Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,274, settled in 1856. 31% more nonprofits per person than the typical Indiana town.
Oakland City’s best subject grades are an A for walkability, cost of living, and civic life; its weakest is a C− for incomes. Oakland City is home to Oakland City University. Oakland City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Oakland City beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Oakland City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2016.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oakland City, 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 Oakland City.
Three in five households own their home in Oakland City, against 76% in Indiana’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026. Also worth knowing: in Oakland City, the typical rent is $880 a month.
| Oakland City | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $880 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
14% of residents live below the poverty line in the town. Oakland City’s typical journey to work is 23 minutes, near the Indiana town median (24 minutes) and below the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Employers in Oakland City shed 48 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 606. For Oakland City, the typical household income is $49,000.
| Oakland City | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In July, afternoons reach 88°; in January, nights fall to 23°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Oakland City: nearly two in five adults sleep under 7 hours. Of 32 CDC measures, Oakland City beats the Indiana average on 1 and trails it on 2.
| Oakland City | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Oakland City | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.4% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 57.2% | 61.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Oakland City after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2008. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 56% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 29% come from earthquakes and 25% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Oakland City
About 12 of every 100 Oakland City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Where Oakland City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 notable people were born in Oakland City.
City in Indiana, United States
Oakland City is the second-largest city, but third largest community in Gibson County, Indiana, United States, after Princeton and the town of Fort Branch. It is the site of the main campus of Oakland City University. The population was 2,279 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
31% more 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.
4 notable people were born here, including Edd Roush and Jeremy Spencer.
