The Hoosier State. A state that’s about 90% farms and one large city, with small places sprinkled between long stretches of corn and beans. A place with a rich history, great colleges, and some of the friendliest people in the midwest. There are some really nice places in Indiana.
But is it all great there? Of course not. Just like every other state, Indiana has its trouble spots. The purpose of this post is to use science and data to determine which cities in the Hoosier State have some serious issues, at least on paper.
After analyzing 116 of the state’s most populous cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst places to live in Indiana:
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Worst Places To Live In Indiana For 2024
Where are these places, you wonder? And before you get all riled up and say we’re picking on small towns in Indiana, that’s not the case.
We understand there’s a lot of good in every place. For example, the best place to live in Indiana is Winona Lake.
However, according to data (which doesn’t measure things like beauty and ‘friendly people’), the state has far better options for making a place home. And the worst place to live in Indiana? The worst place to live in Indiana is Gary.
Read below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your city fared in 2024.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
For more Indiana reading, check out:
The 10 Worst Places To Live In Indiana For 2024
/10
Population: 69,136
Average Home Price: $70,534
Median Income: $36,874
Unemployment Rate: 13.5%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0405
More on Gary: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
There’s probably not a single person in the state that would be surprised that Gary tops this list. In fact, if Gary wasn’t atop this list, most people would start to wonder if our data was accurate.
Here are the statistics. Gary has the 8th worst crime rate in Indiana. No surprises there. How dangerous is it though? There were almost 399 violent crimes in Gary in 2024. Residents here had a 1 in 173 chance of being killed, raped or attacked. Just wow.
The home values in Gary are the cheapest in the state ($70,534), the unemployment rate is the 2nd highest (13.5%), and the annual household income is 3rd lowest in Indiana, at $36,874. That’s basically at the poverty level for a family of four.
If there’s one bright side to Gary, it’s that the education is ranked above average. Meaning the kids at Gary public schools are getting as much attention and support as possible. Hopefully, that has an impact on the next generation that grows up here.
It’s pretty much Gary, and then everyone else on this list.
/10
Population: 13,352
Average Home Price: $138,357
Median Income: $53,588
Unemployment Rate: 18.2%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0405
More on Lake Station: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The “lake” part of Lake Station comes from its position near the southern coast of Lake Michigan. “Station” is there because the town once served as the endpoint for a key railroad. These days, Lake Station still has a transportation connection, as it sits along I-90, one of the country’s main east-west arteries.
Unfortunately, while you might pass through Lake Station, you wouldn’t want to stop very long. It stands as the number 2 worst spot in Indiana.
Crime and the economy are the main problems in the area. The crime rate is 20% above normal and the poverty rate sits at 18.2%.
/10
Population: 55,011
Average Home Price: $118,969
Median Income: $44,974
Unemployment Rate: 7.0%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0338
More on Anderson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Anderson is the first of a few cities near Indianapolis to make this list. When you’re comparing things to Gary, things look a lot better here, but they still have some issues, according to science.
Anderson is the 16th most dangerous place in Indiana, according to FBI statistics. And the residents here have a hard time keeping a job — at least in comparison to the rest of the state. The unemployment rate is 7.0% — not horrible — but worse than the state average.
Home values are really low ($118,969), and residents earn just $44,974 a year.
Plus, it’s an hour drive into downtown Indy, so your entertainment options are fairly limited.
/10
Population: 26,363
Average Home Price: $118,324
Median Income: $39,434
Unemployment Rate: 6.5%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0336
More on East Chicago: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Since the southside of Chicago is one of the worst areas for crime in the nation, you can sure expect that East Chicago is going to be pretty rough. It is. In fact, East Chicago has the 17th-highest crime rate in the state. Probably no surprises there.
There were 284 violent crimes here in 2024, and residents have a 1 in 43.7 chance of being the victim of a property crime. That means, most likely, if you live in East Chicago, either you or someone on your block had their home or car broken into last year.
You can also imagine that the economy here is in the pits. It is. The only thing saving East Chicago from being higher on the list is that the public schools are well funded. They may not be safe, but at least the kids are getting as much attention as they want.
/10
Population: 7,313
Average Home Price: $172,779
Median Income: $34,774
Unemployment Rate: 7.6%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0280
More on Scottsburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Scottsburg, ranked as the number 3 worst place to live in Indiana for 2023, faces significant challenges that contribute to its reputation. One of the key factors is the high crime rate, which poses safety concerns for residents. While specific crime statistics are not available, Scottsburg’s overall crime rate per capita is 0.028, indicating a higher likelihood of criminal incidents compared to many other areas in Indiana. This can make it a dangerous place to live.
