Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bristol’s best subject grades are an A− for incomes and history; its weakest is a D for health. Bristol’s property crime rate is 26.6 per 1,000 residents, against 8.6 in Indiana’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 14 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns do better. Bristol's schools rank behind 77% of the state's. Only 104 of Indiana’s 1,043 towns score lower on civic life. Bristol has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bristol-Washington Township School and Solomon Fowler Mansion. Bristol has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Bristol beats most towns.
St. John of the Cross Episcopal Church, Rectory and Cemetery1,602 counted in 2010 and 1,789 in 2020; an estimated 1,818 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Bristol is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2013.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bristol takes its name from Bristol, England, 3,790 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionBristol, settled in 1835, takes its name from Bristol, a city in England.
6 more U.S. towns are named after Bristol:Bristol, CT62,341Bristol, RI21,970Bristol, PA9,970Bristol Township, MN449Bristol, SD278+1 more
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bristol, 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 Bristol.
Most working residents leave Bristol for work: only 10% work in town. At 20 minutes, Bristol’s average trip to work is where Indiana’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Since 2013, Bristol has added 1,537 jobs, to 5,621 in 2023.
| Bristol | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The FEMA risk score in Bristol is 3 of 100. Since 1982, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bristol.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bristol beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 45% of adults have obesity in Bristol.
| Bristol | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 39% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bristol | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 8.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.7% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Bristol’s violent crime rate is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Bristol home is worth about $344,000, up 5.6% in a year, 34% above the Indiana typical home.
| Bristol | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,099 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Bristol has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (37% statewide). 27% of Bristol residents are under 18. 21% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 30% across Indiana.
| Bristol | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.4 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 27% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 22% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
About 111 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 86% are men (IN 51%).
| Bristol | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.2% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.7% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.6% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.2% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.4% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.9% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.8% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
0.6 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Bristol | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Congdon Park | 0.4 mi | 5 |
| 2. Cummins Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
| 3. Hermance Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bristol
About 3 of every 100 Bristol residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Where Bristol’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Bristol on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Indiana, United States
Bristol is a town in Washington Township, Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bristol had a population of 1,789.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 5 years of the area's median household income ($68,561 across the Elkhart-Goshen, IN metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
