Like all states, Indiana has certain places that are going on hard times. These Indiana places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Indiana.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 124 cities in Indiana with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Indiana For 2025:
What’s the poorest city in Indiana? According to the facts, West Lafayette is the poorest place in Indiana for 2025.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Indiana reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Indiana
- Cheapest Places To Live In Indiana
- Most Dangerous Cities In Indiana
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Indiana For 2025
1. West Lafayette
/10
Population: 44,802
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $33,497 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 37.4% (highest)
People In Poverty: 16,742
More on West Lafayette: Data
West Lafayette, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Indiana thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 44,802 people averages the lowest median household income in Indiana and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Gary
/10
Population: 68,604
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $37,380 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 32.9% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 22,591
More on Gary: Data
The second poorest city in Indiana is Gary.
The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 2nd highest in the Hoosier State.
3. East Chicago
/10
Population: 26,158
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Income: $41,071 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.0% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,073
More on East Chicago: Data
Placing as the third poorest city, East Chicago’s median income ranks as the 5th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 27.04% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Hoosier State.
4. Muncie
/10
Population: 64,739
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $43,395 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.6% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 19,156
More on Muncie: Data
Muncie ranks as the fourth poorest place in Indiana.
The town ranks as having the 9th lowest median household income and the 4th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Terre Haute
/10
Population: 58,491
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $41,960 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.7% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 15,628
More on Terre Haute: Data
The fifth poorest city in Indiana is Terre Haute.
The city ranks as having the 6th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 7th highest in Indiana.
Still not the best news for Terre Haute.
6. Marion
/10
Population: 27,384
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Income: $43,349 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.0% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,390
More on Marion: Data
Marion ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Hoosier State.
It ranks as having the 6th highest incidence of poverty and the 10th highest unemployment rate.
7. Scottsburg
/10
Population: 7,338
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Median Income: $38,027 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.0% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,763
More on Scottsburg: Data
Scottsburg places as the seventh poorest city in Indiana.
The city of over 7,338 ranks as having the 10th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Hartford City
/10
Population: 5,685
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Income: $36,868 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.7% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,288
More on Hartford City: Data
Hartford City ranks as the eighth poorest city in Indiana.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Peru
/10
Population: 10,835
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 2)
Median Income: $46,180 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.4% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,756
More on Peru: Data
Peru couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Indiana; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 12th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Peru ranks as having the 9th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Indiana.
10. Bloomington
/10
Population: 78,791
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Median Income: $48,918 (18th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.5% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 24,062
More on Bloomington: Data
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Indiana is Bloomington.
The city of 78,791 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Hoosier State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Indiana for 2025
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2019-2023 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 124 places with more than 5,000 people in Indiana, we ranked each place from 1 to 124 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, West Lafayette, crowned the “Poorest Place In Indiana For 2025”.
