Old ice cream sign, Route 18, 2004
Sweetser’s story
156 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004.
- 1870Sweetser is settled
SweetserIN
A town of 1,069, settled in 1870.
Photo: ONUnicorn · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,069
2025 Census estimate · −0.2% since 2020
Typical home
$185K
+4.4% in a year
Household income
$81K
median
Median age
40.2
years
Jobs based here
259
A commuter town
Is Sweetser a good place to live?
The best of Sweetser’s subject grades is an A− for schools; the weakest is a D− for walkability. Only 93 of Indiana’s 1,097 towns score lower on walkability. 13% of residents are 65 or older in Sweetser, against 18% in Indiana’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Sweetser has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sweetser stand out
Where Sweetser beats most towns.
Small town
1,069 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Sweetser grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Sweetser is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.7 of 20; 1.5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →SchoolsBeat 77% of Indiana districts on tests and graduationA−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →Jobs & income$81K median household income; 259 jobs based hereC+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →HealthMarion General Hospital 5.3 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
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 Sweetser: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sweetser, and how to reach them.
PowerDuke Energy15.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sweetser’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 hereGrant County Circuit Court ClerkGrant County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2023
ZIP codes46987, 4695246987 94% · 46952 6%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 Sweetser.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
About one in three of Sweetser’s working residents commute to Marion
Most working residents leave Sweetser for work: only 2% work in town. Sweetser’s average trip to work is 22 minutes, where Indiana’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The top destinations are Marion (31%), Indianapolis (7%) and Fort Wayne (4%).
2%work in town
| Sweetser | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.3% | 7.8% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Sweetser2%
Marion31%
Indianapolis7%
Fort Wayne4%
Gas City3%
17 mi
median commute distance
259
jobs based in Sweetser
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 2% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade B+
Homes in Sweetser are worth about $185K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Sweetser home is worth about $185,000, up 4.4% in a year, 28% below the Indiana typical home.
$185KZillow home value
| Sweetser | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,063 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Sweetser$185K
Indiana$257K
+4.4%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
In Sweetser, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Sweetser has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
25″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–36°
Spring40–61°
Summer61–83°
Fall43–64°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
More middle-aged adults than Indiana overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (37% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). 25% of residents are under 18 in Sweetser. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 30% across Indiana.
40.2median age · IN 38.1
| Sweetser | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 22% | 29% |
SweetserIndianaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma2%
High school36%
Some college26%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s13%
Graduate16%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.5 points. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Sweetser | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.1% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.2% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.4% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.7% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.2% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.7% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
HealthB−
Sweetser is healthier than 54% of U.S. towns
Sweetser beats the Indiana average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 82% of Sweetser adults had a checkup this year.
55%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Sweetser | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 39% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
7 better24 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Sweetser | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.1% | 14.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.3% |
Marion General Hospital
5.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Sweetser
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities.
51risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoes
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sweetser
17pages on Sweetser
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Sweetser
Indiana Wesleyan University-National & GlobalUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Marion6.1 mi$8,208 tuitionIndiana Wesleyan University-MarionUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Marion6.2 mi$32,352 tuition
About 2 of every 100 Sweetser residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
A shrinking town
Sweetser has shrunk 13% since 2010
1,229 counted in 2010 and 1,075 in 2020; an estimated 1,069 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
About Sweetser
Town in Indiana, United States
Sweetser is a town in Franklin, Pleasant and Richland townships, Grant County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Sweetser had a population of 1,075.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 843 ft
- ZIP code
- 46987
- Area code
- 765
Questions about Sweetser
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sweetser, 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+.