Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,982, settled in 1868.
Bicknell gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $101K for a typical one, or 1.6 years of the Vincennes area’s $61K median household income. It grades B overall, ranked 289th of 585 in Indiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. 10% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Bicknell, against 22% in Indiana’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Among 189 Indiana towns, just 1 have a lower typical home value than Bicknell. Bicknell's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 86% of U.S. towns.
Where Bicknell beats most towns.
Where Bicknell’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Bicknell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 298 in 1880, a peak of 7,635 in 1920, 3,029 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2016 and 3 maps from 1943 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bicknell, 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 Bicknell.
Bicknell is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
At 1.6 years of the Vincennes area’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $101K) costs less against local pay than in 97% of Indiana towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Values fell 2.1% in the past year while the Indiana typical home rose 3%.
61% of households own their home in Bicknell. The typical Bicknell home is worth about $101,000, 61% below the Indiana typical home. The median rent in Bicknell is $844 a month.
| Bicknell | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $844 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 6,527 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bicknell’s, it is less healthy than 63%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of Bicknell adults smoke cigarettes. Bicknell beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 16% of Bicknell adults report frequent physical distress.
| Bicknell | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 21% | 19% |
| What stands out | Bicknell | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 20% | 15.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.3% | 8.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.5% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Bicknell for work: only 8% work in town. Bicknell’s median household income is $52,000. Since 2013, Bicknell has lost 63 jobs, to 403 in 2023.
| Bicknell | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Bicknell has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 22° and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Bicknell | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bicknell park | 0.3 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bicknell. Close and well known come first.
14 mi National Historical ParkGeorge Rogers Clark National Historical Park113K visitors a year14 mi MuseumIndiana Military Museum
13 mi MuseumIndiana Territorial CapitolGeorge Rogers Clark National Historical Park: The original uploader was Agentmoose at English Wikipedia. on 2006-07-08., CC BY-SA 2.5 · Indiana Territorial Capitol: Nyttend, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bicknell
About 4 of every 100 Bicknell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
4 notable people were born in Bicknell.
City in Indiana, United States
Bicknell is a city in Knox County, Indiana, United States. The population was 3,092 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Bicknell grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #289 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C− for health and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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.
4 notable people were born here, including Joseph W. Barr and Herdis McCrary.
