Best Cities to Live in Indiana

Moving to Indiana? Check out our guide to Starting a Business in Indiana.

Ah, Indiana, the “Crossroads of America”. Over its history, many have passed through its confines to reach other destinations, but why not consider settling down there? Yes, it’s not the flashiest state, but Indiana has many great small cities to live in with a low cost of living and lots of parks and nature reserves. Which are among the best? Here’s a glance at our top five best Indiana cities to live in.

1. Bloomington

Topping our ranking is Bloomington, a city of around 85,000 and the county seat of Monroe County. As the home of Indiana University – which is one of the city’s main employers – Bloomington is more youthful, well-educated, dynamic, and vibrant than many other Indiana cities.

2. Carmel

The #2 slot goes to Carmel, a fast-growing city of over 92,000 in Hamilton County. With a median household income of over 100,000, Carmel is one of the most affluent cities in Indiana. The 40 plus corporate headquarters based in the city explains its wealthy and well-educated populace.

3. Fishers

Another Hamilton County city, Fishers, is #3 in the ranking. Like Carmel, Fishers is a fast growing and wealthy suburb of Indianapolis with lots of parkland and lucrative employment opportunities.

4. Westfield

Westfield, also located in Hamilton, is a bit smaller than the previous two entries on the list, but it features Grand Park, the biggest youth sports campus in the country, making it a prime choice for bringing up little athletic hopefuls.

5. Zionsville

Located northwest of Indianapolis is our #5 best Indiana city to live in, Zionsville. With a population under 30,000 and an old-fashioned downtown area with brick-paved streets, Zionsville is a glimpse into America’s small-town past.

Rank	City
1	Bloomington
2	Carmel
3	Fishers
4	Westfield
5	Zionsville
6	West Lafayette
7	Granger
8	Noblesville
9	Newburgh
10	Lafayette
11	Indianapolis
12	Columbus
13	Brownsburg
14	Greenwood
15	Mishawaka
16	Plainfield
17	Richmond
18	Avon
19	Warsaw
20	South Bend
21	New Albany
22	Franklin
23	Goshen
24	Crawfordsville
25	Kokomo
26	Huntington
27	Vincennes
28	Valparaiso
29	Fort Wayne
30	Jeffersonville
31	Evansville
32	Shelbyville
33	Greenfield
34	Logansport
35	Crown Point
36	Elkhart
37	Terre Haute
38	La Porte
39	Merrillville
40	Hobart
41	Michigan City
42	Seymour
43	Portage
44	Marion
45	Martinsville
46	Bedford
47	New Castle
48	Anderson
49	Hammond
50	East Chicago
51	Gary
52	Muncie

Did your city make the list? Share the good news!

Feel free to share this badge of recognition. Please include attribution to https://www.chamberofcommerce.org/.

Methodology

We ranked a total of 2,509 qualified cities (those with populations above 25,000 and enough data for analysis) by five factors: employment (number of establishments, median earnings); housing (owner-occupied housing with a mortgage, monthly housing costs); quality of life (work commute, poverty levels); education (percentage with a bachelor’s degree or higher); and health (obesity ratios).