Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,969.
Van Buren Township’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and the outdoors and an A− for incomes; its weakest is a D for walkability. 10% of residents are under 18 in Van Buren Township, below both Indiana’s towns (23%) and U.S. towns (22%). Only 23 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns score lower on hazard risk. 48% of the land in Van Buren Township is conserved, where Indiana’s towns sit at 1.9% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Hoosier National Forest, at 12,027 acres with 21.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On the outdoors, just 33 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns do better. Van Buren Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Van Buren Township beats most towns.
47.9% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Van Buren Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,297 in 1890, a low of 822 in 1960, 1,903 in 2020. The archive holds 3 maps from 1956 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Van Buren 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Van Buren Township.
97 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Van Buren Township’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brown County State Park | 56 mi | 9,259 |
| 2. Hoosier National Forest | 21.3 mi | 12,027 |
| 3. Yellowwood State Forest | 5.2 mi | 1,615 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Brown County School Corporation. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 210 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
The median age in Van Buren Township is 60.6 years. Van Buren Township has grown 2.7% since 2020, to 1,969 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 34% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Van Buren Township.
| Van Buren Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 60.6 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 22% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.9 points. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Van Buren Township | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.6% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.7% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.3% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.7% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 4.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 27% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.7% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.9% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 48.8% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 5.5% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.2% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.1% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.9% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,000, single groups can be off by several points
0.6% of Van Buren Township working residents work locally. The top destinations are Columbus (26%), Indianapolis (11%) and Nashville (11%). 4.9% of Van Buren Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Van Buren Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 11% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Van Buren Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Van Buren Township has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 22° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Van Buren Township beats the Indiana average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Van Buren Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Van Buren Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.8% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.2% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Van Buren Township. Close and well known come first.
20 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium
16 mi MuseumMiller House and Garden
19 mi Stadium & arenaSimon Skjodt Assembly Hall
19 mi MuseumEskenazi Museum of Art15 mi GardenMill Race Park15 mi MuseumZaharakosMemorial Stadium: Durin at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Miller House and Garden: Nyttend, Public domain · 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
None within 15 miles of Van Buren Township; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Van Buren Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Where Van Buren Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Township in Indiana, United States
Van Buren Township is one of four townships in Brown County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,903 and it contained 888 housing units. The township includes the southern portion of Brown County State Park.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Van Buren Township.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren Township | — | — | A | — | B | B− |
| Washington Township | #303 | B | A− | — | B | B− |
| Salt Creek Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pershing Township | — | — | A | — | B+ | C+ |
| Jackson Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | C+ |
| Ohio Township | — | — | B− | — | B− | B− |
Van Buren Township, Pershing Township, Jackson Township and Ohio Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Van Buren Township, Washington Township, Pershing Township, Jackson Township and Ohio Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Salt Creek Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Van Buren Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.
