Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
56% more nonprofits per person than the typical Indiana town. The town has 2,948 residents and lies in Indiana.
Low prices, and some weak spots to weigh against them. With a C+ overall, Van Buren Township is better than 43% of U.S. towns and ranks 420th of 585 in Indiana. Where it falls short is health (C−): CDC estimates put its residents' health behind just over four fifths of the country. Its strongest is cost of living (A): a typical home costs about $117K, 1.9 years of the county’s $63K median household income. Van Buren Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns. 11% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more locally, where Indiana’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 29%. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Van Buren Township, above both Indiana’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (9.6%).
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES.
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 →
Where Van Buren Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,492 in 1890, 2,919 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
Explore the history →Where Van Buren Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Ordered by what stands out in Van Buren Township.
Van Buren Township has little public open land, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Van Buren Township: 18% of adults report frequent mental distress. Two figures for adults locally: 19% smoke cigarettes, 16% report frequent physical distress.
| Van Buren Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Van Buren Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.2% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 18.7% | 15.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The largest public high school is Fountain Central High School, with 532 students. The public schools here belong to Southeast Fountain School Corp. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Fountain ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 502 | B− |
| Fountain Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 532 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here fell from 1,364 in 2013 to 936.
Commuting out is the norm in Van Buren Township: 14% of working residents work locally. This Indiana town had 936 jobs in 2023, down 428 from 2013. Its median household income comes in at $58,000. The top destinations are Lafayette (10%), Crawfordsville (9%) and Veedersburg (8%).
| Van Buren Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Van Buren Township than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A winter brings about 19 inches of snow, with January nights at 18° and July afternoons at 85°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Just 0 of its 23,889 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Van Buren Township itself; its outdoors grade is D−.
0.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hub Park | — | 9 |
| 2. Stone Bluff Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Van Buren Township. Close and well known come first.
28 mi Stadium & arenaRoss–Ade Stadium
17 mi State parkTurkey Run State Park
34 mi State parkProphetstown State Park
28 mi MuseumSamara
25 mi MuseumRopkey Armor Museum
20 mi MuseumGeneral Lew Wallace StudyRoss–Ade Stadium: Tstuddud at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Turkey Run State Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Prophetstown State Park: Flickr user: Dan https://www.flickr.com/photos/dwmizell/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Samara: Tim Musson, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ropkey Armor Museum: John Schanlaub, CC BY 3.0 · General Lew Wallace Study: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
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.
None within 15 miles of Van Buren Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Van Buren Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Township in Indiana, United States
Van Buren Township is one of eleven townships in Fountain County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,919 and it contained 1,306 housing units.
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 | #420 | C+ | A | — | C+ | C− |
| Troy Township | #194 | B+ | A− | — | A | C− |
| Shawnee Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cain Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | C− |
| Millcreek Township | — | — | A+ | — | C+ | D |
| Richland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Cain Township and Millcreek Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Van Buren Township, Troy Township, Cain Township and Millcreek Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Shawnee Township and Richland Township aren’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.
Van Buren Township grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #420 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C− for health and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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.
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