Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Elkhart gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $230K for a typical one, or 3.4 years of the Elkhart metro’s $69K median household income. It grades C overall, 514th of 585 graded towns in Indiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country and its schools rank behind 77% of the state's. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 15 places on the National Register. 41% of working residents work locally in Elkhart, where Indiana’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 8%. On walkability, just 97 of Indiana’s 1,097 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Albert R. Beardsley House and Bridge Street Bridge.
Where Elkhart beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its 15 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Indiana towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,439 in 1860, 53,923 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 3 maps from 1961 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Elkhart is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Elkhart. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
14 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame
18 mi Ancient siteFort St. Joseph
16 mi MuseumStudebaker National Museum
36 mi State parkWarren Dunes State Park13 mi Zoo & aquariumPotawatomi ZooNotre Dame Stadium: Tysto, Public domain · Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame: Know1one1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort St. Joseph: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Studebaker National Museum: Unknown, Public domain · Warren Dunes State Park: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elkhart, 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 Elkhart.
53,476 jobs are based in Elkhart, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
18% of residents live below the poverty line in Elkhart. Since 2013, Elkhart has added 6,858 jobs, to 53,476 in 2023. The average trip to work in Elkhart is 19 minutes.
| Elkhart | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 3.2% | 7.8% | 11% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
47% of Elkhart adults have obesity. Elkhart beats the Indiana average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 15% of Elkhart adults have diabetes.
| Elkhart | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 39% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 14% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 8.3% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 21% | 19% |
| What stands out | Elkhart | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 8.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 16.2% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 82 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Elkhart.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5.5 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Studebaker Park, at 91 acres.
| Elkhart | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lundquist Bicentennial Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
| 2. Studebaker Park | 0.1 mi | 91 |
| 3. American Park | — | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Elkhart has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Elkhart’s violent crime rate is 10 per 1,000 residents. Only 7 of the 102 Indiana towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Elkhart. Elkhart's reported crime rate is well above Indiana's.
| Elkhart | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 10 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 26 per 1,000 residents | 9.9 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Typical home values rose 6.1% in the year to September 2026.
| Elkhart | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $998 a month | $946 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Elkhart
About 3 of every 100 Elkhart residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Where Elkhart’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
15 places in Elkhart on the National Register of Historic Places.
53 notable people were born in Elkhart.
City in Indiana, United States
Elkhart ( EL-kart) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 53,923 at the 2020 census. The city is located 15 miles (24 km) east of South Bend, Indiana. It is the most populous city in the Elkhart–Goshen metropolitan area, which in turn is part of the South Bend–Elkhart–Mishawaka combined statistical area, in a region commonly known as Michiana.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Elkhart.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhart | #514 | C | B+ | — | C− | D |
| Simonton Lake | #509 | C | B− | — | C− | C− |
| Dunlap | #343 | B− | B− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Concord Township | #484 | C | B+ | — | C | D |
| Baugo Township | #319 | B | B | — | A− | D |
| Washington Township | #555 | C− | B− | — | C− | C− |
Elkhart, Simonton Lake, Dunlap, Concord Township, Baugo Township and Washington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Elkhart with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Elkhart grades C overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #514 of 585 in Indiana. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Health 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 B+.
53 notable people were born here, including Shawn Kemp and Thomas Hampson.
.jpg){kind=link}