Madison ranks #9 in Indiana for affordable rent
Madison is ranked on 31 lists against the 602 Indiana towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 6.
The lists Madison does best on
Each list ranks every IN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Madison marked.
Madison lands in the top half on 12 of 21 lists
Each dot is Madison’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IN, the right end is last. Areas where Madison does best come first.
Longer growing season than 93% of Indiana
Not better or worse, just Madison’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Madison out-ranks 0 of its 1 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every IN list, and where Madison lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
C Most affordable#1 Country Squire Lakes · 0.4 yrs #310
Cheapest rent#1 Madison · $537/mo
#130
Lowest property tax#1 Grissom AFB · $199/yr
#307
Rent easiest to afford#1 Vernon · 21.3%
#9 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Washington · 49.8%
#44
Most trails#1 Winona Lake · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#262
Most walkable#1 Bicknell · 197 / sq mi
#135 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Notre Dame · 10.4 min
#95 Health
Healthiest#1 Carmel · 96 / 100
#270
Lowest obesity#1 Notre Dame · 25%
#98
Fewest smokers#1 Carmel · 8%
#247
Most active#1 Carmel · 15%
#207
Fewest uninsured#1 Zionsville · 4%
#174
Lowest depression#1 East Chicago · 19%
#378
Closest to a top hospital#1 East Chicago · 0.1 mi
#532 People
Most educated#1 Notre Dame · 79.5%
#260
Youngest#1 Notre Dame · 20.3
#512
Oldest#1 Clay · 58.6
#89
Most residents 65+#1 Jamestown · 35.8%
#169
Most kids#1 Van Buren · 45.1%
#546 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Jamestown · 39%
#93
Most new homes#1 Whitestown · 44.0 per 1,000
#99
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Logan · +90.9%
#165
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Speedway · 35.1 per home
#31 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Michigan City · 65 in
#527
Least snow#1 Jeffersonville · 4.3 in
#72
Mildest winters#1 Tell City · 25.5°
Hottest summers#1 Pigeon · 88.4°
Coolest summers#1 Michigan City · 82.2°
Longest growing season#1 Jeffersonville · 225 days
#43
Wettest#1 Ferdinand · 51 in
Safety
Safest#1 St. John · 2.5
The number on the right is Madison’s spot. All of Indiana’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every IN list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.