Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Ferdinand’s subject grades are an A+ for schools, cost of living, and civic life. 31% of residents are 65 or older in Ferdinand, above both the Indiana town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). On civic life, just 51 of Indiana’s 1,043 towns do better. Ferdinand has 3 places on the National Register. The biggest park or preserve is 18th Street Park, at 34 acres. Ferdinand has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ferdinand beats most towns.
Where Ferdinand’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 Ferdinand is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 500 in 1880, 2,157 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1900 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ferdinand, 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 Ferdinand.
About one in 4 of Ferdinand’s working residents works in town. Ferdinand’s average trip to work is 18 minutes, against 24 minutes in Indiana’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Ferdinand grew to 3,429 in 2023, 416 more than in 2013.
| Ferdinand | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ferdinand’s median age is 50.4 years. Ferdinand has grown 4.3% since 2020, to 2,247 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. People 65 and older are 31% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (23% statewide).
| Ferdinand | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.4 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 22% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.7 points). Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Ferdinand | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.8% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.7% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.6% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.6% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 17.4% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.9% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.8% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.6% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.1% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,200, single groups can be off by several points
Ferdinand has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Ferdinand is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ferdinand beats the Indiana average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 16% of adults report frequent mental distress in Ferdinand.
| Ferdinand | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Ferdinand | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.2% | 14.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.3% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Ferdinand home is worth about $289,000, up 6.5% in a year, 13% above the Indiana typical home.
| Ferdinand | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $807 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 76% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Ferdinand since 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 18th Street Park | 0.1 mi | 34 |
| 2. 5th Street Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ferdinand
About 1 of every 100 Ferdinand residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Town in Indiana, United States
Ferdinand is a town in Ferdinand Township, Dubois County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,157 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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+.