Topeka, Indiana, 2012
Topeka’s story
133 years in pictures
Census counts: 512 in 1920, 1,206 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
- 1893Topeka is settled
Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,229
2025 Census estimate · +1.6% since 2020
Typical home
$418K
+8.9% in a year
Household income
$63K
median
Median age
32.1
years
Jobs based here
2,608
A job hub
Is Topeka a good place to live?
Topeka’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A for schools; its weakest is a D for health. On cost of living, just 109 of Indiana’s 1,096 towns do better. Only 40 of Indiana’s 1,043 towns score lower on civic life. Topeka has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Topeka stand out
Where Topeka beats most towns.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here2,608
Residents who work394
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 99% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
Typical home value
Topeka$418K
Indiana$257K
Cost of livingA+
4.9 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 97% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Small town
1,229 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Topeka grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Topeka is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →SchoolsBeat 92% of Indiana districts on tests and graduationAOpen →HealthLess healthy than 88% of U.S. towns; Parkview Lagrange Hospital 9.6 miles awayDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 16% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.1 of 20; 14.9% of households have no car; 12.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Jobs & income$63K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksC−Open →History4 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life1.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 32.1; 6% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Topeka: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Topeka, and how to reach them.
PowerNIPSCO22.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTopeka Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpTuesdayTrash dayTown site
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 hereLaGrange County Circuit Court ClerkLaGrange County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code4657146571 100%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 Topeka.
HousingCost of living grade A+
A typical Topeka home is worth about $418K
The typical Topeka home is worth about $418,000, up 8.9% in a year, 63% above the Indiana typical home. 67% of Topeka households own their home, where Indiana’s towns sit at 76% and U.S. towns at 73%. The median rent in Topeka is $916 a month.
$418KZillow home value
| Topeka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $916 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Topeka$418K
Indiana$257K
+8.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Topeka has 6.6 jobs for every working resident, and 2,534 people commute in
Most working residents leave Topeka for work: only 19% work in town. Topeka’s average trip to work is 17 minutes, against 24 minutes in Indiana’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Topeka grew to 2,608 in 2023, 340 more than in 2013.
19%work in town
| Topeka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Topeka19%
Middlebury6%
Eden Township6%
Goshen5%
York Township5%
13 mi
median commute distance
2,608
jobs based in Topeka
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthD
A larger share of adults in Topeka feel lonely than in the typical Indiana or U.S. town
41% of adults feel lonely in Topeka. Among 590 Indiana towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Topeka. 27% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Topeka.
12%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Topeka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 80% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
1 better13 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | Topeka | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 8.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.5% | 15.4% |
Parkview Lagrange Hospital
9.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Topeka faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
16risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Topeka has four seasons and pleasant summers
Topeka has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
24″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–34°
Spring38–59°
Summer60–81°
Fall42–62°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 28
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Topeka stands out in Indiana and nationally, with property crime lower than most
Topeka’s property crime rate is 0.8 per 1,000 residents. Only 3 of the 99 Indiana towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Topeka. Topeka's reported crime rate is well below Indiana's.
| Topeka | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 11.6 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.8 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Topeka0
Indiana3.8
U.S.3.9
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Topeka0.8
Indiana16.9
U.S.19.5
0
violent crimes reported in 2023
1
property crimes reported in 2023
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Topeka
19pages on Topeka
The big questions
SchoolsABeat 92% of IN districtsSafety0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2023)HealthDBetter than IN on 1 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA+$418K typical home · up 8.9% in a yearWork & commuteC+$63K median household income · 2,608 jobs hereNatural hazardsAFEMA risk higher than 16% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Topeka
About 4 of every 100 Topeka residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
A job hub
Every workday, about 2,534 people come to Topeka for work
Where Topeka’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
2,608jobs based in Topeka
19%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Topeka
4 notable people were born in Topeka.
About Topeka
Town in Indiana, United States
Topeka is a town in Clearspring and Eden townships, LaGrange County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Topeka had a population of 1,206. Topeka is located approximately eleven miles south of Shipshewana, Indiana. Topeka was likely so named because the landscape reminded settlers of Topeka, Kansas.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 925 ft
- ZIP code
- 46571
- Area code
- 260
Questions about Topeka
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Topeka, 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 A+.
What is Topeka, IN known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Amy Yoder Begley and Byron Price.