Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Centre Township vs Dyer

65 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (5.1× in Dyer) and home values (+59% in Dyer).

×
Centre Township, INOne of the healthiest townsSt. Joseph County · 14,438 people
×
Dyer, INAn outdoors townIndiana · 16,400 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

Centre TownshipOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 51%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#251 most walkable in IN2.0 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves SchoolsBetter than 15%of IN districts All about Centre Township →
DyerAn outdoors town
Outdoors#7 most trails in IN10 miles of trails across 7 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 69%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates SafetySafer than 97%of U.S. towns we grade All about Dyer →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails5.1×
Dyer has more miles of trail
Dyer 10.1 miCentre Township 2.0 mi
Home values+59%
Homes cost more in Dyer
Dyer $322,200Centre Township $203,200
Street grid2.6×
Dyer has the more walkable street grid
Dyer 74.4Centre Township 28.8
Property tax bill+55%
Tax bills are bigger in Dyer
Dyer $3,163Centre Township $2,040
Household income+35%
Households in Dyer earn more
Dyer $107,159Centre Township $79,120
Average commute8 min
Centre Township has the shorter commute
Dyer 29 minCentre Township 21 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $960 more a month in Dyer

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Centre Township$1,240/mo
Typical home $203K (Census) · tax rate 1.00% · or rent about $938/mo · Housing →
Dyer$2,190/mo
Typical home $362K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $1,225/mo · Housing →

The difference: $960 a month, about $11,500 a year, between Dyer and Centre Township.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Dyer places higher on 12 of 19 IN lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Indiana ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–Centre TownshipNot graded A+DyerSafer than 97% of U.S. towns
Schools
C−Centre TownshipBetter than 15% of districts in the state –DyerNot graded
Health
B−Centre TownshipHealthier than 51% of U.S. towns B+DyerHealthier than 69% of U.S. towns
6Centre Township
12Dyer

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 563 towns #548#38 Most trailsOutdoors · 423 towns #319#7 Lowest depressionHealth · 607 towns #381#10 Shortest commuteGetting around · 611 towns #180#507 Most conserved landOutdoors · 529 towns #286#40 Most affordableCost of living · 610 towns #317#554 Cheapest rentCost of living · 587 towns #285#499 Most activeHealth · 607 towns #279#79

Left end = #1 in Indiana. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Centre Township’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Centre TownshipDyer
Snow a year50″27″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)6th60th
Outdoors & history
Centre TownshipDyer
Trails2 mi10 mi
Conserved land1.8%11.2%
Settled—1838
National Register places11
Archive photos—24
Famous people born here—4
Community
Centre TownshipDyer
Library hours a week56 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

65 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Centre TownshipSt. Joseph CountyDyerIN
Centre Township ↔ Dyer65 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Centre TownshipDyer
People
Population 14,438Lowest 16,400Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.1%Lowest IN: +4.7% +0.8%Highest IN: +4.7%
Median age 43.5±3.5Lowest 14% above IN 47.1±3.3Highest 24% above IN
Dyer and Centre Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.3%±3.9Highest IN: 23.3% 19.1%±3.1Lowest IN: 23.3%
Centre Township and Dyer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.9%±2.7Lowest IN: 16.8% 25.6%±3.2Highest IN: 16.8%
Dyer and Centre Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 39.1%Highest IN: 29.5% 38.5%Lowest IN: 29.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±1.3Lowest IN: 5.8% 4%±1Highest IN: 5.8%
Dyer and Centre Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $79,120±$6kLowest 10% above IN $107,159±$17kHighest 49% above IN
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $203,200±$14kLowest 7% below IN $322,200±$15kHighest 48% above IN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $938±$166Lowest 12% below IN $1,225±$319Highest 15% above IN
Dyer and Centre Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,040Lowest 26% above IN $3,163Highest 96% above IN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.4%±16.3Lowest IN: 48.1% 74.9%±31.2Highest IN: 48.1%
Dyer and Centre Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.7%Highest IN: 12.3% 6.2%Lowest IN: 12.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 91%Highest IN: 70.6% 87.7%Lowest IN: 70.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Lowest 4 yrs older than IN 1993Highest 17 yrs newer than IN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 12% below IN 29 minHighest 22% above IN
Work from home 17.6%±6Highest IN: 10.7% 11.8%±3.2Lowest IN: 10.7%
Centre Township and Dyer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5.2%Lowest 7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.8 miLowest 9.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.75Highest 0.73Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town South Bend (34%)Chicago (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in DyerFew work in Centre Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.8%Lowest 11.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 2.0 miLowest 10.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 28.8Lowest 74.4Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #350 of 350 in IN—
School district South Bend Community School Corp—
High school in town None in town—
Indiana average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Centre Township neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 6d

Centre Growth Over Time

1 neighbor in Centre Township can answer.

Dyer neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dyer’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Centre Township and Dyer

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Centre Township

P
+ Compare
Portage Township94,489 people · $122K homes
G
+ Compare
Greene Township2,954 people · $210K homes
U
+ Compare
Union Township3,475 people · $238K homes
+ Compare
Penn Township68,620 people · $190K homes

Towns like Centre Township

+ Compare
Yorktown11,699 people · $187K homes
J
+ Compare
Jackson Township11,201 people · $282K homes
+ Compare
Georgetown Township11,119 people · $285K homes
+ Compare
Richland Township15,190 people · $263K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Post to Centre Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in