The Lenox, 1900
Ashley’s story
134 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,040 in 1900, 1,026 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 4 maps from 1942 on.
- 1892Ashley is platted
AshleyIN
A town of 1,037, platted in 1892. A regional job hub with 1,485 jobs.
Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,037
2025 Census estimate · +0.9% since 2020
Typical home
$196K
+4.8% in a year
Household income
$49K
median
Median age
35.4
years
Jobs based here
1,485
A job hub
Is Ashley a good place to live?
Ashley’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for walkability. 29% of residents are under 18 in Ashley, where Indiana’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 22%. Ashley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ashley stand out
Where Ashley beats most towns.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here1,485
Residents who work474
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 98% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
Typical home value
Ashley$196K
Indiana$257K
Cost of livingA+
2.6 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 97% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Natural hazardsA−
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Small town
1,037 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Ashley grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Ashley is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.3 of 20; 2.8% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 19% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →Jobs & incomeCOpen →SchoolsBeat 67% of Indiana districts on tests and graduationB+Open →HealthCameron Health 8.5 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksCOpen →HistoryPlatted 1892B−Open →Civic life4.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.4; 8% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ashley: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ashley, and how to reach them.
PowerNIPSCO22.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAshley Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ashley’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Indiana you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDeKalb County Circuit Court ClerkDeKalb County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code4670546705 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ashley.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
A job hub: Ashley has 3.1 jobs for every working resident and draws in 1,459 commuters
Most working residents leave Ashley for work: only 5% work in town. Ashley’s average trip to work is 20 minutes, below both Indiana’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Ashley’s median household income is $49,000.
5%work in town
| Ashley | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.5% | 11% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Ashley5%
Fort Wayne16%
Angola11%
Auburn8%
Hamilton5%
13 mi
median commute distance
1,485
jobs based in Ashley
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 4% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Ashley
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities.
19risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A+
The typical home in Ashley is valued at about $196K
The typical Ashley home is worth about $196,000, up 4.8% in a year, 24% below the Indiana typical home. The median rent in Ashley is $837 a month.
$196KZillow home value
| Ashley | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 66% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $837 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Ashley$196K
Indiana$257K
+4.8%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Ashley has four seasons and pleasant summers
Ashley has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–34°
Spring37–59°
Summer59–81°
Fall41–61°
Oct 16
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Ashley is less healthy than 57% of U.S. towns
Ashley beats the Indiana average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of Ashley adults binge drink.
43%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Ashley | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
5 better26 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Ashley | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.9% | 3.5% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 10.9% | 13% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 73.6% | 77.4% |
Cameron Health
8.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 22 attractions →Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum and 9 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ashley. Close and well known come first.
11 mi MuseumAuburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum11 mi Theme parkFun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo
29 mi Zoo & aquariumFort Wayne Children's Zoo
31 mi MuseumFort Wayne Museum of Art
31 mi GardenFoellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
36 mi GardenSlayton ArboretumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum: Michael Walter, a.k.a. Cuppysfriend, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Wayne Children's Zoo: Momoneymoproblemz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Wayne Museum of Art: Momoneymoproblemz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Slayton Arboretum: Brother Atticus, CC0
,_Conservatorio_bot%C3%A1nico,_Fort_Wayne,_Indiana,_Estados_Unidos,_2012-11-12,_DD_01.jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ashley
17pages on Ashley
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Ashley
Trine UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Angola8.2 mi$36,560 tuitionTrine University-Regional/Non-Traditional CampusesUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Angola8.2 mi$7,176 tuition
About 2 of every 100 Ashley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
A job hub
Every workday, about 1,459 people come to Ashley for work
Where Ashley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,485jobs based in Ashley
5%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Ashley
Town in Indiana, United States
Ashley is a town in Indiana located on the border of Smithfield Township, DeKalb County and Steuben Township, Steuben County. The population was 1,026 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,001 ft
- ZIP code
- 46705
- Area code
- 260
Questions about Ashley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ashley, IN expensive?
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+.