Additionally, Scottsburg struggles with certain socioeconomic issues. The median income of $32,568 falls below the state average, contributing to a higher poverty rate compared to other cities in Indiana. With a poverty level ranking of 87th out of 90 cities, financial hardships can further exacerbate the challenges faced by the community.
However, despite these difficulties, there is hope for improvement with concerted efforts. By addressing crime prevention strategies and implementing initiatives to enhance economic opportunities, Scottsburg has the potential to transform into a safer and more prosperous city for its residents. With focused attention on these areas, Scottsburg can work towards creating a better quality of life for its population.
/10
Population: 58,599
Average Home Price: $140,182
Median Income: $41,230
Unemployment Rate: 7.5%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0532
More on Terre Haute: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Terre Haute has some nice people, that’s for sure. But if you’ve ever been there, it’s a little lacking in a strong economy.
The median income is even lower than it is in Anderson, as households have a hard time making a living with a combined $32,000 a year. The crime is 9th highest in the state, and Terre Haute residents have a 1 in 20 chance of being the victim of a property crime. Meaning lots of stolen laptops, cell phones and tractor implements.
/10
Population: 5,149
Average Home Price: $147,830
Median Income: $38,438
Unemployment Rate: 10.0%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0313
More on Linton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Linton is located in western Indiana, in a mostly rural region about two hours southwest of Indianpolis. The town suffers from a weak economy and bad school system. These factors make it one of the worst places to live in Indiana.
It’s tough to make ends meet for the town’s 5,149 inhabitants. The median income is a skimpy $38,438, meaning that 18.2% of the residents have to scrape by below the poverty line. Without much of a tax base, the educational system in the area suffers. Linton’s schools top out at 6/10 on Great Schools.
Still, the people of Linton have plenty of ways to find their joy. One attraction: the Greene Sullivan State Forest is just a 10-minute drive outside of town.
/10
Population: 77,390
Average Home Price: $158,375
Median Income: $52,368
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0396
More on Hammond: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Hammond is located in the northwest part of the state, right along the Illinois border. It’s basically a suburb of Chicago, with a 40-minute drive taking you into the Loop. Unfortunately, a prime location isn’t enough to make a town an attractive place to live.
Hammond suffers from high crime, a weak economy, and a bad educational system. The crime rate stands about 66% above the national average. The poverty rate hovers at 19.9%. Meanwhile, the best school in the area only gets a score of 5/10 from Great Schools.
The 77,390 inhabitants of Hammond have some nice things, however. With a northern border along Lake Michigan, the town boasts the Hammond Lakefront Park and Bird Sanctuary.
/10
Population: 13,395
Average Home Price: $134,012
Median Income: $41,769
Unemployment Rate: 5.8%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0280
More on Connersville: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
There’s absolutely nothing to do in Connersville. Located out in the boonies toward the Ohio state line, the residents are most likely bored, and probably wouldn’t have much disposable income to do much even if there was some form of entertainment. At least they can spend their Sundays with Andrew Luck.
The unemployment rate is the 35th highest in the state (5.8%), the income levels and home prices are both in the bottom five in Indiana as well.
However, the public kids get just about as much attention and support than in any other region.
/10
Population: 35,642
Average Home Price: $134,820
Median Income: $46,356
Unemployment Rate: 6.0%
Crime Per Capita: 0.0280
More on Richmond: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How we determined the worst places to live in Indiana for 2024
To figure out the worst places to live in Indiana, we used Saturday Night Science to idenift what kinds of things people like and then decide what cities have the least amount of those things.
We don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that people like the following things:
- Good education
- Lots of jobs
- Low crime
- Low poverty
- Nice homes
- High incomes
- High population density (Lots of things to do)
- Short work commutes
- Health insurance
The data comes from the Census’s most recent American Community Survey and the FBI Uniform Crime Report.
We broke crime down into violent crime and property crime to give violent crime a more significant weight. If you did a simple calculation of all crimes per capita, property crimes are typically 7x more common and bias that ranking.
Furthermore, only cities with at least 5,000 people were considered — leaving 116 cities.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 116 for all the criteria, with a #1 ranking being the worst for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the rankings into one “Worst Place To Live Score.”
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Worst Place To Live Score,” with the lowest score being the worst city in Indiana — Gary. Read on for a detailed look at the ten worst cities in Indiana. This article is an opinion based on facts meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This list is our tenth time ranking the worst places to live in Indiana.
