Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
South Whitley’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and history; its weakest is a C− for health. On history, just 48 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Gale Hagan Memorial Park, at 24 acres. South Whitley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where South Whitley beats most towns.
Where South Whitley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far South Whitley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 408 in 1880, 1,818 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 3 maps from 1962 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Whitley, 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 Whitley.
Among adults in South Whitley, 22% say their health is fair or poor, close to Indiana’s towns (21%) and above U.S. towns (19%). A fifth of adults report frequent mental distress in the town.
| South Whitley | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 23% |
| What stands out | South Whitley | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.3% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical household income for South Whitley comes to $58,000, below both the Indiana town median ($71,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Just 7% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The share of residents in South Whitley who live below the poverty line: 14%. Also worth knowing: since 2013, South Whitley has lost 212 jobs, to 538 in 2023.
| South Whitley | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.8% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A winter brings about 21 inches of snow, with January nights at 17° and July afternoons at 84°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Paid flood insurance claims in South Whitley since 1981: 6. Compared with two thirds of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower. 53% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 21%. Federal aid has come to South Whitley households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2014.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Parks and preserves in South Whitley: 2, covering 28 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gale Hagan Memorial Park | — | 24 |
| 2. South Whitley Town Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 5.8% in value. South Whitley’s midpoint rent comes in at $771 a month.
| South Whitley | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $771 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of South Whitley
About 4 of every 100 South Whitley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Town in Indiana, United States
South Whitley is a town in Cleveland Township, Whitley County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 census, South Whitley had a population of 1,818. It is a town in the Midwestern tradition of red brick buildings and tree-lined streets.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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+.