Wertz-Bestle Farm · National Register of Historic Places
German Township’s story
German Township in pictures
The archive holds 3 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →German TownshipSt. Joseph County, IN
A town of 10,030.
4 bordering townsMap →
Wertz-Bestle Farm · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
10,030
2025 Census estimate · +0.3% since 2020
Median home value
$226K
Census ACS
Household income
$75K
median
Median age
38.9
years
Jobs based here
10,743
A job hub
TownGrade
C−
#552 of 585 in IN
Is German Township a good place to live?
German Township's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades C−, ranked 552nd of 585 in Indiana. Its weakest subject is health: residents are less healthy than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Only 78 of Indiana’s 1,096 towns score lower on cost of living. German Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. German Township’s average commute is 19 minutes, where Indiana’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
What makes German Township stand out
Where German Township beats most towns.
A job hub
Every workday, about 10,308 people come to German Township for work
Where German Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
10,743jobs based in German Township
10%of working residents work in town
6 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How German Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far German Township is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 9% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA+Open →HealthMemorial Hospital of South Bend 4.3 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsC−Open →Jobs & income$75K median household incomeB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $226K, 3.4 years of the South Bend metro’s $67K median household incomeC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.3 of 20; 4.3% of households have no car; 3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors9 miles of trailsBOpen →History1 place on the National RegisterCOpen →Civic life2.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 25 attractions →Notre Dame Stadium and 14 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around German Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw4 mi Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
28 mi National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
4 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame
6 mi Ancient siteFort St. Joseph
4 mi MuseumStudebaker National Museum
20 mi State parkWarren Dunes State ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Notre Dame Stadium: Tysto, Public domain · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · 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
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to German Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in German Township, and how to reach them.
PowerIndiana Michigan Power17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSouth Bend Water WorksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have German Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Indiana you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSt. Joseph Election and Voter Registration OfficeSt. Joseph County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code4662846628 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in German Township.
OutdoorsB
3% of the land in German Township is protected from building
Trails total 8.8 miles in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Boland Park, at 32 acres. German Township’s concentration of trails stands at 0.5 miles per square mile.
#101for trails in IN
| German Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
3%
conserved · 327 of 10,740 acres
8.8 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Boland Park | — | 32 |
| 2. Riverside Park | 0.1 mi | 18 |
| 3. Honor Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsC−
German Township’s public schools trail 82% of Indiana districts
Two of its 4 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Career Academy High School, with 481 students. 2 public schools serve German Township, with 895 students in all.
18%of IN districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career Academy Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 414 | D |
| Career Academy High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 481 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
About one in three of German Township’s working residents commute to South Bend
10,743 jobs are based in German Township, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Jobs in German Township grew by 2,091 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 10,743. Just a tenth of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are South Bend (37%), Mishawaka (13%) and Elkhart (6%). 7.4% of residents live below the poverty line here.
10%work in town
| German Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 7.8% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In German Township10%
South Bend37%
Mishawaka13%
Elkhart6%
Notre Dame6%
6 mi
median commute distance
10,743
jobs based in German Township
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Top of a very low hazard risk in German Township: inland flooding
On expected storm and flood damage, German Township sits below 91% of U.S. communities. 48% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 21%.
9risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
A larger share of adults in German Township sleep under 7 hours than in the typical Indiana or U.S. town
For adults in German Township, the share who report frequent mental distress is 20%. Two figures for adults in the town: 23% worry about having enough food, 16% have diabetes.
15%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| German Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 21% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
0 better18 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | German Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.2% | 8.4% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 17.6% | 11.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23% | 14.7% |
Memorial Hospital of South Bend
4.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
19th
percentile among IN towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
The climate in German Township brings snowy winters and pleasant summers
In July, afternoons reach 83°; in January, nights fall to 17°, and about 65 inches of snow falls in a winter.
65″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring38–59°
Summer60–81°
Fall42–62°
Oct 19
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
No age group stands out in German Township against Indiana
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Indiana average. Also worth knowing: the town’s midpoint age comes in at 38.9 years.
38.9median age · IN 38.1
| German Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 22% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.9 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 18% | 18% |
German TownshipIndianaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma5%
High school30%
Some college22%
Associate’s11%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate13%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women.
| German Township | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.9% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.7% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.4% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.8% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.7% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.3% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Keep exploring
Everything we know about German Township
18pages on German Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of German Township
Saint Mary's CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Notre Dame3.1 mi$53,230 tuitionHoly Cross CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Notre Dame3.5 mi$36,600 tuitionIndiana University-South BendUniversity or college · Public · South Bend6.2 mi$8,424 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 German Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Indiana.
About German Township
Township in Indiana, United States
German Township is one of thirteen townships in St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 8,518.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 17 sq mi
- Elevation
- 797 ft
German Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with German Township.
Portage TownshipClay TownshipWarren TownshipBertrand TownshipGerman Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| German Township | #552 | C− | C+ | — | C− | C− |
| Portage Township | #515 | C | B+ | — | C− | D |
| Clay Township | #397 | B− | C+ | — | C− | B+ |
| Warren Township | #576 | D | C+ | — | C− | C− |
German Township, Portage Township, Clay Township and Warren Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare German Township with a neighbor →
Questions about German Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is German Township, IN a good place to live?
German Township grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #552 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C− for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is German Township, IN expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.