Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Indiana's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades A, 261st of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 11 places on the National Register. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Indiana, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Indiana is home to Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus.
Where Indiana beats most towns.
Old Indiana County Courthouse
Its 11 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Pennsylvania towns with a listing.
Census counts: 317 in 1820, 14,044 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Indiana is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Indiana, 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 Indiana.
Indiana pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Pennsylvania norm, is shaped by its college students and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its public schools are run by Indiana Area SD. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Area JHSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 628 | B |
| New Story School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 66 | – |
| Horace Mann El SchTop results in townGrades 4–5 | Grades 4–5 | 190 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
109 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 18 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 109 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Indiana.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Indiana | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Whites Woods Nature Center | 0.4 mi | 19 |
| 2. The Oak Grove | 0.4 mi | 3 |
| 3. Indiana Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Indiana grades A overall with a typical home of about $206K, below the Pennsylvania typical value; only 34 of the 112 Pennsylvania towns graded A− or better can say that. 61.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across Pennsylvania.
The typical Indiana home is worth about $206,000, up 8.5% in a year, 28% below the Pennsylvania typical home. 45% of Indiana households own their home.
| Indiana | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $849 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 158 to 117 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 6 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Indiana sits closer to the middle. The violent crime rate in Indiana is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Indiana | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Indiana has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Indiana’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 7,198 in 2013 to 5,690. The average commute for its 4,172 working residents takes 15.9 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
17% of working residents work locally in Indiana. Jobs based in Indiana fell to 5,690 in 2023, 1,508 fewer than in 2013. 16% of workers work from home in Indiana.
| Indiana | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 2,628 U.S. towns with household incomes like Indiana’s, it is healthier than 97%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is cancer: 4.8% of its 12,280 adults have had cancer, against 8.8% statewide.
Only 2 of the 1,035 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Indiana. Indiana beats the Pennsylvania average on 8 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 7. Among 1,035 Pennsylvania towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Indiana.
| Indiana | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.9% | 11% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Indiana | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 6.9% | 11.6% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 23.7% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Indiana
College town 43 of every 100 Indiana residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
11 places in Indiana on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Indiana.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Indiana is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 14,044 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Indiana, Pennsylvania micropolitan area, about 46 miles (74 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. It is a part of the greater Pittsburgh–New Castle–Weirton combined statistical area, as well as the Johnstown and Pittsburgh media markets. The borough and the region as a whole promote itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Growers Association was founded there. There are still many Christmas tree farms in the area. The largest employer in the borough today is Indiana University of Pennsyl…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Indiana.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | #261 | A | B | B+ | B+ | B |
| Chevy Chase Heights | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Chevy Chase Heights isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Indiana with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Indiana grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #261 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Indiana sits nearer the middle.
That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($60,208 across the Indiana, PA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
14 notable people were born here, including James Stewart and Edward Abbey.
