Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 45,747, settled in 1888.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Lafayette grades B+ overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns. Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Its schools rank ahead of 80% of Indiana towns. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $363K for a typical one and 5.9 times the Lafayette metro’s $62K median household income. West Lafayette is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Indiana’s towns. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in West Lafayette, where Indiana’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 29%. Only 5 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns score higher on hazard risk. West Lafayette is home to Purdue University-Main Campus.
Where West Lafayette beats most towns.
29,596 counted in 2010 and 44,595 in 2020; an estimated 45,747 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far West Lafayette is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 8%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
John E. and Catherine E. Christian House (Samara) is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 717 in 1880, 44,595 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1894 and 5 maps from 1941 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Lafayette, 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 West Lafayette.
West Lafayette carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Indiana (mostly inland flooding), is shaped by its college students and draws workers from Lafayette and beyond.
Its A for the outdoors ranks #15 of 593 in Indiana.
The trail density in West Lafayette is 1.5 miles per square mile. Celery Bog Nature Area, at 227 acres with 2.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. West Lafayette’s conserved land covers 9.9% of the town.
| West Lafayette | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.9% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Celery Bog Nature Area | 2.8 mi | 227 |
| 2. Cason Family Park | 2.3 mi | 33 |
| 3. Stewart Woods | 1.5 mi | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
24,134 jobs are based in West Lafayette, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.1 minutes, against 24.1 across Indiana.
West Lafayette’s average trip to work is 16 minutes. Only 1 of the 593 Indiana towns we compare have a higher share of residents below the poverty line than West Lafayette. 35% of West Lafayette working residents work locally.
| West Lafayette | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 37% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $35,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Indiana towns, with expected losses of about $268 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1980, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Lafayette.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
73.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.1% across Indiana. The median property tax bill is $2,877, against $1,614 across Indiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical West Lafayette home is worth about $363,000, up 1.1% in a year, 41% above the Indiana typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 1,232 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Lafayette’s, it is healthier than 99%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Indiana it is healthier than 89% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures.
West Lafayette beats the Indiana average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 6.1% of adults have diabetes in West Lafayette. Among 589 Indiana towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who have obesity than West Lafayette.
| West Lafayette | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.1% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | West Lafayette | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.4% | 8.3% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 12.8% | 28.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 16.4% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
West Lafayette has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Violent crime is rare: 45 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Lafayette. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaRoss–Ade Stadium
6 mi State parkProphetstown State Park16 mi LandmarkWabash and Erie Canal25 mi Theme parkIndiana Beach
in town MuseumSamara
3 mi MuseumHaan Mansion Museum of Indiana ArtRoss–Ade Stadium: Tstuddud at English Wikipedia, Public domain · 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 · Haan Mansion Museum of Indiana Art: Alexeenko, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of West Lafayette
College town 63 of every 100 West Lafayette residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
9.9% of the town is conserved land, across 23 parks and preserves.
9 places in West Lafayette on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in West Lafayette.
City in Indiana, United States
West Lafayette ( LA(H)F-ee-ET) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,595 at the 2020 census. West Lafayette sits across the Wabash River from its sister city, Lafayette, and is a college town, home to Purdue University. It is the most densely populated city in Indiana, located 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Indianapolis and 113 miles (182 km) southeast of Chicago.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with West Lafayette.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Lafayette | – | B+ | D | B | A− | B+ |
| Wabash Township | – | B+ | D | — | B+ | B+ |
| Tippecanoe Township | #245 | B+ | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
Wabash Township and Tippecanoe Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare West Lafayette with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Lafayette grades B+ overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns. West Lafayette is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Indiana’s towns. It grades B+ for health, B for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
16 notable people were born here, including Amanda Elmore and Marshall Plumlee.
_Entrance.jpg){kind=link}
