Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to Ivy Tech Community College.
Indianapolis’ best subject grades are an A− for walkability and an A for history; its weakest is a D for safety. 61% of working residents work locally in Indianapolis, above both Indiana State’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 2 of Indiana State’s 95 towns score lower on safety. The biggest place to walk is Eagle Creek Park, 4,723 acres with 42.9 miles of trail. Indianapolis has no overall grade: it has no figures for schools and health, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
Where Indianapolis beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Ivy Tech Community College | 84,289 |
| Indiana University-Indianapolis | 22,343 |
| Butler University | 5,087 |
Census counts: 2,695 in 1840, 887,642 in 2020. The archive holds 42 old photos and papers going back to 1822 and 5 maps from 1948 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana State), ordered by how far Indianapolis is from typical.
Indianapolis has no overall grade: it has no figures for schools and health, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Indianapolis. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town Stadium & arenaLucas Oil Stadium
in town Stadium & arenaGainbridge Fieldhouse
in town LandmarkSoldiers' and Sailors' Monument
in town Stadium & arenaHinkle Fieldhouse
in town MuseumIndianapolis Museum of Art428K visitors a year
in town MuseumThe Children's Museum of Indianapolis1.0M visitors a yearLucas Oil Stadium: Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gainbridge Fieldhouse: Durin at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument: alexeatswhales, CC BY 2.0 · Hinkle Fieldhouse: Peetlesnumber1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Indianapolis Museum of Art: No machine-readable author provided. Cszmurlo assumed (based on copyright claims, CC BY 3.0 · The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: HstryQT, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Indianapolis, 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 Indianapolis.
Indianapolis’ violent crime rate is 5.8 per 1,000 residents, against 1.4 in Indiana State’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Indianapolis’ property crime rate is 20.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Indianapolis | Indiana State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.6 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Indianapolis has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 20° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
16% of residents live below the poverty line in Indianapolis. Since 2013, Indianapolis has added 44,365 jobs, to 581,906 in 2023. 14% of workers work from home in Indianapolis.
| Indianapolis | Indiana State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 7.8% | 11% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Indianapolis home is worth about $227,000, down 0.9% in a year, 12% below the Indiana State typical home. 56% of Indianapolis households own their home.
| Indianapolis | Indiana State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 76% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 51% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,154 a month | $946 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Indiana State average. The median age in Indianapolis is 34.3 years. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 30% across Indiana State.
| Indianapolis | Indiana State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.3 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 22% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
51.4% women, 48.6% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across Indiana State, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.2, men 33.3.
| Indianapolis | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.8% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.5% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.8% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.4% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.7% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 19% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.1% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.9% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
167 miles of trail in 209 parks and preserves.
| Indianapolis | Indiana State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eagle Creek Park | 42.9 mi | 4,723 |
| 2. Southwestway Park | 9.4 mi | 558 |
| 3. Town Run Trail Park | 6.2 mi | 127 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
9 within 15 miles of the center of Indianapolis
About 6 of every 100 Indianapolis residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Indiana State.
8 colleges in town.
28 notable people were born in Indianapolis.
Capital and most populous city of Indiana, United States
Indianapolis ( IN-dee-ə-NAP-əl-iss), colloquially known as Indy, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County. Indianapolis is situated in the state's central till plain region along the west fork of the White River. The city's official slogan, "Crossroads of America", reflects its historic importance as a transportation hub and its relative proximity to other major North American markets. According to the 2020 census, the Indianapolis proper had a population of 887,642. Indianapolis is the 16th-most populous city in the United States and the fourth-most populous state capital. In the Midwest, it ranks third among cities, after Chic…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Indianapolis.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis | — | — | C | D | — | — |
| Lawrence | #459 | C+ | B | C | C | B− |
| Pike Township | #390 | B− | B | — | C− | B |
| Zionsville | #18 | A+ | C− | A+ | A+ | A |
| Lawrence Township | #413 | C+ | B− | — | C | B |
| Brown Township | #64 | A | C+ | — | A+ | A− |
| Franklin Township | #96 | A | B− | — | A− | A− |
| Perry Township | #257 | B+ | B− | — | B | B− |
Pike Township, Lawrence Township, Brown Township, Franklin Township and Perry Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Indianapolis isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Indianapolis with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Indianapolis has no overall grade: it has no figures for schools and health, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health). Home to Ivy Tech Community College.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
28 notable people were born here, including Kurt Vonnegut and Dan Quayle.
