Prairieton, Indiana, 2016
Prairieton Township’s story
189 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2016 and 4 maps from 1940 on.
- 1837Prairieton Township is laid out
Prairieton TownshipIN
A town of 1,122, laid out in 1837.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,122
2025 Census estimate · +0.1% since 2020
Median home value
$180K
Census ACS
Household income
$47K
median
Median age
35.5
years
Jobs based here
35
A commuter town
Is Prairieton Township a good place to live?
Prairieton Township’s best subject grades are a B for cost of living and history; its weakest is a D for incomes. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Prairieton Township, above both the Indiana town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 56 of Indiana’s 1,096 towns score lower on incomes. Prairieton Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Prairieton Township stand out
Where Prairieton Township beats most towns.
Small town
1,122 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Sugar Creek TownshipDarwin TownshipPrairie Creek TownshipWabash TownshipHoney Creek TownshipPrairieton Township
How Prairieton Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Prairieton Township is from typical.
Jobs & income35 jobs based hereDOpen →HealthTerre Haute Regional Hospital 6 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 31% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.1 of 20; 2.4% of households have no car; 3.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $180K, 3.2 years of the Terre Haute metro’s $57K median household incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 8% conserved landC−Open →HistoryLaid out 1837BOpen →Civic life3.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
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 Prairieton Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Prairieton Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDuke Energy15.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterIndiana American Water - Terre HauteNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Prairieton 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 hereVigo County Circuit Court ClerkVigo County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2017
ZIP code4780247802 99%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 Prairieton Township.
HealthC−
Health in Prairieton Township trails 80% of U.S. towns
15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Prairieton Township, close to Indiana’s towns (15%) and above U.S. towns (14%). In Prairieton Township, just over two in five adults have obesity. Among adults in the town, 19% smoke cigarettes and 14% have diabetes.
20%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Prairieton Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
0 better22 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Prairieton Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.4% | 15.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.2% | 8.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 17.6% | 14.7% |
Terre Haute Regional Hospital
6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
Public schools in Prairieton Township fall behind 73% of Indiana districts
Public schools: Vigo County School Corp. Its one school is below. Enrollment at Prairieton Township’s public school: 336 students.
27%of IN districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoosier Prairie Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 336 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
With only 0.1 jobs per working resident, most people in Prairieton Township work out of town
In Prairieton Township, the middle household income is $47,000. The top destinations are Terre Haute (39%), Indianapolis (8%) and Honey Creek Township (8%). Half of commuters travel less than 11 miles.
0%work in town
| Prairieton Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Prairieton Township0%
Terre Haute39%
Indianapolis8%
Honey Creek Township8%
Linton Township5%
11 mi
median commute distance
35
jobs based in Prairieton Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Natural hazards: low risk in Prairieton Township, mostly inland flooding
Of the losses FEMA expects in Prairieton Township, 45% come from inland flooding and 19% from earthquakes. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage locally than in 69% of U.S. communities. 6 flood insurance claims have been paid in the town since 2008.
31risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesTornadoes
6
paid flood claims since 2008
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Prairieton Township
A winter brings about 15 inches of snow, with January nights at 21° and July afternoons at 87°.
15″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–41°
Spring43–65°
Summer64–85°
Fall45–67°
Oct 27
typical first frost
Apr 8
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC−
In Prairieton Township, 7.5% of the land is conserved
Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 2.3 miles. The concentration of trails in Prairieton Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
7.5%conserved
| Prairieton Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
7.5%
conserved · 862 of 11,448 acres
2.3 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 15 attractions →Turkey Run State Park and 4 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Prairieton Township. Close and well known come first.
39 mi State parkTurkey Run State Park8 mi MuseumCANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center
8 mi MuseumPaul Dresser Birthplace
8 mi MuseumSwope Art Museum
30 mi MuseumMansfield Roller MillSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Turkey Run State Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paul Dresser Birthplace: Nyttend, Public domain · Swope Art Museum: Colin Pizarek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mansfield Roller Mill: Nyttend, Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Prairieton Township
18pages on Prairieton Township
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Prairieton Township
Indiana State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Terre Haute8.6 mi$10,258 in-state tuitionSaint Mary-of-the-Woods CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Saint Mary of the Woods10.2 mi$35,270 tuitionRose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Terre Haute12.1 mi$58,649 tuition
About 5 of every 100 Prairieton Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Indiana.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Prairieton Township for work
Where Prairieton Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
35jobs based in Prairieton Township
0%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Prairieton Township
Unincorporated community in Indiana, United States
Prairieton is an unincorporated community in Prairieton Township, Vigo County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Today, due to its proximity to both Terre Haute's southern shopping district (along U.S. Route 41 for approximately two miles south of Interstate 70) and the Terre Haute Federal Penitentiary, it has mostly become a commuter town (State Road 63 provides Prairieton residents access to Terre Haute), with fewer than ten businesses within its "city limits". Prairieton is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 479 ft
- ZIP code
- 47870
Questions about Prairieton Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Prairieton Township, IN expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.