Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Anderson earns a D, 563rd of 585 graded towns in Indiana, mostly because of health and safety. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its crime rate is higher than 84% of U.S. towns, with 218 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: homes are within reach, about $133K for a typical one, or 1.7 years of the Indianapolis metro’s $80K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 10 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include West Eighth Street Historic District and Gruenewald House. Anderson's schools rank behind 80% of the state's. Anderson is home to Anderson University.
Where Anderson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
West Eighth Street Historic District| Widest gap | Anderson | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.7% | 14.7% |
Census counts: 383 in 1850, 54,788 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Anderson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Anderson, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Anderson.
Anderson is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Indianapolis and other neighbors.
Against the 4,630 U.S. towns with household incomes like Anderson’s, it is less healthy than 73%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. All 6 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Chesterfield (C−) to Pendleton (B+).
34% of adults get no exercise outside work in Anderson, above both the Indiana town median (26%) and the median of U.S. towns (25%). 21% of Anderson adults smoke cigarettes. Only 2 of the 589 Indiana towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Anderson.
| Anderson | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 21% | 19% |
| What stands out | Anderson | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.5% | 16.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.7% | 14.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
15 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Rangeline Park, at 178 acres with 8.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Anderson | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rangeline Park | 8.6 mi | 178 |
| 2. General Pulaski Park | 1.1 mi | 20 |
| 3. Mounds State Park | 0.1 mi | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 1.7 years of the Indianapolis metro’s $80K median household income, the typical home (about $133K) costs less against local pay than in 96% of Indiana towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Chesterfield is next at $154K.
56% of households own their home in Anderson, against 76% in Indiana’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. The typical Anderson home is worth about $133,000, up 1.1% in a year, 48% below the Indiana typical home.
| Anderson | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 76% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 51% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $925 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 1,860 to 1,256 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Anderson’s violent crime rate is 3.9 per 1,000 residents. Anderson reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less. Anderson’s property crime rate is 18.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Anderson | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.5 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 70 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Anderson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Anderson has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Anderson has about as many jobs (22,376) as working residents, but only 6,113 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Anderson’s working residents works in town. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Anderson. The top destinations are Indianapolis (18%), Noblesville (4%) and Fishers (4%).
| Anderson | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 11% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.6% | 7.8% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Anderson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaLucas Oil Stadium
33 mi Stadium & arenaGainbridge Fieldhouse
31 mi Stadium & arenaHinkle Fieldhouse
20 mi MuseumConner Prairie
33 mi LandmarkSoldiers' and Sailors' Monument
14 mi TheatreRuoff Music CenterLucas Oil Stadium: Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gainbridge Fieldhouse: Durin at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hinkle Fieldhouse: Peetlesnumber1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Conner Prairie: Unknown, CC BY 2.5 · Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument: alexeatswhales, CC BY 2.0 · Ruoff Music Center: TownePost Network, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Anderson
About 4 of every 100 Anderson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
10 places in Anderson on the National Register of Historic Places.
49 notable people were born in Anderson.
City in Indiana, United States
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. The population was 54,788 at the 2020 census. It is named after Chief William Anderson. The city is the headquarters of the Church of God and its Anderson University. Highlights of the city include the historic Paramount Theatre and the Gruenewald House.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Anderson.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Chesterfield (C+) is closest. Pendleton next door grades higher for schools (B+ to Anderson’s C−) and lower for cost of living (B to A).
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson · Anderson Township | #563 | D | A | C− | C− | D |
| Edgewood | — | — | A | — | C− | B− |
| River Forest | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pendleton | #87 | A | B | — | B+ | B+ |
| Fall Creek Township | #131 | A− | B+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Stony Creek Township | #153 | A− | B+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Adams Township | #178 | A− | A− | — | B+ | B− |
| Chesterfield | #470 | C+ | A+ | — | C− | C− |
Edgewood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Edgewood, Pendleton, Fall Creek Township, Stony Creek Township, Adams Township and Chesterfield report no FBI crime data of their own. River Forest isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Anderson Township and Anderson are one community, graded once. Compare Anderson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Anderson grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #563 of 585 in Indiana. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
49 notable people were born here, including Cory Edwards and Gary Burton.
