Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 52,290.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Perry Township grades B+ overall, 228th among Indiana's 585 graded towns. It is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Its schools outperform 84% of the state's. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $327K, 5 years of the Bloomington metro’s $66K median household income. 60% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Perry Township, above both Indiana’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (29%). On health, just 70 of Indiana’s 1,086 towns do better. Perry Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 89% of U.S. towns.
Where Perry Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Summit Elementary School | PK–6 | 617 |
| Binford Elementary School | PK–6 | 507 |
| Childs Elementary School | PK–6 | 446 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Perry Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 12%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Perry Township, 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 Perry Township.
Perry Township is healthier than towns with similar incomes, trades workers with Bloomington and other neighbors and pairs an A− for schools with high home prices.
17 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Wapehani Mountain Bike Park, 83 acres with 5.2 miles of trail.
| Perry Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wapehani Mountain Bike Park | 5.2 mi | 83 |
| 2. RCA Community Park | 1.4 mi | 48 |
| 3. Winslow Woods Park | 1.1 mi | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $327K.
Its public schools are run by Monroe County Community School Corp. Three of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 617 | B+ |
| Bloomington High School SouthLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,691 | A+ |
| Childs Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 446 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Against the 10,144 U.S. towns with household incomes like Perry Township’s, it is healthier than 90%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Indiana it is healthier than 91% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures.
32% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Perry Township. Perry Township beats the Indiana average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 12% of adults smoke cigarettes in Perry Township.
| Perry Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 32% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 39% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Perry Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.9% | 8.9% |
| Fewer smokers | 12.4% | 15.7% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 84% | 85.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 37 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Perry Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Perry Township has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Perry Township has about as many jobs (17,966) as working residents, but only 3,857 people both live and work here. 19.3% of workers work from home, against 10.7% across Indiana.
21% of Perry Township residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Perry Township has added 1,148 jobs, to 17,966 in 2023. Perry Township’s average trip to work is 19 minutes.
| Perry Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 19% | 7.8% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Perry Township. Close and well known come first.
4 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium
4 mi Stadium & arenaSimon Skjodt Assembly Hall
33 mi MuseumMiller House and Garden
3 mi MuseumEskenazi Museum of Art
3 mi TheatreIndiana University Auditorium32 mi GardenMill Race ParkMemorial Stadium: Durin at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall: Sean Benham from Chicago, CC BY 2.0 · Miller House and Garden: Nyttend, Public domain · Eskenazi Museum of Art: Kzollman (Kevin J.S. Zollman)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Indiana University Auditorium: Gottscho-Schleisner Collection, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Perry Township
College town 19 of every 100 Perry Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Township in Indiana, United States
Perry Township is one of eleven townships in Monroe County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 50,673 and it contained 24,194 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Perry Township.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B+; Bloomington Township (B+) is closest.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Township | #228 | B+ | D | — | A− | B+ |
| Van Buren Township | #139 | A− | B | — | A− | B |
| Clear Creek Township | #148 | A− | B | — | A− | B+ |
| Salt Creek Township | — | — | C− | — | A− | B+ |
| Bloomington Township | – | B+ | C | — | A− | B |
Salt Creek Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Perry Township, Van Buren Township, Clear Creek Township, Salt Creek Township and Bloomington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Perry Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Perry Township grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #228 of 585 in Indiana. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
