Salem ranks #23 in Indiana for walkable streets
Salem is ranked on 28 lists against the 602 Indiana towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 5.
The lists Salem does best on
Each list ranks every IN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Salem marked.
Salem lands in the top half on 6 of 19 lists
Each dot is Salem’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IN, the right end is last. Areas where Salem does best come first.
Fewer kids than 89% of Indiana
Not better or worse, just Salem’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Salem 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 #121
Cheapest rent#1 Madison · $537/mo
#34
Lowest property tax#1 Grissom AFB · $199/yr
#101
Rent easiest to afford#1 Vernon · 21.3%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Washington · 49.8%
#379
Most trails#1 Winona Lake · 3.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Bicknell · 197 / sq mi
#23 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Notre Dame · 10.4 min
#371 Health
Healthiest#1 Carmel · 96 / 100
#580
Lowest obesity#1 Notre Dame · 25%
#487
Fewest smokers#1 Carmel · 8%
#573
Most active#1 Carmel · 15%
#551
Fewest uninsured#1 Zionsville · 4%
#435
Lowest depression#1 East Chicago · 19%
#568
Closest to a top hospital#1 East Chicago · 0.1 mi
#554 People
Most educated#1 Notre Dame · 79.5%
#471
Youngest#1 Notre Dame · 20.3
#469
Oldest#1 Clay · 58.6
#132
Most residents 65+#1 Jamestown · 35.8%
#115
Most kids#1 Van Buren · 45.1%
#533 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Jamestown · 39%
#425
Most new homes#1 Whitestown · 44.0 per 1,000
#135
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Logan · +90.9%
#154
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Speedway · 35.1 per home
Climate
Snowiest#1 Michigan City · 65 in
#486
Least snow#1 Jeffersonville · 4.3 in
#106
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
#181
Wettest#1 Ferdinand · 51 in
Safety
Safest#1 St. John · 2.5
The number on the right is Salem’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.