Summary: Wrapping Up The Worst In Indiana
If you’re looking at areas in Indiana with the worst economic situations, where there’s higher than average crime and little to do, this is an accurate list.
And in the end, Gary ranks as the worst city to live in Indiana for 2024.
The worst cities in Indiana are .
If you’re curious enough, here are the best cities to live in Indiana:
- Carmel (Pop. 99,453)
- New Whiteland (Pop. 5,591)
- Winona Lake (Pop. 5,077)
For more Indiana reading, check out:
Worst Places To Live In Indiana
| Rank | City | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Price | Median Income | Crime Per Capita |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary | 69,136 | 13.5% | $70,534 | $36,874 | 0.0405 |
| 2 | Lake Station | 13,352 | 18.2% | $138,357 | $53,588 | 0.0405 |
| 3 | Anderson | 55,011 | 7.0% | $118,969 | $44,974 | 0.0338 |
| 4 | East Chicago | 26,363 | 6.5% | $118,324 | $39,434 | 0.0336 |
| 5 | Scottsburg | 7,313 | 7.6% | $172,779 | $34,774 | 0.0280 |
| 6 | Terre Haute | 58,599 | 7.5% | $140,182 | $41,230 | 0.0532 |
| 7 | Linton | 5,149 | 10.0% | $147,830 | $38,438 | 0.0313 |
| 8 | Hammond | 77,390 | 6.3% | $158,375 | $52,368 | 0.0396 |
| 9 | Connersville | 13,395 | 5.8% | $134,012 | $41,769 | 0.0280 |
| 10 | Richmond | 35,642 | 6.0% | $134,820 | $46,356 | 0.0280 |
| 11 | Salem | 6,330 | 1.9% | $188,974 | $48,205 | 0.0280 |
| 12 | Indianapolis | 882,006 | 5.6% | $218,415 | $59,110 | 0.0443 |
| 13 | Fortville | 5,206 | 5.2% | $279,914 | $79,806 | inf |
| 14 | South Bend | 103,084 | 5.5% | $168,507 | $49,056 | 0.0534 |
| 15 | Elkhart | 53,785 | 3.9% | $198,211 | $46,534 | 0.0393 |
| 16 | North Vernon | 6,935 | 5.9% | $185,392 | $46,889 | 0.0222 |
| 17 | Peru | 10,862 | 6.4% | $124,255 | $44,665 | 0.0280 |
| 18 | Marion | 27,528 | 9.4% | $115,126 | $42,366 | 0.0255 |
| 19 | Evansville | 116,906 | 5.7% | $179,994 | $49,853 | 0.0444 |
| 20 | Goshen | 34,704 | 4.8% | $249,417 | $52,233 | 0.0301 |
| 21 | Plymouth | 10,369 | 4.5% | $215,488 | $49,306 | 0.0162 |
| 22 | Speedway | 13,646 | 5.2% | $227,778 | $52,627 | 0.0328 |
| 23 | Crawfordsville | 16,335 | 5.3% | $197,840 | $46,918 | 0.0160 |
| 24 | Muncie | 65,167 | 8.2% | $130,429 | $40,309 | 0.0321 |
| 25 | Rochester | 6,236 | 6.5% | $184,217 | $62,885 | 0.0280 |
| 26 | Alexandria | 5,144 | 8.0% | $163,647 | $58,269 | 0.0338 |
| 27 | Clarksville | 22,087 | 4.4% | $184,231 | $53,620 | 0.0434 |
| 28 | Beech Grove | 15,181 | 5.3% | $183,313 | $51,352 | 0.0283 |
| 29 | New Castle | 17,413 | 5.5% | $140,164 | $46,925 | 0.0280 |
| 30 | Mishawaka | 50,899 | 6.9% | $184,754 | $51,543 | 0.0316 |
| 31 | Martinsville | 11,916 | 4.6% | $264,822 | $57,383 | 0.0280 |
| 32 | La Porte | 22,409 | 5.5% | $240,496 | $55,031 | 0.0186 |
| 33 | Madison | 12,301 | 3.3% | $210,391 | $53,113 | 0.0280 |
| 34 | Kendallville | 10,176 | 5.9% | $193,691 | $59,971 | 0.0174 |
