Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mishawaka grades C+ overall, 432nd among Indiana's 585 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 82% of Indiana towns on state tests and graduation and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 79% of U.S. towns, including 156 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Mishawaka has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Beiger House and Dodge House. On civic life, just 95 of Indiana’s 1,043 towns do worse. Mishawaka is home to Bethel University.
Where Mishawaka beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,412 in 1850, 51,063 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1916 and 4 maps from 1958 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Mishawaka is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mishawaka. Close and well known come first.
Big draw4 mi Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
35 mi National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
4 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame3 mi Zoo & aquariumPotawatomi Zoo
5 mi MuseumStudebaker National Museum
11 mi Ancient siteFort St. JosephNotre 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 · Studebaker National Museum: Unknown, Public domain · Fort St. Joseph: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mishawaka, 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 Mishawaka.
Mishawaka is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is mostly renters, but it has seen reported crime rise by a fifth or more.
12 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. Mishawaka’s trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile, where Indiana’s towns sit at 0.2 and U.S. towns at 0.4. The biggest park or preserve is Wilson Park, at 48 acres.
| Mishawaka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central Park | 1.1 mi | 16 |
| 2. Mary Gibbard Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
| 3. Hills Hans Park | 0.4 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 22 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mishawaka.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes rose from 1,184 to 1,475 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Property crime runs at 25.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Indiana rate, most of it theft.
Mishawaka’s property crime rate is 25.9 per 1,000 residents, above both Indiana’s towns (8.6) and U.S. towns (9.9). Mishawaka’s violent crime rate is 3.1 per 1,000 residents. Mishawaka reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 79% report less.
| Mishawaka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 25.9 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Mishawaka has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 7,207 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mishawaka’s, it is healthier than 64%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Mishawaka beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 29% of Mishawaka adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Mishawaka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Mishawaka | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.5% | 15.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 8.9% | 7.7% |
| More adults with depression | 28.8% | 25.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
49% of households own their home in Mishawaka. Typical home values rose 5.8% in the year to September 2026.
| Mishawaka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,070 a month | $946 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
About one in 5 of Mishawaka’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Mishawaka is $54,000. Since 2013, Mishawaka has added 2,103 jobs, to 32,270 in 2023.
| Mishawaka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 11% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 49.3% of households own their home, against 70.6% across Indiana.
Adults 18 to 34 are 28% of residents (23% statewide). 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 30% across Indiana.
| Mishawaka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 22% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 18% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.3 points. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.1, men 33.9.
| Mishawaka | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.3% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.7% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.6% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.9% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.6% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.9% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
7 within 15 miles of the center of Mishawaka
About 6 of every 100 Mishawaka residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Indiana.
10 places in Mishawaka on the National Register of Historic Places.
30 notable people were born in Mishawaka.
City in Indiana, United States
Mishawaka () is a city on the St. Joseph River, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 51,063 as of the 2020 census. Its nickname is "the Princess City". Mishawaka is a principal city of the South Bend-Mishawaka metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Mishawaka.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mishawaka | #432 | C+ | B− | C− | A− | C |
| Granger | #270 | B | C | — | B− | A |
| South Bend | #579 | D | B+ | D | C− | D |
| Penn Township | #147 | A− | B | — | A+ | C+ |
| Portage Township | #515 | C | B+ | — | C− | D |
Granger, Penn Township and Portage Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Mishawaka with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mishawaka grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #432 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C for health, C− for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
30 notable people were born here, including Lisa Germano and Allan Lane.
