Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Evansville grades D overall, 574th among Indiana's 585 graded towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its police reported 1,274 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 98% of U.S. towns. Residents are less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 92 places on the National Register. 60% of working residents work locally in Evansville, against 11% in Indiana’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Evansville Post Office and Riverside Historic District. On hazard risk, just 69 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns do worse.
Where Evansville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse
Its founding year, 1600, is the earliest of any Indiana town we grade. Its 92 National Register listings are more than in any other Indiana town with a listing.
Census counts: 993 in 1820, 117,298 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 4 maps from 1916 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Evansville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Evansville, 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 Evansville.
Evansville draws workers from Ohio Township and beyond, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Indiana rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Indiana (mostly earthquakes).
27 miles of trail in 45 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve, 198 acres with 4.5 miles of trail. The trail density in Evansville is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Evansville | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve | 4.5 mi | 198 |
| 2. Howell Wetlands | 1.9 mi | 56 |
| 3. North Woods Nature Trails | 1 mi | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime runs at 11.1 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Indiana rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 30.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Indiana rate, most of it theft.
Evansville’s violent crime rate is 11.1 per 1,000 residents. Only 1 of the 107 Indiana towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Evansville. Evansville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less.
| Evansville | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 30.3 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
87,020 jobs are based in Evansville, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
18% of Evansville residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Indianapolis (3%), Patoka Township (3%) and Ohio Township (3%). 5.7% of Evansville workers work from home.
| Evansville | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5.7% | 7.8% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 6,906 U.S. towns with household incomes like Evansville’s, it is less healthy than 67%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
41% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Evansville. Evansville beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Evansville.
| Evansville | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Evansville | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.1% | 8.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.4% | 14.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.1% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Indiana towns, with expected losses of about $576 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on. 408 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 31 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 408 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Evansville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Evansville home is worth about $204,000, up 4.4% in a year, 21% below the Indiana typical home.
| Evansville | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $975 a month | $946 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Only 4 of the 593 Indiana towns we compare have a higher July high than Evansville. Evansville has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Indiana average. 23% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 30% across Indiana.
| Evansville | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.2 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 22% | 29% |
51.0% women, 49.0% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.4, men 36.9.
| Evansville | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.3% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.9% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.6% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.8% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.3% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.5% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.3% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Evansville. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumUSS LST-325
in town Stadium & arenaFord Center
5 mi Ancient siteAngel Mounds
35 mi Theme parkHoliday World & Splashin' Safari
in town Zoo & aquariumMesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden
30 mi National MemorialLincoln Boyhood National Memorial116K visitors a yearUSS LST-325: Wikideas1, CC0 · Ford Center: Nyttend, Public domain · Angel Mounds: Heironymous Rowe (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Holiday World & Splashin' Safari: Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Public domain · Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden: Randella (talk), CC BY 3.0 · Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial: Rene Sturgell, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Evansville
About 5 of every 100 Evansville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Indiana.
92 places in Evansville on the National Register of Historic Places.
41 notable people were born in Evansville.
City in Indiana, United States
Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous city in Indiana (after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne), the most populous city in Southern Indiana, and the 249th-most populous city in the United States. It is the central city of the Evansville metropolitan area, a hub of commercial, medical, and cultural activity of southwestern Indiana and the Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area, which is home to over 911,000 people. The 38th parallel north crosses the north side of the city and is marked on Interstate 69 immediately north of its junction with Indiana 62 within the city…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Evansville.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Pigeon Township (C) is closest.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville | #574 | D | B+ | D− | C+ | C− |
| Pigeon Township | #501 | C | A− | — | C+ | D |
| Melody Hill | #240 | B+ | A− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Highland | #437 | C+ | B− | — | C+ | A− |
| Knight Township | #450 | C+ | B | — | C+ | C |
| Center Township | #418 | C+ | B | — | C+ | B− |
| Ohio Township | #82 | A | B− | — | A | B+ |
Pigeon Township, Melody Hill, Highland, Knight Township, Center Township and Ohio Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Evansville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Evansville grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #574 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($68,232 across the Evansville, 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 B+.
41 notable people were born here, including Dylan Minnette and Louise Dresser.
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