HarlanIN
Today 1,254 people live in this town, first settled in 1851.
Is Harlan a good place to live?
The best of Harlan’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D for walkability. 11% of residents are under 18 in Harlan, below both Indiana’s towns (23%) and U.S. towns (22%). Only one of the 594 Indiana towns we compare has a higher median age than Harlan. No town in Indiana scores lower than Harlan on the outdoors. Harlan has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Harlan stand out
Where Harlan beats most towns.
1,254 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Harlan grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Harlan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Harlan: who provides what
Harlan is unincorporated, so Allen County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Harlan.
About one in three of Harlan’s working residents commute to Fort Wayne
The median commute is under 13 miles. Harlan’s average commute stands at 29 minutes. Only 5% of working residents stay in Harlan for work; the rest commute out. Jobs based in Harlan grew to 379 in 2023, 41 more than in 2013.
| Harlan | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 11% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Harlan has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 75% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Harlan, 61% come from inland flooding and 22% from tornadoes. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2023.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Harlan
In July, afternoons reach 84°; in January, nights fall to 18°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Zillow puts the typical Harlan home at about $301K
Harlan’s typical rent comes in at $894 a month. Typical home values rose 6.7% in the year to September 2026. The share of households in Harlan who are owner-occupiers: 79%.
| Harlan | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $894 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 76% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Compared with most of Indiana and the rest of the country, more of Harlan’s adults have been diagnosed with depression
Among adults in Harlan, 33% sleep under 7 hours. Of 32 CDC measures, Harlan beats the Indiana average on 7 and trails it on 3. In Harlan, nearly a fifth of adults binge drink, and 20% report frequent mental distress.
| Harlan | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Harlan | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.2% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 11% | 13% |
| More adults with depression | 29.5% | 25.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harlan. Close and well known come first.
13 mi MuseumAuburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum
14 mi Zoo & aquariumFort Wayne Children's Zoo34 mi Theme parkFun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo
14 mi MuseumFort Wayne Museum of Art
14 mi GardenFoellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
37 mi MuseumUnited States Vice Presidential MuseumPhoto credits
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum: Michael Walter, a.k.a. Cuppysfriend, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Wayne Children's Zoo: Momoneymoproblemz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Wayne Museum of Art: Momoneymoproblemz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United States Vice Presidential Museum: Pilcrow, Public domain
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Everything we know about Harlan
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Harlan
About 1 of every 100 Harlan residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
95% of working residents leave Harlan for work
Where Harlan’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Harlan
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Harlan, IN expensive?
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+.