Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,479, platted in 1820. A regional job hub with 4,420 jobs.
The best of Spencer’s subject grades are an A for walkability and history and an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a C− for health. 30% of residents are 65 or older in Spencer, against 18% in Indiana’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Only 19 of Indiana’s 1,097 towns score higher on walkability. Spencer has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Spencer Town Hall and Fire Station and David Enoch Beem House. Spencer's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 90% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Owen County Fair Grounds, at 32 acres. Spencer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Spencer beats most towns.
Spencer Town Hall and Fire Station
Census counts: 335 in 1850, 2,454 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Spencer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spencer, 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 Spencer.
About one in 4 of Spencer’s working residents works in town. At 18 minutes, Spencer’s average trip to work is below both the Indiana town median (24 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The median household income in Spencer is $48,000.
| Spencer | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Spencer | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 21% | 19% |
| What stands out | Spencer | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.5% | 77.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 25.4% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
14% of residents are under 18 in Spencer. Only 9 of the 594 Indiana towns we compare have a higher median age than Spencer. People 65 and older are 30% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (23% statewide).
| Spencer | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.7 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 14% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 22% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women. Among residents 35 to 44, 80% are men (IN 50%).
| Spencer | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.1% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.7% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.3% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.3% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.5% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.9% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.2% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.9% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 45.2% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.5% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.3% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,500, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 82 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Spencer.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Spencer has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 21° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Spencer home is worth about $251,000, up 2.7% in a year, close to the Indiana typical home. Spencer’s median rent is $798 a month.
| Spencer | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $798 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Owen County Fair Grounds | — | 32 |
| 2. Cooper Commons | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Spencer. Close and well known come first.
15 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium
15 mi Stadium & arenaSimon Skjodt Assembly Hall
16 mi MuseumEskenazi Museum of Art36 mi MuseumCANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center
16 mi TheatreIndiana University Auditorium
36 mi MuseumSwope Art MuseumMemorial Stadium: Durin at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall: Sean Benham from Chicago, CC BY 2.0 · Eskenazi Museum of Art: Kzollman (Kevin J.S. Zollman)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Indiana University Auditorium: Gottscho-Schleisner Collection, Public domain · Swope Art Museum: Colin Pizarek, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Spencer; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Spencer residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Where Spencer’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Spencer on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Spencer.
Town in Indiana, United States
Spencer is a town in Washington Township, Owen County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 census, Spencer had a population of 2,454. It is the county seat of Owen County. Spencer is part of the Bloomington, Indiana metropolitan area.
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. That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($65,543 across the Bloomington, IN 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 A−.
8 notable people were born here, including William S. Sadler and Edwin S. Johnson.
