Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With a D overall, Mitchell is better than 14% of U.S. towns and ranks 566th of 585 in Indiana. The weak point is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country. Its strongest is cost of living: a typical home costs about $187K, 2.8 years of the Bedford area’s $66K median household income. Hazard risk is lower than in most U.S. towns (A−). It lags on incomes as well: the median household income is $49K, and just over a fifth of residents live below the poverty line. The town has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Mitchell Opera House and Mitchell Downtown Historic District. Mitchell's schools rank behind 70% of the state's.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · FEMA National Risk Index · schools, state test and graduation results · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Mitchell beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Mitchell | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.8% | 15.4% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Mitchell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,087 in 1870, 3,933 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 4 maps from 1950 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mitchell, 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 Mitchell.
Mitchell trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Bedford and other neighbors.
Just over a fifth of adults smoke cigarettes in Mitchell, above both the Indiana town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). Mitchell: 18% of adults report frequent physical distress.
| Mitchell | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 39% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 21% | 19% |
| What stands out | Mitchell | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.8% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.2% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 21.6% | 15.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Paid flood insurance claims in Mitchell since 1979: 3. On expected storm and flood damage, Mitchell sits below nearly four fifths of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Mitchell households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2009. FEMA puts 42% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 25% to tornadoes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (about $187K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles.
Mitchell’s going rate for rent is $849 a month, where Indiana’s towns sit at $947 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. The typical home value here is about $187,000, up 3% in a year, 27% below the Indiana typical home. The share of households in Mitchell who are owner-occupiers: 62%.
| Mitchell | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $849 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Mitchell has about as many jobs (1,559) as working residents, but only 290 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 2,046 in 2013 to 1,559.
21% of residents live below the poverty line in Mitchell. Only 17% of working residents stay in Mitchell for work; the rest commute out. Its mean commuting time is 20 minutes. Jobs based here fell to 1,559 in 2023, 487 fewer than in 2013.
| Mitchell | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Across 4 parks and preserves: 0.2 miles of trail. The trail network density for Mitchell comes to 0.1 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 4, covering 12 acres.
| Mitchell | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mitchell City Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Mitchell Unity Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Southside Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Mitchell; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Mitchell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
2 places in Mitchell on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Mitchell.
City in Indiana, United States
Mitchell is a city in Marion Township, Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Mitchell had a population of 3,933.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mitchell grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #566 of 585 in Indiana. It grades D for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Gus Grissom and Chase Briscoe.
