Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,801, organized in 1875. 3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Indiana town.
Center Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $117K, 1.9 years of the Lafayette metro’s $62K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 469th of 585 graded towns in Indiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $53K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. Center Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 96% of U.S. towns. 22% of working residents work locally in Center Township, against 11% in Indiana’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Watland Gamebird Habitat Area, at 142 acres.
Where Center Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Center Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,219 in 1890, 2,715 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2008 and 3 maps from 1962 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Center 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 Center Township.
The nearest emergency room, Ascension St. Vincent Williamsport, is 21.5 miles away in a straight line.
19% of Center Township adults smoke cigarettes. Center Township beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 43% of Center Township adults have obesity.
| Center Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Center Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.2% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.7% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Benton Community School Corp. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Benton Central Jr-Sr High School, with 792 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Crossing Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 564 | B− |
| Benton Central Jr-Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 792 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
About one in 5 of Center Township’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Center Township fell to 915 in 2023, 122 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Lafayette (17%), Fowler (15%) and West Lafayette (11%).
| Center Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Watland Gamebird Habitat Area | 0.1 mi | 142 |
| 2. Pointer Ridge Gamebird Habitat Area | — | 36 |
| 3. Fowler Town Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Center Township has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Center Township; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Center Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Township in Indiana, United States
Center Township is one of eleven townships in Benton County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,715 and it contained 1,212 housing units. It was organized in June 1875 and was originally known as Prairie Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Center Township.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | #469 | C+ | A | — | B− | D |
| Union Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pine Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Parish Grove Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Richland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oak Grove Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | C− |
Oak Grove Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Center Township and Oak Grove Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Union Township, Pine Township, Parish Grove Township and Richland Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Center Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Center Township grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #469 of 585 in Indiana. It grades D for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income 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.