Fort Waynevs.Evansville Which City Is Right for You in 2026?
A head-to-head guide to cost of living, jobs, transportation, weather, crime, and quality of life — so you can decide where to live, work, or visit.
Updated 2026-05-26 · By HomeSnacks Editorial
Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne vs. Evansville at a glance
Choosing between Fort Wayne, IN and Evansville, IN comes down to which trade-offs matter most to you. Below we break down cost of living, jobs, housing, crime, diversity, weather, transportation, and culture using public data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, and HomeSnacks' proprietary SnackAbility quality-of-life score.
Fort Wayne vs. Evansville in photos
A side-by-side look at each city.
Cost of living
Evansville is the cheaper city overall — 3% higher in Fort Wayne than its rival. Index baseline: 100 = national average.
| Living expense | Fort Wayne | Evansville | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91 | 88 | 100 |
| Services | 100 | 98 | 100 |
| Groceries | 94 | 93 | 100 |
| Health | 73 | 65 | 100 |
| Housing | 101 | 95 | 100 |
| Transportation | 96 | 95 | 100 |
| Utilities | 95 | 100 | 100 |
Lower index = cheaper. 100 = U.S. national average. Bar inside each cell scales relative to the highest value in the table.
Sources: HomeSnacks Cost of Living indices, normalized so 100 = U.S. national average. Drill in: Fort Wayne cost of living, Evansville cost of living, or the cheapest cities in America.
Housing breakdown
Home prices are higher in Fort Wayne. Compare absolute price and price-to-income — a $500k home in a $100k-income city is very different from one in a $50k-income city.
| Metric | Fort Wayne | Evansville | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $242,384 | $198,977 | $332,700 |
| Median Rent | $999 | $975 | $1,413 |
| Median Income | $61,422 | $53,387 | $80,734 |
| Home Value To Income | 3.9x | 3.7x | 4.1x |
| Rent To Monthly Income | 0.2x | 0.22x | 0.21x |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024. See also states with the highest rent in America.
Crime
Fort Wayne is the safer city — total crime rate of 2,531 per 100k people vs 4,885 for Evansville. US average: 2,119.
| Crime (per 100k) | Fort Wayne | Evansville | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total crime | 2,531 | 4,885 | 2,119 |
| Murder | 11 | 10 | 5 |
| Robbery | 55 | 57 | 61 |
| Aggravated Assault | 199 | 1,053 | 256 |
| Violent Crime | 307 | 1,206 | 359 |
| Burglary | 217 | 515 | 229 |
| Larceny | 1,742 | 2,821 | 1,272 |
| Car Theft | 265 | 343 | 259 |
| Property Crime | 2,224 | 3,679 | 1,760 |
Lower = safer. Bar inside each cell scales relative to the highest crime rate in the table.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2024). All rates are per 100,000 people. City pages: Fort Wayne crime, Evansville crime. See also: safest cities in America.
Diversity
Fort Wayne is more racially diverse — lower HHI (closer to 0) means a more even mix across groups.
| Group | Fort Wayne | Evansville | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 63.2% | 75.6% | 57.4% |
| African American | 14.0% | 11.7% | 11.9% |
| American Indian | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Asian | 6.1% | 1.0% | 5.9% |
| Hawaiian | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.5% | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Two Or More | 5.4% | 6.2% | 4.3% |
| Hispanic | 10.6% | 4.0% | 19.3% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. Lower HHI = more even racial mix. See also: most diverse cities in America.
SnackAbility — overall quality of life
Fort Wayne scores higher overall — 6/10 vs 4/10. SnackAbility is our 1–10 quality-of-life score; the median U.S. city scores a 7.
SnackAbility is a HomeSnacks proprietary 1–10 score blending jobs, housing, education, commute, amenities, affordability, crime, and diversity. Median U.S. city ≈ 7. Data: Census, BLS, FBI. See also: best places to live in America.
Bottom line: which city is right for you?
Based on the head-to-head data above, here's the short version — pick the city that lines up with what you actually care about.
Choose Fort Wayne if you prioritize…
- lower crime — a safer place to live, work, and raise a family.
- more affordable housing relative to Evansville.
- a more racially diverse community (lower HHI on Census data).
- a higher overall SnackAbility quality-of-life score.
Choose Evansville if you prioritize…
- a lower cost of living (cheaper groceries, services, and day-to-day expenses).
Methodology: winners are picked from public data — U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income, home value, rent, race/HHI), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (crime rates per 100k), and HomeSnacks' proprietary SnackAbility quality-of-life score, which blends Bureau of Labor Statistics data with the above.
More about Indiana
Best Places To Live In Indiana
Photo: Public domain
Cheapest Places To Live In Indiana
Photo: Public domain
Most Dangerous Cities In Indiana
Photo: Public domain
Best Places To Raise A Family In Indiana
Photo: Public domain
Best Places To Retire In Indiana
Photo: Public domain
Richest Cities In Indiana
Photo: Public domain
Safest Places In Indiana
Photo: Public domain
Worst Places To Live In Indiana
Photo: Public domain