Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Terre Haute earns a D, better than 5% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 92% of U.S. towns, with 277 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 94% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 46 places on the National Register. 46% of working residents work locally in Terre Haute, where Indiana’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Eugene V. Debs House and Paul Dresser Birthplace. Only 72 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns score lower on hazard risk.
Where Terre Haute beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Paul Dresser Birthplace
Eugene V. Debs House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 46 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Indiana towns with a listing.
Census counts: 4,051 in 1850, 58,389 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1834 and 5 maps from 1941 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Terre Haute is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Terre Haute, 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 Terre Haute.
Terre Haute is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Indiana (mostly inland flooding) and has poverty well above the Indiana rate.
Property crime runs at 28.5 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Indiana rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 2,781 to 1,949 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Terre Haute’s property crime rate is 28.5 per 1,000 residents. Among 107 Indiana towns, just 10 have a higher violent crime rate than Terre Haute. Terre Haute reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less.
| Terre Haute | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.5 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 3,372 U.S. towns with household incomes like Terre Haute’s, it is less healthy than 56%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
22% of adults report frequent mental distress in Terre Haute. Terre Haute beats the Indiana average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 26% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Terre Haute.
| Terre Haute | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 21% | 19% |
| What stands out | Terre Haute | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.3% | 8.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.2% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
7.7 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Deming Park, at 135 acres.
| Terre Haute | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Terre Haute Memorial Stadium Park | 2 mi | 43 |
| 2. Collett Park | 0.9 mi | 24 |
| 3. Deming Park | 0.7 mi | 135 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
61.2% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.1% across Indiana.
The typical Terre Haute home is worth about $159,000, about the same as a year ago, 38% below the Indiana typical home. 52% of Terre Haute households own their home.
| Terre Haute | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 76% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 61% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $922 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
24.7% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.3% across Indiana, which weighs on its D for jobs and income. The median household earns $43,126, against $71,957 across Indiana.
Adults 18 to 34 are 33% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (37% statewide). 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 30% across Indiana.
| Terre Haute | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.9 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 22% | 29% |
48.9% women, 51.1% men
About 104 men for every 100 women. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.3, men 32.2.
| Terre Haute | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.5% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 18.8% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.4% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.5% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.9% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.9% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.1% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.4% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.7% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.8% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Indiana towns, with expected losses of about $444 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Terre Haute is 68 of 100. Since 1978, 52 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Terre Haute.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Terre Haute has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 21° and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based in Terre Haute fell to 30,531 in 2023, 5,113 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Indianapolis (8%), Honey Creek Township (5%) and Van Buren Township (2%).
| Terre Haute | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5.7% | 7.8% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Terre Haute. Close and well known come first.
30 mi State parkTurkey Run State Parkin town MuseumCANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center
in town MuseumSwope Art Museum
in town MuseumPaul Dresser Birthplace
21 mi MuseumMansfield Roller MillTurkey Run State Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Swope Art Museum: Colin Pizarek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paul Dresser Birthplace: Nyttend, Public domain · Mansfield Roller Mill: Nyttend, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Terre Haute
College town 16 of every 100 Terre Haute residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
2 colleges in town.
46 places in Terre Haute on the National Register of Historic Places.
36 notable people were born in Terre Haute.
City in Indiana, United States
Terre Haute ( TERR-ə HOHT) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and its metropolitan area had a population of 168,716. Located along the Wabash River about 5 miles (8 km) east of the state border with Illinois, Terre Haute is one of the largest cities in the Wabash Valley; it is known as the Queen City of the Wabash. The city is home to multiple higher-education institutions, including Indiana State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. It also contains the United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, which houses the US federal execution chamber and…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Terre Haute.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Honey Creek Township (D) is closest.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terre Haute | #584 | D | B− | D | C | D |
| Sugar Creek Township | #519 | C− | B+ | — | C | C− |
| Harrison Township | #571 | D | B | — | C | D |
| North Terre Haute | #490 | C | A− | — | C | C+ |
| Honey Creek Township | #581 | D | C+ | — | C | C− |
| Lost Creek Township | #533 | C− | C | — | C | C+ |
Sugar Creek Township, Harrison Township, North Terre Haute, Honey Creek Township and Lost Creek Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Terre Haute with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Terre Haute grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns. It grades D for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($56,594 across the Terre Haute, 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 B−.
36 notable people were born here, including Theodore Dreiser and Philip José Farmer.
