Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
South Bend grades D overall, 579th of 585 graded towns in Indiana, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, including 470 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 87% of the country. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 78 places on the National Register. 34% of working residents work locally in South Bend, above both the Indiana town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Tippecanoe Place and Sommerer House. On walkability, just 46 of Indiana’s 1,097 towns do better.
Where South Bend beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Tippecanoe Place
Tippecanoe Place is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 78 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Indiana towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,652 in 1850, 103,453 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1831 and a map from 1983 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far South Bend is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Bend, 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 South Bend.
South Bend carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Indiana (mostly inland flooding), has home values climbing faster than Indiana’s and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
28 miles of trail in 48 parks and preserves. The trail density in South Bend is 0.7 miles per square mile. Rum Village Park, at 157 acres with 2.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| South Bend | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rum Village Park | 2.6 mi | 157 |
| 2. Potawatomi Park | 1 mi | 29 |
| 3. Southeast Park | 0.7 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 3,851 to 1,531 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
South Bend’s violent crime rate is 4.5 per 1,000 residents. South Bend reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less.
| South Bend | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.2 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
25% of adults worry about having enough food in South Bend. South Bend beats the Indiana average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 27% of adults say their health is fair or poor in South Bend.
| South Bend | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 21% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | South Bend | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 8.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.6% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of Indiana towns, with expected losses of about $195 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1981, 49 flood insurance claims have been paid out in South Bend.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Home values rose 45% in five years, to about $198K, against 29% across Indiana.
The typical South Bend home is worth about $198,000, up 7.3% in a year, 23% below the Indiana typical home. 60% of South Bend households own their home.
| South Bend | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 76% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,033 a month | $946 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
South Bend has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 18° and about 65 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of South Bend’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, South Bend has added 2,618 jobs, to 52,988 in 2023. The top destinations are Mishawaka (14%), Elkhart (8%) and Notre Dame (6%).
| South Bend | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Indiana average. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 30% across Indiana.
| South Bend | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.8 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 26% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 22% | 29% |
52.1% women, 47.9% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.3, men 33.6.
| South Bend | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.7% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.2% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.6% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.6% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.4% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.2% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.9% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.2% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.1% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Bend. Close and well known come first.
Big draw2 mi Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
30 mi National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
2 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame
in town MuseumStudebaker National Museumin town Zoo & aquariumPotawatomi Zoo
10 mi Ancient siteFort St. JosephNotre Dame Stadium: Tysto, Public domain · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame: Know1one1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Studebaker National Museum: Unknown, Public domain · Fort St. Joseph: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
6 within 15 miles of the center of South Bend
About 6 of every 100 South Bend residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Indiana.
2 colleges in town.
78 places in South Bend on the National Register of Historic Places.
39 notable people were born in South Bend.
City in Indiana, United States
South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the fourth-most populous city in Indiana with a population of 103,453 at the 2020 census. Located directly south of Indiana's northern border with Michigan, South Bend anchors the broader Michiana region. Its metropolitan area had a population of 324,501 in 2020, while its combined statistical area had 812,199 residents. The area was first settled in the early 19th century by fur traders and was established as a city in 1865. The St. Joseph River shaped South Bend's economy through the mid-20th century. R…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with South Bend.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Portage Township (C) is closest.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Bend | #579 | D | B+ | D | C− | D |
| Ardmore | — | — | C+ | — | C− | — |
| Gilmer Park | — | — | A+ | — | C− | — |
| Mishawaka | #432 | C+ | B− | C− | A− | C |
| Notre Dame | — | — | — | — | C− | A− |
| Portage Township | #515 | C | B+ | — | C− | D |
| Penn Township | #147 | A− | B | — | A+ | C+ |
Ardmore and Gilmer Park have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Ardmore, Gilmer Park, Notre Dame, Portage Township and Penn Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Notre Dame isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Bend with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
South Bend grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #579 of 585 in Indiana. It grades D for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($67,217 across the South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI metro 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+.
39 notable people were born here, including Pete Buttigieg and Eric F. Wieschaus.
