Center TownshipPorter County, IN
A town of 47,315. Public schools that outperform most of Indiana.
Is Center Township a good place to live?
Center Township is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 49th of 585 in Indiana. Its schools rank ahead of 96% of Indiana towns, natural-hazard risk is low, and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. 27% of working residents work locally in Center Township, against 11% in Indiana’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Among 593 Indiana towns, just 1 have a lower January low than Center Township. Center Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 87% of U.S. towns.
What makes Center Township stand out
Where Center Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
How Center Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Center Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Soldier Field and 65 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Center Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw34 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
9 mi National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
Big draw40 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a year
39 mi MuseumField Museum of Natural History1.4M visitors a yearPhoto credits
Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0 · Field Museum of Natural History: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Moving to Center Township: who provides what
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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Center Township.
Center Township has schools in the top 5% of Indiana, has colder winter nights than almost anywhere else in Indiana and trades workers with Valparaiso and other neighbors.
Center Township earns an A+ for schools
Its A+ ranks #15 of the 592 Indiana towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; Liberty Township (A) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Valparaiso Community Schools. Three of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Franklin Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 823 | A− |
| Valparaiso High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,089 | A+ |
| Heavilin Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 479 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Center Township has set aside 4.9% of its land for conservation
14 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Creekside Trails, at 147 acres.
| Center Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rogers Lakewood Park | 1.9 mi | 143 |
| 2. Creekside Trails | 0.5 mi | 147 |
| 3. Fairground Park | 0.3 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Center Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 89% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Center Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Center Township
January nights average 16°, the #2 lowest of 1,978 Indiana places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.9°.
Center Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Center Township’s July high is 83°F. About 40 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in four working residents works right in Center Township
Center Township has about as many jobs (21,286) as working residents, but only 5,512 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Center Township’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Valparaiso (29%), Merrillville (5%) and Portage (5%). Half commute less than 13 miles.
| Center Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 10% | 7.8% | 11% |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Center Township is healthier than 56% of U.S. towns
Within Indiana it is healthier than 78% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures.
Center Township beats the Indiana average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 31% of adults feel lonely in Center Township.
| Center Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 21% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Center Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.7% | 14.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.8% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Center Township
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Center Township
About 8 of every 100 Center Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
About Center Township
Township in Indiana, United States
Center Township is one of twelve townships in Porter County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 43,267.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 30 sq mi
- Elevation
- 774 ft
Center Township’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Center Township.
At #49 in IN, it grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Washington Township (A−) comes closest.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | #49 | A | B− | — | A+ | B |
| Liberty Township | #225 | B+ | C+ | — | A | B− |
| Washington Township | #123 | A− | B− | — | A | B− |
| Union Township | #142 | A− | B | — | A | B− |
Center Township, Liberty Township, Washington Township and Union Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Center Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Center Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Center Township, IN a good place to live?
Yes, by almost any measure. Center Township grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #49 of 585 in Indiana. It grades B for health and A+ for schools.
Is Center Township, IN expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.