Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Indiana town.
The best of Montpelier’s subject grades are an A for cost of living, an A+ for civic life, and an A− for history; the weakest is a D for incomes. On incomes, just 29 of Indiana’s 1,096 towns do worse. 14% of residents are under 18 in Montpelier, below both the Indiana town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Only 25 of Indiana’s 1,043 towns score higher on civic life. Montpelier Carnegie Library is on the National Register of Historic Places. Montpelier has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Montpelier beats most towns.
Montpelier Carnegie Library1,805 counted in 2010 and 1,540 in 2020; an estimated 1,489 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Montpelier is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 231 in 1870, a peak of 3,405 in 1900, 1,540 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1962 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Montpelier, 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 Montpelier.
At $641 a month, Montpelier’s median rent is against $947 a month in Indiana’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Typical home values rose 7.2% in the year to September 2026. 67% of Montpelier households own their home.
| Montpelier | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $641 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Montpelier beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 41% of adults have obesity in Montpelier.
| Montpelier | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Montpelier | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.7% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Montpelier for work: only 6% work in town. Montpelier’s average trip to work is 34 minutes. Jobs based in Montpelier fell to 267 in 2023, 92 fewer than in 2013.
| Montpelier | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.5% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Montpelier has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Montpelier | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fireman's Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
| 2. Little League Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Baldwin Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Montpelier
About 2 of every 100 Montpelier residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 notable people were born in Montpelier.
City in Indiana, United States
Montpelier is a city in Harrison Township, Blackford County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. This small rural community, the county's first to be platted, was established by settlers from Vermont, and is named after Vermont's capital city of Montpelier. Montpelier was a central participant in the Indiana Gas Boom, as natural gas was discovered near the community in 1887. More importantly, the county's first successful oil well was drilled on the south side of Montpelier in 1890. Its population quickly grew from 808 in 1890 to about 6,500 by 1896. The Gas Boom, mostly an oil boom for Montpelier, gradually ended during the first decade of the 20th century. Like many boom towns, the city's popul…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Indiana town.
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.
3 notable people were born here, including Victor Joseph Reed and Emerson Hammer.
