Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,236. Public schools that outperform most of Indiana.
Carter Township is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, 34th of 585 graded towns in Indiana. A typical home costs about $164K, 2.2 years of the county’s $75K median household income, and its schools rank ahead of 97% of Indiana towns. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in health. 28% of residents are under 18 in Carter Township, against 23% in Indiana’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Carter Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| David Turnham Education Center | PK–6 | 299 |
| Heritage Hills Middle School | 7–8 | 341 |
| Heritage Hills High School | 9–12 | 634 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Carter Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,125 in 1890, 3,228 in 2020. The archive holds 3 maps from 1900 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Carter Township, 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 Carter Township.
Carter Township pairs an A+ for schools with modest home prices and looks healthier within Indiana than nationally.
Its A+ for schools comes with an A+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $164K. Its A+ ranks #7 of the 592 Indiana towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by North Spencer County School Corp. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Heritage Hills High School, with 634 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Hills Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 341 | A |
| Heritage Hills High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 634 | A |
| David Turnham Education CenterTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 299 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
4.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Jim Yellig Park, at 21 acres.
| Carter Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jim Yellig Park | — | 21 |
| 2. Mariah Hill Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Dale Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Carter Township has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Carter Township is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Carter Township for work: only 19% work in town. Jobs based in Carter Township fell to 1,922 in 2023, 305 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Jasper (14%), Dale (11%) and Ferdinand (9%).
| Carter Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Indiana it is healthier than 64% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures.
Carter Township beats the Indiana average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 40% of Carter Township adults have high blood pressure.
| Carter Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 37% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Carter Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.6% | 14.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Carter Township
About 4 of every 100 Carter Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Township in Indiana, United States
Carter Township is one of nine townships in Spencer County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,228 and it contained 1,311 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Carter Township.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter Township | #34 | A | A+ | — | A+ | C+ |
| Clay Township | #237 | B+ | B | — | A+ | B− |
| Harrison Township | — | — | A− | — | A+ | B |
| Pigeon Township | — | — | A | — | A | C+ |
| Santa Claus | #89 | A | B+ | — | A+ | B |
| Cass Township | — | — | A+ | — | A | C |
Harrison Township, Pigeon Township and Cass Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Carter Township, Clay Township, Harrison Township, Pigeon Township, Santa Claus and Cass Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Carter Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Carter Township grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #34 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C+ for health and A+ for schools.
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+.