The 10 Worst Small Towns In Indiana For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in IN are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 93,730 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Indiana.

Most Americans have never been to Indiana. However, as the people who live there know, Indiana is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Indiana has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Hoosier State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 228 of Indiana's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Indiana where you'd never want to live:

These are the worst small towns in Indiana for 2022:

  1. Country Squire Lakes
  2. Union City
  3. Montpelier
  4. Brook
  5. Veedersburg
  6. Austin
  7. Kentland
  8. Knox
  9. Jasonville
  10. Fairmount

So what is the worst small town to call home in Indiana for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Country Squire Lakes is the worst small town to live in Indiana.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Indiana has its stuff figured out.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Indiana or the worst places to live in Indiana.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Indiana For 2022

1. Country Squire Lakes

Country Squire Lakes, IN

Source: Wikipedia
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,220
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $53,100 (3rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.8% (14th worst)
More on Country Squire Lakes:  Data | Photos

2. Union City

Union City, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,385
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $63,600 (11th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.2% (12th worst)
More on Union City:  Data | Photos

3. Montpelier

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,790
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $56,200 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (40th worst)
More on Montpelier:  Data

4. Brook

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,000
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $77,800 (39th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2% (70th worst)
More on Brook:  Data

5. Veedersburg

Veedersburg, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Daniel Schwen | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,989
Rank Last Year: 29 (Up 24)
Median Home Value: $76,400 (36th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.3% (48th worst)
More on Veedersburg:  Data | Photos

6. Austin

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,854
Rank Last Year: 23 (Up 17)
Median Home Value: $69,300 (19th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.6% (27th worst)
More on Austin:  Data

7. Kentland

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,809
Rank Last Year: 30 (Up 23)
Median Home Value: $80,000 (43rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.2% (3rd worst)
More on Kentland:  Data

8. Knox

Knox, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 3,553
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 3)
Median Home Value: $94,600 (102nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.4% (11th worst)
More on Knox:  Data | Photos

9. Jasonville

Jasonville, IN

Source: Wikipedia User ANKAWÜ | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,885
Rank Last Year: 32 (Up 23)
Median Home Value: $51,500 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.3% (18th worst)
More on Jasonville:  Data | Photos

10. Fairmount

Fairmount, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,671
Rank Last Year: 26 (Up 16)
Median Home Value: $88,600 (79th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.4% (4th worst)
More on Fairmount:  Data | Photos

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Indiana, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in Indiana for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 228 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Indiana

If you're analyzing teeny places in the Hoosier State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Indiana, according to science:

