Marion ranks #8 in Indiana for affordability
Marion is ranked on 36 lists against the 602 Indiana towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 5.
The lists Marion does best on
Each list ranks every IN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Marion marked.
Marion lands in the top half on 6 of 22 lists
Each dot is Marion’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IN, the right end is last. Areas where Marion does best come first.
Younger than 81% of Indiana
Not better or worse, just Marion’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Marion lands in every IN ranking
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 #8
Cheapest rent#1 Madison · $537/mo
#112
Lowest property tax#1 Grissom AFB · $199/yr
#68
Rent easiest to afford#1 Vernon · 21.3%
#45 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Notre Dame · 10.4 min
#40 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Washington · 49.8%
#387
Most trails#1 Winona Lake · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#311
Most walkable#1 Bicknell · 197 / sq mi
#42 
Safety
Safest#1 St. John · 2.5
#50 People
Most educated#1 Notre Dame · 79.5%
#432
Youngest#1 Notre Dame · 20.3
#116
Oldest#1 Clay · 58.6
#485
Most residents 65+#1 Jamestown · 35.8%
#251
Most kids#1 Van Buren · 45.1%
#469 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Jamestown · 39%
#245
Most new homes#1 Whitestown · 44.0 per 1,000
#111
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Logan · +90.9%
#414
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Speedway · 35.1 per home
Health
Healthiest#1 Carmel · 96 / 100
#587
Lowest obesity#1 Notre Dame · 25%
#541
Fewest smokers#1 Carmel · 8%
#548
Most active#1 Carmel · 15%
#579
Fewest uninsured#1 Zionsville · 4%
#504
Lowest depression#1 East Chicago · 19%
#510
Closest to a top hospital#1 East Chicago · 0.1 mi
#538 Climate
Snowiest#1 Michigan City · 65 in
#243
Least snow#1 Jeffersonville · 4.3 in
#351
Mildest winters#1 Tell City · 25.5°
#275
Hottest summers#1 Pigeon · 88.4°
#229
Coolest summers#1 Michigan City · 82.2°
#302
Longest growing season#1 Jeffersonville · 225 days
#420
Wettest#1 Ferdinand · 51 in
#317 The number on the right is Marion’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.