This report has been updated for 2025, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Indiana.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Indiana For 2025
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Indiana, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Indiana.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Indiana, according to data:
-
Richest: St. John
2nd Richest: Zionsville
3rd Richest: Mccordsville
For more Indiana reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Indiana
- Safest Places In Indiana
- Worst Places To Live In Indiana
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Indiana
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Indiana
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Lafayette | 44,802 | 37.4% | $33,497 | 16,742 |
| 2 | Gary | 68,604 | 32.9% | $37,380 | 22,591 |
| 3 | East Chicago | 26,158 | 27.0% | $41,071 | 7,073 |
| 4 | Muncie | 64,739 | 29.6% | $43,395 | 19,156 |
| 5 | Terre Haute | 58,491 | 26.7% | $41,960 | 15,628 |
| 6 | Marion | 27,384 | 27.0% | $43,349 | 7,390 |
| 7 | Scottsburg | 7,338 | 24.0% | $38,027 | 1,763 |
| 8 | Hartford City | 5,685 | 22.7% | $36,868 | 1,288 |
| 9 | Peru | 10,835 | 25.4% | $46,180 | 2,756 |
| 10 | Bloomington | 78,791 | 30.5% | $48,918 | 24,062 |
| 11 | Connersville | 13,241 | 23.2% | $45,679 | 3,073 |
| 12 | Richmond | 35,551 | 23.2% | $46,395 | 8,251 |
| 13 | Linton | 5,153 | 19.1% | $41,968 | 985 |
| 14 | Anderson | 54,930 | 20.4% | $47,221 | 11,183 |
| 15 | Elkhart | 53,726 | 18.8% | $47,885 | 10,089 |
| 16 | Salem | 6,484 | 26.0% | $51,786 | 1,686 |
| 17 | Vincennes | 16,676 | 19.3% | $50,238 | 3,213 |
| 18 | Tell City | 7,490 | 19.3% | $50,702 | 1,448 |
| 19 | North Vernon | 7,214 | 18.2% | $48,235 | 1,312 |
| 20 | New Castle | 17,356 | 18.5% | $48,977 | 3,217 |
| 21 | Crawfordsville | 16,408 | 18.6% | $49,327 | 3,051 |
| 22 | Portland | 6,341 | 16.7% | $45,431 | 1,056 |
| 23 | South Bend | 102,866 | 22.6% | $52,512 | 23,227 |
| 24 | Michigan City | 31,894 | 19.3% | $52,979 | 6,152 |
| 25 | Evansville | 116,441 | 18.6% | $52,251 | 21,669 |
| 26 | Washington | 12,192 | 17.0% | $50,000 | 2,071 |
| 27 | Logansport | 17,766 | 15.4% | $46,363 | 2,744 |
| 28 | Hammond | 77,098 | 19.2% | $53,950 | 14,795 |
| 29 | Lafayette | 70,650 | 17.1% | $52,946 | 12,059 |
| 30 | New Albany | 37,589 | 18.4% | $54,152 | 6,927 |
| 31 | Bedford | 13,824 | 15.4% | $50,253 | 2,135 |
| 32 | Huntington | 17,026 | 15.6% | $51,220 | 2,649 |
| 33 | Goshen | 34,374 | 18.1% | $55,436 | 6,225 |
| 34 | Mishawaka | 50,907 | 16.3% | $53,120 | 8,308 |
| 35 | Brazil | 8,064 | 13.6% | $49,331 | 1,093 |
| 36 | Gas City | 6,097 | 17.1% | $57,106 | 1,039 |
| 37 | Lake Station | 13,109 | 16.7% | $56,306 | 2,186 |
| 38 | Plymouth | 10,506 | 15.0% | $53,115 | 1,573 |
| 39 | Warsaw | 16,592 | 17.0% | $57,170 | 2,822 |
| 40 | Huntingburg | 6,504 | 14.2% | $52,327 | 925 |
| 41 | Shelbyville | 19,866 | 17.4% | $58,532 | 3,446 |
| 42 | Kokomo | 59,375 | 15.4% | $54,195 | 9,137 |
| 43 | La Porte | 22,125 | 17.9% | $59,862 | 3,949 |
