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Wheeler, Indiana
Indiana›Porter County

WheelerIN

A town of 283, settled in 1858.

1 bordering townMap →
Photo: User:Visviva · Public domain
Photo of Wheeler

Wheeler, IN · Photo: User:Visviva · Public domain · Source ↗

Is Wheeler a good place to live?

Wheeler’s average trip to work is 34 minutes, against 24 minutes in Indiana’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Among 594 Indiana towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Wheeler. Wheeler has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

283 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
South HavenSouth HavenWheeler
Nearby attractions

Soldier Field and 116 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wheeler. Close and well known come first.

All 159 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5

Getting set up

Moving to Wheeler: who provides what

Wheeler is unincorporated, so Porter County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerNIPSCO22.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterIndiana American Water - NorthwestNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPorter CountyPorter County provides services here
SchoolsUnion Township School CorporationWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections herePorter County Board of Elections & RegistrationPorter County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2026
ZIP codes46393, 46342, 4638546393 86% · 46342 8% · 46385 6%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 Wheeler.

Work & commute

Most of Wheeler’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them

Most working residents leave Wheeler for work: only 0% work in town. Since 2013, Wheeler has lost 50 jobs, to 40 in 2023. 7.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Wheeler, where Indiana’s towns sit at 10% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.

0%work in town

Where working residents work

In Wheeler0%
Valparaiso16%
Portage11%
Hobart6%
Gary6%
9 mi
median commute distance
40
jobs based in Wheeler
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazards

Low risk in Wheeler, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities.

32risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
32Low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
2
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Wheeler has snowy winters and pleasant summers

Wheeler has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 40 inches of snow falls in a winter.

40″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter20–35°
Spring38–59°
Summer61–82°
Fall42–63°
Oct 25
typical first frost
Apr 22
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Wheeler is

Wheeler tracks Indiana closely on all 32 CDC measures. 42% of adults have obesity in Wheeler.

WheelerIndiana townsU.S. towns
Obesity (CDC PLACES)42%39%35%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)18%17%14%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)19%18%17%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)39%39%35%
32 measures vs. Indiana
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
St. Mary Medical Center
4.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Wheeler

15pages on Wheeler
After high school

Colleges nearby

2 within 15 miles of the center of Wheeler

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Wheeler for work

Where Wheeler’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

16% → Valparaiso Valparaiso 16% 11% → Portage Portage 11% 6% → Hobart Hobart 6% 6% → Gary Gary 6% 5% → Merrillville Merrillville 5% 4% → Chesterton Chesterton 4% Wheeler · 0% stay
40jobs based in Wheeler
0%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Wheeler

Census-designated place in Indiana, United States

Wheeler is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) in northern Union Township, Porter County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It lies along State Road 130, northwest of the city of Valparaiso. Although Wheeler is unincorporated, it had a post office, with the ZIP code of 46393. As of the 2020 census, Wheeler had a population of 435.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
2.7 sq mi
Elevation
666 ft
ZIP code
46393
Area code
219

Questions about Wheeler

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Wheeler, IN a good place to live?

Wheeler has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.