Smoker farm Wanatah P2240261, 2007
Wanatah’s story
164 years in pictures
Census counts: 372 in 1880, 1,009 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
- 1862Wanatah is settled
WanatahIN
Photo: Nheyob · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
972
2025 Census estimate · −3.5% since 2020
Typical home
$285K
+4.9% in a year
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
35.4
years
Jobs based here
510
Balanced
Is Wanatah a good place to live?
89% of households are owner-occupiers in Wanatah, above both the Indiana town median (76%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Wanatah has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Wanatah stand out
Where Wanatah beats most towns.
Small town
972 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Wanatah: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wanatah, and how to reach them.
PowerNIPSCO22.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWanatah Water UtilityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Wanatah’s trash rules yet
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 hereLa Porte County Circuit Court ClerkLaPorte County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code4639046390 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 Wanatah.
Climate
In Wanatah, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Summer afternoons peak near 83° in July, and January nights bottom out around 17°; snowfall runs to about 34 inches a winter. Summers in Wanatah are pleasant, and winters chilly, snowy.
34″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring38–59°
Summer60–82°
Fall42–62°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Wanatah has 1.3 jobs for every working resident, and 491 people commute in
The share of residents in Wanatah who live below the poverty line: 5.9%. Only 5% of working residents stay in Wanatah for work; the rest commute out. The average trip to work for Wanatah comes to 28 minutes. Employers in Wanatah added 158 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 510.
5%work in town
| Wanatah | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Wanatah5%
Valparaiso14%
La Porte9%
Gary4%
Indianapolis4%
18 mi
median commute distance
510
jobs based in Wanatah
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Wanatah has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
FEMA puts 60% of Wanatah’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 18% to cold waves. On expected storm and flood damage, Wanatah sits above 61% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Wanatah after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2026.
61risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Wanatah is
38% of adults have obesity in Wanatah. Among adults in the town, 20% smoke cigarettes and 43% have high blood pressure.
| Wanatah | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
0 better21 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Wanatah | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.7% | 6.8% |
| More smokers | 20% | 15.7% |
Northwest Health - Porter
11.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
Fewer middle-aged adults than Indiana overall
Wanatah’s midpoint age stands at 35.4 years. Adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (37% statewide). 972 people lived in Wanatah by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 3.5% fewer than in 2020. Here, just over a fifth of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 30% in Indiana as a whole.
35.4median age · IN 38.1
| Wanatah | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 35.4 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 22% | 29% |
WanatahIndianaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school42%
Some college19%
Associate’s15%
Bachelor’s13%
Graduate8%
Women and men · all residents
57% women, 43% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.5 points. Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Wanatah | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.1% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.4% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 19% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6.1% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.8% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.4% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.4% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 42.1% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.8% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.2% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 12.5% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
Housing
Zillow puts the typical Wanatah home at about $285K
Home values are up 4.9% over the year to September 2026.
$285KZillow home value
Typical home value
Wanatah$285K
Indiana$257K
+4.9%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Outdoors
0% of Wanatah is conserved land
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.2 miles of trail. Wanatah’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.1 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 892 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lions Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Hunt Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 145 attractions →Indiana Dunes National Park and 17 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wanatah. Close and well known come first.
13 mi National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
35 mi MuseumMascot Hall of Fame
39 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame
37 mi State parkWarren Dunes State Park
16 mi MuseumHoosier Valley Railroad MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · Notre Dame Stadium: Tysto, Public domain · Mascot Hall of Fame: No machine-readable author provided. JGlover assumed (based on copyright claims), CC BY-SA 2.5 · Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame: Know1one1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Warren Dunes State Park: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Wanatah
17pages on Wanatah
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wanatah
About 4 of every 100 Wanatah residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
About Wanatah
Town in Indiana, United States
Wanatah is a town in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Wanatah had a population of 1,009.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 732 ft
- ZIP code
- 46390
- Area code
- 219
Questions about Wanatah
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Wanatah, IN a good place to live?
Wanatah has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.