Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Vernon gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $212K, 3.1 years of the county’s $69K median household income. It grades C− overall, 540th of 585 graded towns in Indiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $51K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. North Vernon’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, where Indiana’s towns sit at 0.2 and U.S. towns at 0.4. North Vernon has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them North Vernon Downtown Historic District and Walnut Street Historic District.
Where North Vernon beats most towns.
1.7% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far North Vernon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 778 in 1860, 6,608 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and a map from 1957 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Vernon, 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 North Vernon.
North Vernon draws workers from Country Squire Lakes and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has property taxes about half the Indiana norm.
10 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The Quarry Adventure, at 155 acres with 2.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Quarry Adventure | 2.9 mi | 155 |
| 2. Tripton Park | 1.7 mi | 42 |
| 3. North Vernon Park | 0.8 mi | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
5,218 jobs are based in North Vernon, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 5 of North Vernon’s working residents works in town. North Vernon’s median household income is $51,000, below both the Indiana town median ($71,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). The top destinations are Columbus (15%), Seymour (12%) and Indianapolis (8%).
| North Vernon | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8% | 7.8% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 6,280 U.S. towns with household incomes like North Vernon’s, it is less healthy than 60%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
19% of adults smoke cigarettes in North Vernon. North Vernon beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in North Vernon.
| North Vernon | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | North Vernon | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.6% | 15.4% |
| More smokers | 19% | 15.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
North Vernon has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median property tax bill is $778, against $1,614 across Indiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
59% of North Vernon households own their home. Typical home values rose 5.6% in the year to September 2026.
| North Vernon | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $938 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
North Vernon’s violent crime rate is 2.7 per 1,000 residents.
| North Vernon | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.3 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Vernon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of North Vernon; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 North Vernon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Where North Vernon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in North Vernon on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in North Vernon.
City in Indiana, United States
North Vernon is a city in Jennings County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,608 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Jennings County. It grew up in the 1850s at the crossing of two railroads about two miles north of the county seat of Vernon, from which it takes its name; originally platted as Tripton, it was incorporated as North Vernon in 1867.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with North Vernon.
At #540 in IN, it grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Center Township (C−) comes closest.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Vernon | #540 | C− | A− | C+ | C | C− |
| Center Township | #543 | C− | A− | — | C | D |
| Country Squire Lakes | #567 | D | A | — | C | D− |
| Vernon Township | #548 | C− | A− | — | C | D |
Center Township, Country Squire Lakes and Vernon Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Vernon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
North Vernon grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #540 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income 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−.
7 notable people were born here, including Pat O'Connor and Randall S. Harmon.
