Thorncreek TownshipIN
A town of 4,272, settled in 1853.
Is Thorncreek Township a good place to live?
Thorncreek Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B+ overall, 256th of 585 graded towns in Indiana, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $113K. A typical home there costs about $331K, 4.7 years of the Fort Wayne metro’s $71K median household income. Only 108 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns score higher on hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Crooked Lake Nature Preserve, 149 acres with 2.5 miles of trail.
What makes Thorncreek Township stand out
Where Thorncreek Township beats most towns.
97% of working residents leave Thorncreek Township for work
Where Thorncreek Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Thorncreek Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Thorncreek Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Thorncreek Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Thorncreek Township, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Thorncreek Township.
Thorncreek Township looks healthier within Indiana than nationally and has household incomes well above the Indiana norm.
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Thorncreek Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Thorncreek Township’s schools rank ahead of 59% of Indiana districts
Its public schools are run by the Whitley County Con Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Heights Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 504 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Thorncreek Township has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Thorncreek Township for work: only 3% work in town. 4.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Thorncreek Township, against 10% in Indiana’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Thorncreek Township has added 53 jobs, to 736 in 2023.
| Thorncreek Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $113,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Thorncreek Township has set aside 1.8% of its land for conservation
4.0 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Thorncreek Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crooked Lake Nature Preserve | 2.5 mi | 149 |
| 2. Wendell and Evelyn Dygert Nature Preserve | 1.6 mi | 132 |
| 3. Tri-Lakes Community Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Thorncreek Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Thorncreek Township has chilly winters and pleasant summers. Thorncreek Township’s July high is 83°F, near the Indiana town median (84°F) and below the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer young adults than Indiana overall
The median household earns $112,548, against $71,957 across Indiana, one input to its A for jobs and income.
Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 42% of residents (37% statewide). 15% of Thorncreek Township residents are 65 or older. Thorncreek Township has grown 2.2% since 2020, to 4,272 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Thorncreek Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 22% | 29% |
| Median age | 41 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.2 points. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Thorncreek Township | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.7% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.3% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.1% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.3% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.6% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.9% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.4% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.3% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,300, single groups can be off by several points
On CDC estimates, Thorncreek Township is less healthy than 54% of U.S. towns
Within Indiana it is healthier than 66% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures. Against the 6,786 U.S. towns with household incomes like Thorncreek Township’s, it is less healthy than 86%, so it trails even them.
Thorncreek Township beats the Indiana average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 40% of adults have obesity in Thorncreek Township.
| Thorncreek Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 37% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Thorncreek Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.8% | 14.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.9% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Fort Wayne Children's Zoo and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Thorncreek Township. Close and well known come first.
18 mi Zoo & aquariumFort Wayne Children's Zoo
24 mi MuseumAuburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum39 mi Theme parkFun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo
20 mi MuseumFort Wayne Museum of Art
23 mi MuseumUnited States Vice Presidential Museum
24 mi MuseumForks of the WabashPhoto credits
Fort Wayne Children's Zoo: Momoneymoproblemz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum: Michael Walter, a.k.a. Cuppysfriend, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Wayne Museum of Art: Momoneymoproblemz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United States Vice Presidential Museum: Pilcrow, Public domain · Forks of the Wabash: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Thorncreek Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Thorncreek Township; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Thorncreek Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
About Thorncreek Township
Township in Indiana, United States
Thorncreek Township is one of nine townships in Whitley County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,159 (down slightly from 4,166 at 2010) and it contained 1,909 housing units. The township has two main population clusters. The southern edge of the township consists of the unincorporated northern suburban developments of Columbia City, and in the extreme northeastern part of the township there is the unincorporated settlement and census-designated place known as Tri-Lakes.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 899 ft
Thorncreek Township’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Thorncreek Township.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B+; Columbia City (B+) is closest.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorncreek Township | #256 | B+ | B | — | B | B− |
| Columbia Township | #208 | B+ | A− | — | B | B− |
| Smith Township | #124 | A− | A+ | — | B− | B− |
| Noble Township | #174 | A− | A | — | B | C+ |
| Richland Township | — | — | B− | — | C+ | C |
| Columbia City | #224 | B+ | A− | B | B | C+ |
| Tri-Lakes | — | — | B | — | B | B− |
| Etna-Troy Township | — | — | A− | — | B | C+ |
Richland Township, Tri-Lakes and Etna-Troy Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Thorncreek Township, Columbia Township, Smith Township, Noble Township, Richland Township, Tri-Lakes and Etna-Troy Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Thorncreek Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Thorncreek Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Thorncreek Township, IN a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Thorncreek Township grades B+ overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #256 of 585 in Indiana. It grades B− for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Thorncreek Township, IN expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.