Best places to live in Indiana (2026)

All 17 ranked places in Indiana, by all-round score. 6 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Carmel, INSuburb · 3-bed $461k · very safe71
2. 2Westfield, INSuburb · 3-bed $412k · very safe69
3. 3Fishers, INSuburb · 3-bed $375k · very safe66
4. 4Hammond, INSuburb · 3-bed $186k · moderate crime66
5. 5Greenwood, INSuburb · 3-bed $292k · very safe66
6. 6Lawrence, INSuburb · 3-bed $256k · safe64
7. 7Noblesville, INSuburb · 3-bed $332k · very safe63
8. 8Jeffersonville, INSuburb · 3-bed $249k · safe62
9. 9West Lafayette, INCollege town · 3-bed $320k · very safe59
10. 10Gary, INSuburb · 3-bed $100k · moderate crime59
11. 11Lafayette, INSmall city · 3-bed $263k · moderate crime54
12. 12South Bend, INMid-size city · 3-bed $212k · higher crime50
13. 13Kokomo, INSmall city · 3-bed $186k · moderate crime49
14. 14Columbus, INSmall city · 3-bed $267k · very safe49
15. 15Fort Wayne, INMid-size city · 3-bed $230k · safe49
16. 16Anderson, INSmall city · 3-bed $156k · moderate crime48
17. 17Evansville, INMid-size city · 3-bed $227k · moderate crime41

Cheapest places to live in Indiana

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Gary, INSuburb · rent $1,610/mo · cost of living 104$100k
2. 2Anderson, INSmall city · rent $1,590/mo · cost of living 88$156k
3. 3Muncie, INSmall city · rent $1,350/mo · cost of living 88$167k
4. 4Terre Haute, INSmall city · rent $1,310/mo · cost of living 88$185k
5. 5Hammond, INSuburb · rent $1,610/mo · cost of living 104$186k

Safest places to live in Indiana

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Carmel, INSuburb · violent crime 0.08× the US rate31 per 100k
2. 2Westfield, INSuburb · violent crime 0.10× the US rate37 per 100k
3. 3Noblesville, INSuburb · violent crime 0.1× the US rate50 per 100k
4. 4Fishers, INSuburb · violent crime 0.1× the US rate53 per 100k
5. 5West Lafayette, INCollege town · violent crime 0.2× the US rate65 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Indiana

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Elkhart, IN3 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, cold waves88
2. 2Kokomo, IN4 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes85
3. 3South Bend, IN5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, cold waves85
4. 4Mishawaka, IN5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, cold waves84
5. 5Bloomington, IN7 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, earthquakes82

Best places to live for families in Indiana

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Fishers, INSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $375k86
2. 2Westfield, INSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $412k84
3. 3Carmel, INSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $461k83
4. 4Noblesville, INSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $332k82
5. 5Greenwood, INSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $292k71

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.