,300 (1st Best)
More on Meridian Hills: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,253
Median Income: $80,093 (21st Best)
Median Home Value: $195,800 (21st Best)
More on Galena: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,456
Median Income: $81,131 (19th Best)
Median Home Value: $206,900 (14th Best)
More on New Palestine: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,698
Median Income: $129,167 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $354,600 (5th Best)
More on Aberdeen: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,814
Median Income: $79,767 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $209,700 (13th Best)
More on Leo-Cedarville: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,132
Median Income: $137,083 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $368,300 (4th Best)
More on Ogden Dunes: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,024
Median Income: $108,125 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $472,500 (2nd Best)
More on Long Beach: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,381
Median Income: $62,125 (57th Best)
Median Home Value: $135,700 (62nd Best)
More on Fort Branch: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,133
Median Income: $66,842 (37th Best)
Median Home Value: $142,200 (52nd Best)
More on Ferdinand: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,305
Median Income: $94,633 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $202,100 (18th Best)
More on Georg: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,931
Median Income: $135,750 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $379,500 (3rd Best)
More on Shorewood Forest: Data | Homes For Sale
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Indiana
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which, there were a lot - 228 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 228, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Indiana. Top of that list -- Battle Ground. You can download the data here.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 15 best small towns in Indiana.
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once and we'll say it again -- this list: it's just science. We did the research, we crunched the numbers, and it turns out, these 15 small towns in Indiana are the best, in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
If you're curious, here are the worst small towns in Indiana:
- Union City
- Jasonville
- Montpelier
For more Indiana reading, check out: