These Are The 10 Trashiest Cities In Indiana

Do you know anyone whom you’d refer to as Trashy? Most likely. Either there’s someone at your job, in your neighborhood, or in your family that you’d throw that label on.

Essentially, Trashy is everywhere.

While calling someone Trashy might be a mean-spirited way of ridiculing or poking fun at a particular demographic, it can also serve as a way to express disdain about the way someone lives their life. It isn’t as derogatory as using other racial slurs, and in fact, the term has a bit of humor associated with it, making it the focus of pop culture.

Take for instance Jerry Springer, Honey Boo Boo, Kid Rock, Eminem, Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite and even Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon movies.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, trashy is defined as:

“A term used broadly to define a person or group of persons whom embody the concepts of ignorance, racism, violence, alcoholism, poverty, and anglo-saxon ancestry. Similarly used with the term ‘cracker,’ ‘hillbilly’ or ‘redneck’.” (Or, in this case: Hoosier)

So, using some data crunching, we should be able to measure where the most Trashy communities in the state of Indiana are actually located.

After pouring over data, watching too many fist fights and perusing illiterate Facebook comments, we’ve determined these are the most Trashy cities in Indiana:

1. Rushville (Photos)
2. Austin
3. Elkhart (Photos)
4. Terre Haute (Photos)
5. Shelbyville (Photos)
6. Alexandria (Photos)
7. Richmond (Photos)
8. Marion (Photos)
9. Columbus (Photos)
10. Beech Grove (Photos)

Time to take some meth and stay up all night with us as we go through the cities one by one. And before you say we’re some kind of reverse racist, you can also check out the most Ghetto city in Indiana.

For more reading, check out:

• These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Indiana
• 10 Safest Places In Indiana
• 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Indiana

How we determined the most trashy cities in Indiana?

Using publicly available government data, as well as Google Maps, we were able to collect the data on the following trashy metrics:

• Cities where there are lots of white people
• Cities where residents are poorer than average
• Cities where a high number of residents are high school dropouts
• High drug use
• Higher than average Payday Loan Outlets
• Violent cities (measured in aggravated assaults)
• Cities with a high number of residents on welfare

We used the government Census for most of the data. For drug use and violence, we used FBI data, and for Cash Advance Outlets, we used Google Maps.

Simple, right?
We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 5,000 people.
Then, we ranked each place from 1 to 83 for each of the trashy criteria.

Next, then averaged all the ranks to create a “trashy index”.

In the end, Rushville ended up being the the most trashy city in the Hoosier State.

1. Rushville

Population: 6,341
Estimated Trashy: 2,367
Welfare population: 20%
Payday Loan Outlets: 8

Toss back a Budweiser, and suck down another Camel, Rushville (AKA: Methville), cause you’re the whitest trash of all in Indiana.

Many of the folks in Rushville smell of cheap cigarettes and meth; and if you grew up in Rushville, there’s a decent chance you attended the Rushville Trashy Expo. And there is an even better chance that you competed in one of their contests: Who has the biggest Billy Bob teeth, who has the widest butt, or who has the biggest beer gut. We can’t make this stuff up people.

Rushville ranks in the top 10% for several categories, including number of residents on welfare, most amount of high school dropouts, as well as a high number of payday loans per capita.

Don’t laugh, Connersville. You weren’t too far out of the top 10 yourself.

2. Austin

Population: 5,436
Estimated Trashy: 4,999
Welfare population: 22%
Single parents: 28%

Austin (AKA: Austin Needles) comes in at a cool second. Austin is located at the crossroads of 190 HIV cases in 2016, and the country’s largest soup manufacturing company. Really Austin! Get a job so you don’t have to share needles. What, you think that you’re too good to smoke meth like the rest of Indiana’s trashy? You can’t possibly be too good to make soup.

Austin is in the top 5 for poor, uneducated trashy residents. They couldn’t even keep their local thrift store open. Be cool, stay in school, Austin. (Learn to count the number of needles you’ve already used.)

Drive down a big road in Austin, and it’ll be boarded up houses, stripped lawn mowers, and a sad, empty thrift store. It won’t be hard to find the trash – this place is tore up from the floor up.

So let’s quit pretending that there’s anything charming about drug use, stripper-themed fashion, missing teeth, and financial irresponsibility.

Go make some soup, Austin.

3. Elkhart

Population: 50,949
Estimated Trashy: 17,283
High school dropouts: 17%
Single parents: 25%

Elkhart is East of South Bend on Interstate 90. When it comes to defining proper trashy etiquette in this town, always remember the cardinal rule: You need to be careful what you say in Elkhart because someone might come over and pop the wheels on your house. Or was it, you mess with me, you mess with the whole trailer park? So confusing. That’s what happens when you try livin’ the Elkhart way: 24 beer cans, 24 hours in a day. Genius.

Elkhart ranks in the top 5 for three separate trashy metrics, including number of aggravated assaults, and for poor, white single mothers on welfare. This number doesn’t reflect the high number of mullets (is it a mullet, a perm, or merm Elkhart?), shag haircuts, bangs teased out like it’s 1990, and the number of people who wear pajamas to Walmart.

4. Terre Haute

Population: 65,468
Estimated Trashy: 22,979
Payday Loan Outlets: 35
Assaults ranking: 5th in IN
Single white moms: 20%

Chances are, if you and your kids have moved in with someone after just two dates, than you might be from Terre Haute.

The home of The Sycamores ranks fifth in the state for aggravated assaults (meaning drunken fist fights). And in pure trashy form, when it comes to fightin’ over that week’s favorite meth slut, you better believe it will be handled bare knuckle style in your trailer’s front yard.

This small city in Vigo County is located along the Wabash River in the middle of nowhere. And, according to online forums, Terre Haute has a major drug problem. Even the Wabash River rats are doing heroin here.

Trashy river rats? That should be a reality show for sure!

5. Shelbyville

Population: 19,191
Estimated Trashy: 4,225
Assaults: 7th for small cities in IN
Payday Loan Outlets: 28

Located just southeast of Indy, Shelbyville has its own set of trashy problems. With the Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in town, nothin’ says trashy like getting your paycheck and losing it all in the same day. In the famous words of every card carrying trashy member: “It don’t make no difference.”

Great beer, trashy folks. And, nearly 1 in 5 residents is a poor single mama. Get out of the casino and off that meth you deadbeat dads. Get those babies and their mommas fed.

Word on the street is that this place is all trash and no trailer. How do you know you’re in a trashy trailer park? Answer: The manager’s daughter’s Facebook says, “Daddy says I’m the best kisser in this here trailer park”.

#BringBackTheTrailerParks, Shelbyville. I feel a campaign platform in the making.

6. Alexandria

Population: 5,145
Estimated Trashy: 1,342.5
Welfare population: 25%
Single parents: 25%
Drug use: 3rd for cities above 5,000 residents in IN

Alexandria is a little place right outside of Muncie, Indiana.

It is definitely one of the “whitest cities” on our list. The number of drug-related crimes and aggravated assaults, combined with the high number of poor dropouts, makes this trashy central for Madison County.

Is that Ricky Bobby’s kid? Fair question, Alexandria. You’re located just northeast of the black and white checkered flag in Indy-land. Hey, don’t get your boxers in a bunch, we know the three things you don’t mess with in trashy country: racin’, drinkin’, and makin’ meth.

And if you live in Madison County, there’s a good chance you’re makin’ meth. Huffin’ ain’t easy people. You’re a true gem, Alexandria.

7. Richmond

Population: 36,812
Estimated Trashy: 9,953
Drug use: 11th in IN for cities below 40,000
Payday Loan Outlets: 6

Welcome to Richmond, IN, where the official vehicle is a rusted out 1987 Chevy Blazer. At least they have a community college here (Ivy Tech Community College), where folks can take a few classes before dropping out to take care of their kid(s).

Statistically, Richmond ranks in the top 20 in a few categories, including number of dollar stores per capita, as well as number of poor, uneducated residents. Richmond residents who want to move up in the world make the trek to either the big city of Indy or Newcastle to become assistant managers at a Walmart.

This Hoosier city ranks first for single white moms (at a whopping 20%), and it ranks first in the state for number of thefts per capita. Nothing says trashy more than someone taking a lawnmower to buy some meth–unless you get a DUI while driving that mower.

#YouAlmostFeltTheWindInYourMullet.

8. Marion

Population: 29,517
Estimated Trashy: 7,675
Drug use: 18th in IN
Deadbeat dads: 7%

According to online forums, Marion is filled with slums and meth head Colts fans. Hey don’t shoot the messenger!

Marion ranks high for number of check cashing/payday loan outlets, meaning they save a lot of money on meth because they don’t have to go very far to cash their paychecks every week. Way to be fiscally conservative.

Sadly, a large percentage of the Marion population’s income is based on welfare, workers comp, unemployment benefits, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

And if you’re a dead-beat dad named Rick who snorts Tylenol (because he can’t afford adderall), and you moved to the big city of Lafayette with your sister’s best friend, you might be from Marion.

9. Columbus

Population: 44,437
Estimated Trashy: 14,444
Assaults: 5th in IN
Drug use: 11th in IN
Single moms: 22%

Located just outside of Indianapolis is Columbus, where a large number of people live on disability, or work at one of the 20 or so Dollar Stores in the area. Just because you shop at the local dollar stores does not make you ‘country chic,’ Columbus, it makes you trashy.

And a lot of your trash must be getting into fist fights at your local dollar store when it’s 50% off day, because you are 3rd for aggravated assaults.

That’s right, in Columbus they fight over the lawn mower; they fight over what beer is better (Busch or Natural Light); they fight over who has more teeth; and of course, they fight over where the best meth is made (Monroe County, Scott County, or Bartholomew). They just have a real chip on their shoulders.

10. Beech Grove

Population: 14,904
Estimated Trashy: 3,204
Welfare population: 17%
Single parents: 22%

Nothin’ says trashy like a good ‘ol ass whoopin at a Walmart. You just might see that in Beech Grove every now and then.

In fact, Beech Grove was home to the infamous trashy Walmart fight between the woman in the jammies and the other woman in the jammies. Maybe they should fight at their local dollar store so they won’t feel like they have to dress up.

Obviously Beech Grove is home to the high class trashy. It‘s a lifestyle, here: They have the most tattoo shops per capita. Way to keep the tramp stamp alive.

Hey Beech Grove, stay classy and keep it trashyy. Otherwise we won’t have anything to write about.

There You Have It

According to the official dictionary definition of Trashy, and based on stereotypes that the internet says are true, using science to determine the most Trashy cities in a state can’t be too far off.

If you’re analyzing cities in Indiana with lots of angry welfare recipients, single mothers and where people have lots of options for payday cash loans, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least trashy places in Indiana:

1. Carmel
2. Fishers
3. St. John

For more Indiana reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Most Affordable Places In Indiana
• A Hilarious Look At The 10 Most Redneck Cities In Indiana
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Indiana