New Castle Archaeological Site from southeast, 2012
Prairie Township’s story
Prairie Township in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2012 and 2 maps from 1960 on.
Explore the history →
Prairie TownshipHenry County, IN
A town of 6,020.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
6,020
2025 Census estimate · +0.5% since 2020
Median home value
$195K
Census ACS
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
48.6
years
Jobs based here
727
A commuter town
TownGrade
C
#477 of 585 in IN
Is Prairie Township a good place to live?
Prairie Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $195K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the New Castle area’s $63K median household income. It grades C overall, 477th of 585 graded towns in Indiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 8.8% of residents are under 18 in Prairie Township, against 23% in Indiana’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. Summit Lake State Park, at 1,097 acres with 2.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Prairie Township for work
Where Prairie Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
727jobs based in Prairie Township
4%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Prairie Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Prairie Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4 of 20; 1.2% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →HealthHenry County Memorial Hospital 4.7 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →Jobs & income$68K median household incomeB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 37% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3 miles of trailsB−Open →HistoryC+Open →Civic life0.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Prairie Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Prairie Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDuke Energy15.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNew Castle Correctional Facility water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Prairie Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Indiana you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHenry County Board of Voter RegistrationHenry County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP codes47362, 47386, 4736147362 79% · 47386 17% · 47361 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Prairie Township.
HealthC−
For health, Prairie Township earns a C−
41% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Prairie Township. Prairie Township beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 43% of adults have obesity in Prairie Township.
20%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Prairie Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
0 better27 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Prairie Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.8% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.3% |
Henry County Memorial Hospital
4.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
29th
percentile among IN towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
On state tests, Prairie Township’s schools trail 73% of Indiana districts
Its public schools are run by the Blue River Valley Schools. Its two schools are below.
27%of IN districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue River Valley Elementary SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 331 | C− |
| Blue River Valley Jr-Sr High SchLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 289 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most of Prairie Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Prairie Township for work: only 4% work in town. Prairie Township’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. Since 2013, Prairie Township has added 452 jobs, to 727 in 2023.
4%work in town
| Prairie Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Prairie Township4%
New Castle12%
Indianapolis11%
Muncie9%
Henry Township5%
22 mi
median commute distance
727
jobs based in Prairie Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Prairie Township
Prairie Township has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
19″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–37°
Spring40–61°
Summer61–82°
Fall43–64°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Prairie Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities.
37risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
#356for trails in IN
7%
conserved · 1,824 of 25,936 acres
2.6 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Summit Lake State Park | 2.6 mi | 1,097 |
| 2. Wilbur Wright Fish and Wildlife Area | — | 510 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 46 attractions →Conner Prairie and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Prairie Township. Close and well known come first.
36 mi MuseumConner Prairie
30 mi TheatreRuoff Music Center
24 mi MuseumLevi Coffin House
35 mi MuseumIndiana Transportation Museum
14 mi GardenMinnetrista
13 mi MuseumDavid Owsley Museum of Art Ball State UniversitySources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Conner Prairie: Unknown, CC BY 2.5 · Ruoff Music Center: TownePost Network, CC BY 2.0 · Levi Coffin House: Nyttend, Public domain · Indiana Transportation Museum: Jeremy C. Schultz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Minnetrista: XWHJ2004, CC BY 2.0 · David Owsley Museum of Art Ball State University: Matt Ruddick, CC BY 1.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Prairie Township
18pages on Prairie Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Prairie Township
About 3 of every 100 Prairie Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
About Prairie Township
Township in Indiana, United States
Prairie Township is one of thirteen townships in Henry County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 5,517 and it contained 1,346 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 41 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,047 ft
Prairie Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Prairie Township.
Jefferson TownshipHenry TownshipStoney Creek TownshipBlue River TownshipMonroe TownshipPrairie Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Township | #477 | C | A− | — | C | C− |
| Jefferson Township | — | — | A | — | A− | C |
| Henry Township | #379 | B− | A | — | B− | D |
| Stoney Creek Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Blue River Township | — | — | B+ | — | C | C |
| Monroe Township | #407 | C+ | A | — | C+ | D− |
Jefferson Township and Blue River Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Prairie Township, Jefferson Township, Henry Township, Blue River Township and Monroe Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Stoney Creek Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Prairie Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Prairie Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Prairie Township, IN a good place to live?
Prairie Township grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #477 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C− for health and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Prairie Township, IN expensive?
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−.