| 44 | Elwood | 8,320 | 14.6% | $54,084 | 1,213 |
| 45 | Rushville | 6,186 | 16.2% | $57,269 | 1,004 |
| 46 | Monticello | 5,504 | 12.2% | $50,138 | 668 |
| 47 | Speedway | 13,622 | 15.4% | $57,158 | 2,103 |
| 48 | Angola | 9,383 | 16.3% | $59,355 | 1,527 |
| 49 | Madison | 12,277 | 14.7% | $57,050 | 1,802 |
| 50 | Tipton | 5,255 | 18.1% | $64,709 | 953 |
| 51 | Princeton | 8,347 | 14.8% | $57,234 | 1,236 |
| 52 | Fort Wayne | 266,235 | 15.6% | $60,293 | 41,426 |
| 53 | Beech Grove | 15,082 | 10.3% | $49,452 | 1,548 |
| 54 | Indianapolis | 882,043 | 15.7% | $62,995 | 138,304 |
| 55 | Wabash | 10,378 | 12.5% | $54,199 | 1,297 |
| 56 | Frankfort | 15,536 | 11.0% | $53,522 | 1,707 |
| 57 | Lawrenceburg | 5,155 | 10.7% | $52,778 | 550 |
| 58 | Clarksville | 22,121 | 12.7% | $58,518 | 2,816 |
| 59 | Martinsville | 11,913 | 11.8% | $56,186 | 1,409 |
| 60 | Seymour | 21,536 | 14.4% | $63,388 | 3,105 |
| 61 | Batesville | 6,842 | 15.0% | $66,806 | 1,028 |
| 62 | Mount Vernon | 6,431 | 12.8% | $61,527 | 826 |
| 63 | Columbia City | 9,975 | 14.4% | $65,000 | 1,441 |
| 64 | Kendallville | 10,094 | 12.7% | $60,909 | 1,280 |
| 65 | Greensburg | 11,585 | 13.3% | $63,235 | 1,540 |
| 66 | Merrillville | 36,343 | 13.7% | $64,791 | 4,964 |
| 67 | Alexandria | 5,145 | 12.3% | $60,616 | 634 |
| 68 | Boonville | 6,681 | 12.6% | $62,500 | 841 |
| 69 | Greencastle | 9,863 | 8.7% | $54,217 | 856 |
| 70 | Rochester | 6,244 | 11.8% | $60,304 | 737 |
| 71 | Valparaiso | 34,377 | 14.0% | $67,664 | 4,823 |
| 72 | Decatur | 9,769 | 10.8% | $58,867 | 1,055 |
| 73 | Bluffton | 10,539 | 9.9% | $57,929 | 1,041 |
| 74 | Auburn | 13,464 | 11.3% | $62,339 | 1,521 |
| 75 | Hobart | 29,646 | 13.3% | $71,680 | 3,957 |
| 76 | Mooresville | 9,608 | 13.3% | $70,228 | 1,275 |
| 77 | Westville | 5,291 | 9.5% | $59,732 | 503 |
| 78 | Jasper | 16,421 | 11.9% | $65,283 | 1,949 |
| 79 | Garrett | 6,540 | 12.1% | $65,611 | 792 |
| 80 | Columbus | 51,104 | 12.8% | $76,856 | 6,566 |
| 81 | Nappanee | 7,040 | 10.9% | $66,944 | 769 |
| 82 | Jeffersonville | 50,176 | 11.0% | $70,157 | 5,529 |
| 83 | Rensselaer | 5,369 | 7.5% | $61,648 | 402 |
| 84 | Portage | 37,951 | 11.2% | $72,833 | 4,246 |
| 85 | Lebanon | 17,575 | 8.2% | $63,773 | 1,432 |
| 86 | Franklin | 25,999 | 11.3% | $77,305 | 2,948 |
| 87 | New Haven | 15,339 | 8.3% | $67,121 | 1,274 |
| 88 | Cicero | 5,441 | 10.8% | $75,278 | 585 |
| 89 | Lawrence | 49,284 | 8.4% | $73,455 | 4,134 |
| 90 | Porter | 5,208 | 8.4% | $74,155 | 439 |
| 91 | Charlestown | 8,118 | 10.6% | $77,548 | 857 |
| 92 | Highland | 23,749 | 9.7% | $76,219 | 2,296 |
| 93 | Bargersville | 10,163 | 12.3% | $104,160 | 1,253 |
| 94 | Chesterton | 14,326 | 10.8% | $88,536 | 1,550 |
| 95 | Griffith | 16,228 | 7.1% | $76,009 | 1,157 |
| 96 | Sellersburg | 10,215 | 5.0% | $69,851 | 512 |
| 97 | Greenwood | 64,237 | 7.1% | $78,765 | 4,541 |
| 98 | Schererville | 29,627 | 8.0% | $86,020 | 2,367 |
| 99 | Greenfield | 24,308 | 4.3% | $74,949 | 1,045 |
| 100 | Ellettsville | 6,653 | 6.0% | $82,238 | 399 |