Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,586, laid out in 1854. 90% more nonprofits per person than the typical Indiana town.
The best of Eaton’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and civic life and an A− for schools; the weakest is a D for walkability. Only 64 of Indiana’s 1,096 towns score higher on cost of living. Only 19 of Indiana’s 1,043 towns score higher on civic life. Felt's Farm is on the National Register of Historic Places. Eaton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Eaton beats most towns.
Felt's Farm1,805 counted in 2010 and 1,595 in 2020; an estimated 1,586 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 Eaton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 208 in 1880, 1,595 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1827 and 2 maps from 1960 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Eaton, 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 Eaton.
Most working residents leave Eaton for work: only 5% work in town. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Eaton, against 10% in Indiana’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Eaton’s median household income is $55,000.
| Eaton | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Eaton home is worth about $173,000, up 6% in a year, 33% below the Indiana typical home. Eaton’s median rent is $690 a month, below both Indiana’s towns ($947 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Eaton | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $690 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Eaton beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of Eaton adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Eaton | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Eaton | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with arthritis | 32.4% | 28.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Eaton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Eaton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Eaton. Close and well known come first.
38 mi TheatreRuoff Music Center
31 mi MuseumFort Recovery
9 mi GardenMinnetrista
35 mi MuseumLevi Coffin House
40 mi MuseumIndiana Transportation Museum
9 mi MuseumDavid Owsley Museum of Art Ball State UniversityRuoff Music Center: TownePost Network, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Recovery: Nyttend, Public domain · Minnetrista: XWHJ2004, CC BY 2.0 · Levi Coffin House: Nyttend, Public domain · Indiana Transportation Museum: Jeremy C. Schultz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · David Owsley Museum of Art Ball State University: Matt Ruddick, CC BY 1.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Eaton
About 2 of every 100 Eaton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Where Eaton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Indiana, United States
Eaton is a town in Union Township, Delaware County, Indiana, along the Mississinewa River. The population was 1,595 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Muncie Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
90% more nonprofits per person than the typical Indiana town.
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($58,127 across the Muncie, 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 A+.