  1. Haubstadt (Pop. 1,738)
  2. Aberdeen (Pop. 1,698)
  3. New Palestine (Pop. 2,456)

For more Indiana reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Indiana

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Country Squire Lakes 3,220 8.8% $53,100
2 Union City 3,385 9.2% $63,600
3 Montpelier 1,790 6.8% $56,200
4 Brook 1,000 5.2% $77,800
5 Veedersburg 1,989 6.3% $76,400
6 Austin 3,854 7.6% $69,300
7 Kentland 1,809 16.2% $80,000
8 Knox 3,553 9.4% $94,600
9 Jasonville 1,885 8.3% $51,500
10 Fairmount 2,671 11.4% $88,600
11 Mitchell 4,272 3.8% $75,700
12 Cannelton 1,353 8.5% $65,900
13 Delphi 2,979 4.5% $87,400
14 New Pekin 1,149 4.1% $88,100
15 Monon 1,650 8.5% $71,800
16 Butler 2,889 4.7% $80,900
17 Aurora 3,948 7.6% $105,800
18 Goodland 1,037 3.5% $69,400
19 Kingsford Heights 1,381 5.5% $65,700
20 Vevay 1,798 6.1% $95,800
21 Paoli 3,633 2.3% $88,200
22 Redkey 1,493 3.2% $62,000
23 Argos 1,799 5.6% $83,300
24 Cayuga 1,282 7.4% $71,900
25 Shelburn 1,553 1.6% $62,300
26 Dillsboro 1,498 3.7% $113,200
27 West Terre Haute 2,193 7.9% $57,800
28 Oxford 1,353 8.7% $79,900
29 New Chicago 1,846 10.2% $83,900
30 Winamac 2,634 6.9% $86,600
31 Silver Lake 1,059 4.3% $86,300
32 Spencer 2,224 3.7% $98,400
33 Versailles 1,719 4.6% $129,500
34 Grandview 1,071 4.1% $83,400
35 Cambridge City 1,648 6.6% $76,100
36 French Lick 1,792 2.2% $70,000
37 Morocco 1,097 4.3% $87,400
38 South Whitley 1,512 9.8% $89,800
39 Bicknell 2,715 3.7% $49,000
40 Osgood 1,576 3.2% $97,100
41 Koontz Lake 1,368 6.8% $97,100
42 Morristown 1,139 3.8% $103,800
43 Edinburgh 4,661 3.8% $105,400
44 Ligonier 4,489 7.5% $78,400
45 Lagrange 2,751 3.0% $86,300
46 Milford 1,664 2.3% $106,600
47 Rockville 2,304 4.0% $86,300
48 Bass Lake 1,332 9.1% $142,200
49 Worthington 1,539 1.4% $70,200
50 Seelyville 1,055 1.9% $89,500
51 Palmyra 1,553 0.0% $101,600
52 Medora 1,066 1.0% $63,000
53 Daleville 1,565 7.9% $85,800
54 Westport 1,250 6.1% $99,100
55 Morga 1,352 20.7% $96,600
56 Milan 2,114 4.2% $104,300
57 Fremont 2,345 10.6% $113,100
58 Clinton 4,679 16.2% $72,000
59 Sheridan 3,454 8.1% $137,400
60 Centerville 2,587 4.7% $90,300
61 Waterloo 2,217 2.7% $82,100
62 Clay City 1,273 2.7% $74,700
63 Pierceton 1,145 2.8% $87,100
64 Dunkirk 1,923 6.7% $60,500
65 Whiting 4,801 7.3% $141,900
66 Jonesboro 1,302 3.3% $60,700
67 Oakland City 2,570 6.9% $84,700
68 Shipshewana 1,031 3.2% $211,500
69 Chesterfield 2,601 5.9% $72,600
70 Akron 1,142 4.9% $87,900
71 North Judson 2,139 5.5% $95,100
72 Albany 2,365 10.5% $83,000
73 Eaton 1,959 3.3% $67,200
74 Culver 1,230 7.1% $168,800
75 Geneva 1,227 3.9% $93,000
76 Farmersburg 1,256 0.3% $67,600
77 Rockport 2,291 4.9% $90,100
78 Sullivan 4,081 1.5% $81,200
79 Crothersville 1,771 0.8% $83,000
80 Winchester 4,763 1.9% $76,400
81 Cloverdale 1,905 3.1% $88,800
82 Grissom Afb 2,368 3.6% $65,400
83 Kirklin 1,125 2.4% $69,400
84 Syracuse 2,874 5.3% $107,700
85 Harlan 1,715 8.0% $135,700
86 Hanover 3,418 4.2% $97,800
87 Markle 1,481 4.0% $90,500
88 Lynn 1,314 7.0% $69,100
89 Borden 1,448 5.1% $127,600
90 Ladoga 1,274 3.7% $93,800
91 Odon 1,453 0.6% $109,300
92 Ashley 1,051 2.6% $88,700
93 Wakarusa 2,074 9.5% $159,800
94 Warren Park 1,477 2.2% $144,700
95 Hope 1,919 3.5% $84,800
96 St. Paul 1,088 4.3% $83,500
97 Churubusco 1,901 3.7% $100,300
98 Attica 3,256 4.8% $99,300
99 Gosport 1,052 6.4% $81,800
100 Hudson Lake 1,285 8.2% $97,600
Download The Entire Indiana Ranking Data

How Is The Area In ?

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