Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,603. 60% more nonprofits per person than the typical Indiana town.
Center Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $147K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the county’s $71K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 212th among Indiana's 585 graded towns. Center Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 96% of U.S. towns. Straber Ford Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. 13% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Center Township, below both the Indiana town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%).
Where Center Township beats most towns.
Where Center Township’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 Center Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,948 in 1890, 2,568 in 2020. The archive holds 2 maps from 1946 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →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.
For Center Township, the typical household income is $63,000. Just 9% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Center Township dropped by 126, to 637. In Center Township, 6.7% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Center Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Public schools: Jac-Cen-Del Community School Corp. The largest public high school is Jac-Cen-Del MS/HS, with 360 students. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jac-Cen-Del Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 421 | C+ |
| Jac-Cen-Del MS/HSLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 360 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
The range runs from 22° on a January night to 84° on a July afternoon, with about 13 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,574 U.S. towns with household incomes like Center Township’s, it is healthier than 53%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
On the CDC’s 32 measures, Center Township is ahead of Indiana on 3 and behind on 2. 18% of Center Township adults smoke cigarettes. Among adults locally, 39% have high blood pressure and 25% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Center Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 39% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 26% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Center Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.9% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.5% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
47% of Center Township’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 26%. Compared with 53% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is higher.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Osgood Quarry Trails, at 87 acres. 3 parks and preserves cover 131 acres in Center Township.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Osgood Quarry Trails | — | 87 |
| 2. Ripley County Fairgrounds | — | 41 |
| 3. C. E. Reinking Memorial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Center Township; the nearest are
About 3 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 Ripley County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,568 (down from 2,657 at 2010) and it contained 1,142 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Center Township.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | #212 | B+ | A+ | — | B | C+ |
| Otter Creek Township | — | — | A− | — | B+ | C− |
| Johnson Township | #210 | B+ | A | — | B+ | C |
| Jackson Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Delaware Township | — | — | B+ | — | B | C+ |
Otter Creek Township and Delaware Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Center Township, Otter Creek Township, Johnson Township and Delaware Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Jackson Township isn’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.
By most measures, yes. Center Township grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #212 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C+ for health and B 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+.