Richland TownshipJay County, IN
A town of 3,874. 36% more nonprofits per person than the typical Indiana town.
Is Richland Township a good place to live?
Richland Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $89K for a typical one, or 1.6 years of the county’s $55K median household income. It grades C− overall, 549th of 585 graded towns in Indiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $50K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Richland Township, against 10% in Indiana’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On history, just 82 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns do better. Richland Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 90% of U.S. towns.
What makes Richland Township stand out
Where Richland Township beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Richland Township has shrunk 14% since 2010
4,518 counted in 2010 and 4,005 in 2020; an estimated 3,874 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Richland Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Richland Township is from typical.
Its best grade is an A+ for history, which describes the town but isn’t part of the overall grade; its C− comes from the livability subjects above.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Richland Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Richland 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Richland Township.
Richland Township has poverty well above the Indiana rate, but it has little public open land.
A larger share of adults in Richland Township have diabetes than in the typical Indiana or U.S. town
For adults in Richland Township, the share who have obesity is 45%. Only 5 of the 589 Indiana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Richland Township. Against the Indiana average, Richland Township comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 17.
| Richland Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 39% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Richland Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81% | 77.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.1% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Richland Township’s public schools outperform 51% of Indiana districts
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Public schools: Jay School Corporation. 2 public schools serve Richland Township, with 540 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redkey Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 326 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Most of Richland Township’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.4 jobs for each of them
Most people who work leave Richland Township to do it: just 8% work in town. The top destinations are Portland (17%), Muncie (11%) and Dunkirk (6%). Half commute less than 18 miles.
| Richland Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.7% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Low risk in Richland Township, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Richland Township than in just over two thirds of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid one claim locally since 2014.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The climate in Richland Township brings four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 84° and January nights of 19°, with about 21 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.2% of the land in Richland Township is protected from building
Just 36 of its 17,351 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Richland Township itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Dunkirk Park, at 37 acres. Parks and preserves in Richland Township: 2, covering 46 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dunkirk Park | — | 37 |
| 2. Redkey Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Grand Lake St. Marys State Park and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Richland Township. Close and well known come first.
38 mi State parkGrand Lake St. Marys State Park
22 mi MuseumFort Recovery
30 mi MuseumLevi Coffin House
15 mi GardenMinnetrista
38 mi MuseumShrine of the Holy Relics
16 mi MuseumDavid Owsley Museum of Art Ball State UniversityPhoto credits
Grand Lake St. Marys State Park: Bruin, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Recovery: Nyttend, Public domain · Levi Coffin House: Nyttend, Public domain · Minnetrista: XWHJ2004, CC BY 2.0 · Shrine of the Holy Relics: Rfgagel, Public domain · David Owsley Museum of Art Ball State University: Matt Ruddick, CC BY 1.0
Everything we know about Richland Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Richland Township; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Richland Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
92% of working residents leave Richland Township for work
Where Richland Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Richland Township
Township in Indiana, United States
Richland Township is one of twelve townships in Jay County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,005 (down from 4,518 at 2010) and it contained 1,948 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 27 sq mi
- Elevation
- 955 ft
Richland Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Richland Township.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Township | #549 | C− | B+ | — | B− | D− |
| Niles Township | — | — | A | — | A− | C− |
| Jefferson Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Green Township | — | — | A− | — | B+ | C− |
| Knox Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson Township | — | — | A+ | — | B | D |
| Dunkirk | — | — | A+ | — | B− | D |
Niles Township, Green Township, Jackson Township and Dunkirk have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Richland Township, Niles Township, Green Township, Jackson Township and Dunkirk report no FBI crime data of their own. Jefferson Township and Knox Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Richland Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Richland Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Richland Township, IN a good place to live?
Richland Township grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #549 of 585 in Indiana. It grades D− for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Richland 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 B+.