Dam site 9339, 2021
Koontz Lake’s story
Koontz Lake in pictures
Census counts: 1,436 in 1980, 1,667 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2021 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
Explore the history →
Koontz LakeIN
A town in Indiana, home to 1,182 people.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,182
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$143K
Census ACS
Household income
$81K
median
Median age
55.0
years
Jobs based here
43
A commuter town
Is Koontz Lake a good place to live?
Koontz Lake’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a C− for schools. Koontz Lake’s typical journey to work is 55 minutes, where Indiana’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 52 of Indiana’s 1,096 towns score higher on cost of living. Koontz Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
How Koontz Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Koontz Lake is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $143K, 2 years of the Plymouth area’s $72K median household incomeA+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 20% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →SchoolsBehind 76% of Indiana districts on tests and graduationC−Open →HealthSaint Joseph Regional Medical Center - Plymouth 9.2 miles awayC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5 of 20; 24% of households have no car; 3.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & income43 jobs based hereB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Koontz Lake stand out
Where Koontz Lake beats most towns.
Small town
1,182 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Oregon TownshipLincoln TownshipKoontz Lake
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Koontz Lake.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Natural hazards: low risk in Koontz Lake, mostly inland flooding
20risk score of 100
Expected losses in Koontz Lake break down as 35% from inland flooding and 27% from cold waves. Compared with 80% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower.
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Koontz Lake stands out in Indiana and nationally: a smaller share of its working residents work locally
1%work in town
The top destinations are Plymouth (11%), South Bend (9%) and Walkerton (8%). The median household income in Koontz Lake is $81,000.
| Koontz Lake | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 11% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Koontz Lake1%
Plymouth11%
South Bend9%
Walkerton8%
Indianapolis5%
24 mi
median commute distance
43
jobs based in Koontz Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 43% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Koontz Lake: snowy winters and pleasant summers
55″snow a winter
Expect July afternoons of 84° and January nights of 17°, with about 55 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring38–60°
Summer60–82°
Fall42–63°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 25
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
On CDC estimates, Koontz Lake is less healthy than three in five U.S. towns
40%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
Koontz Lake beats the Indiana average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. Nearly two fifths of Koontz Lake adults sleep under 7 hours. Two figures for adults here: 40% have obesity, 31% feel lonely.
| Koontz Lake | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
4 better26 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Koontz Lake | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.5% | 14.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.3% |
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center - Plymouth
9.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A+
A home in Koontz Lake sells for about $205K at the median
$205Kmedian sale price
The share of households in Koontz Lake who own their home: 88%. The town’s typical rent stands at $663 a month.
| Koontz Lake | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $663 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
3
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Koontz Lake
16pages on Koontz Lake
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
Getting set up
Moving to Koontz Lake: who provides what
Koontz Lake is unincorporated, so Marshall County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNIPSCO22.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMarshall CountyMarshall County provides services here
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 hereStarke County Circuit Court ClerkStarke County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code4657446574 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.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Koontz Lake for work
Where Koontz Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
43jobs based in Koontz Lake
1%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Koontz Lake
About 9 of every 100 Koontz Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
About Koontz Lake
Census-designated place in Indiana, United States
Koontz Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Starke and Marshall counties in Indiana. The population was 1,667 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 735 ft
- Area code
- 574
Questions about Koontz Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Koontz Lake, IN expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $143,000, 44% below the Indiana typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
Koontz Lake is in here
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