Polk ranks #59 in Indiana for conserved land
Polk is ranked on 33 lists against the 602 Indiana towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 2.
Fewer seniors than 95% of Indiana
Not better or worse, just Polk’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Polk does best on
Each list ranks every IN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Polk marked.
Polk lands in the top half on 7 of 20 lists
Each dot is Polk’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IN, the right end is last. Areas where Polk does best come first.
Polk out-ranks 0 of its 2 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.
Where Polk 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.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Washington · 49.8%
#59
Most trails#1 Winona Lake · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#217
Most walkable#1 Bicknell · 197 / sq mi
#506 Health
Healthiest#1 Carmel · 96 / 100
#353
Lowest obesity#1 Notre Dame · 25%
#375
Fewest smokers#1 Carmel · 8%
#339
Most active#1 Carmel · 15%
#275
Fewest uninsured#1 Zionsville · 4%
#174
Lowest depression#1 East Chicago · 19%
#378
Closest to a top hospital#1 East Chicago · 0.1 mi
#543 Cost of living
C Most affordable#1 Country Squire Lakes · 0.4 yrs #338
Cheapest rent#1 Madison · $537/mo
#267
Lowest property tax#1 Grissom AFB · $199/yr
#278
Rent easiest to afford#1 Vernon · 21.3%
People
Most educated#1 Notre Dame · 79.5%
#530
Youngest#1 Notre Dame · 20.3
#329
Oldest#1 Clay · 58.6
#277
Most residents 65+#1 Jamestown · 35.8%
#570
Most kids#1 Van Buren · 45.1%
#127 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Notre Dame · 10.4 min
#601 Climate
Snowiest#1 Michigan City · 65 in
#486
Least snow#1 Jeffersonville · 4.3 in
#106
Mildest winters#1 Tell City · 25.5°
#81
Hottest summers#1 Pigeon · 88.4°
#102
Coolest summers#1 Michigan City · 82.2°
#448
Longest growing season#1 Jeffersonville · 225 days
#181
Wettest#1 Ferdinand · 51 in
#33 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Jamestown · 39%
#37
Most new homes#1 Whitestown · 44.0 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Logan · +90.9%
#476
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Speedway · 35.1 per home
Safety
Safest#1 St. John · 2.5
The number on the right is Polk’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.