| 35 | Lawrence | 49,218 | 5.4% | $252,234 | $70,762 | 0.0232 |
| 36 | Portage | 37,737 | 6.6% | $252,850 | $71,317 | 0.0132 |
| 37 | Fort Wayne | 264,514 | 5.8% | $216,656 | $58,233 | 0.0268 |
| 38 | Winfield | 7,219 | 5.1% | $472,135 | $124,091 | 0.0405 |
| 39 | Merrillville | 36,214 | 8.2% | $221,307 | $62,221 | 0.0144 |
| 40 | Hobart | 29,573 | 6.7% | $220,976 | $69,398 | 0.0222 |
| 41 | Monticello | 5,488 | 6.0% | $211,040 | $48,847 | 0.0280 |
| 42 | Portland | 6,432 | 6.1% | $147,229 | $44,292 | 0.0107 |
| 43 | Nappanee | 7,276 | 6.3% | $258,421 | $68,750 | 0.0103 |
| 44 | Warsaw | 16,473 | 3.2% | $251,585 | $57,931 | 0.0222 |
| 45 | Elwood | 8,339 | 6.5% | $123,145 | $52,139 | 0.0144 |
| 46 | Rushville | 6,412 | 9.6% | $174,687 | $53,110 | 0.0218 |
| 47 | New Albany | 37,598 | 4.9% | $209,181 | $53,982 | 0.0347 |
| 48 | Decatur | 9,718 | 2.9% | $196,644 | $54,369 | 0.0280 |
| 49 | Lebanon | 17,277 | 2.7% | $248,292 | $63,125 | 0.0122 |
| 50 | Schererville | 29,573 | 4.5% | $326,976 | $79,662 | 0.0405 |
| 51 | Vincennes | 16,715 | 5.3% | $145,860 | $47,376 | 0.0269 |
| 52 | Huntingburg | 6,480 | 2.8% | $211,855 | $50,023 | 0.0051 |
| 53 | Lafayette | 70,828 | 4.4% | $228,005 | $50,674 | 0.0278 |
| 54 | Kokomo | 59,534 | 6.1% | $152,700 | $53,967 | 0.0206 |
| 55 | Bloomington | 79,006 | 6.5% | $290,880 | $46,543 | 0.0289 |
| 56 | Wabash | 10,417 | 4.2% | $154,061 | $51,127 | 0.0280 |
| 57 | Westville | 5,885 | 8.9% | $328,475 | $57,889 | 0.0051 |
| 58 | Princeton | 8,344 | 2.7% | $164,290 | $56,378 | 0.0280 |
| 59 | Logansport | 18,166 | 3.2% | $130,290 | $45,335 | 0.0190 |
| 60 | Shelbyville | 19,678 | 2.8% | $201,373 | $55,850 | 0.0192 |
| 61 | Lawrenceburg | 5,140 | 0.0% | $213,549 | $41,557 | 0.0280 |
| 62 | Bedford | 13,802 | 3.1% | $188,050 | $49,492 | 0.0103 |
| 63 | Mooresville | 9,525 | 1.7% | $287,287 | $68,089 | 0.0280 |
| 64 | Seymour | 21,373 | 2.1% | $210,904 | $57,347 | 0.0187 |
| 65 | Plainfield | 35,078 | 3.4% | $310,684 | $77,249 | 0.0199 |
| 66 | Boonville | 6,670 | 2.5% | $199,651 | $59,229 | 0.0259 |
| 67 | Tipton | 5,255 | 5.1% | $202,929 | $64,167 | 0.0072 |
| 68 | Avon | 21,783 | 3.8% | $337,215 | $98,162 | 0.0283 |
| 69 | Washington | 12,076 | 3.1% | $133,145 | $48,255 | 0.0092 |
| 70 | Huntington | 17,017 | 5.2% | $167,689 | $50,748 | 0.0118 |
| 71 | Greensburg | 11,431 | 3.4% | $224,682 | $61,864 | 0.0280 |
| 72 | Jeffersonville | 49,771 | 3.6% | $226,995 | $67,566 | 0.0194 |
| 73 | New Haven | 15,552 | 4.4% | $208,336 | $63,744 | 0.0140 |
| 74 | Angola | 9,317 | 6.0% | $284,037 | $58,627 | 0.0225 |
| 75 | Greencastle | 9,865 | 1.1% | $218,372 | $51,836 | 0.0280 |
| 76 | Charlestown | 7,986 | 1.9% | $286,380 | $66,285 | 0.0134 |
| 77 | Bluffton | 10,461 | 4.0% | $160,724 | $56,955 | 0.0089 |
| 78 | Porter | 5,204 | 5.3% | $278,522 | $77,222 | 0.0052 |
| 79 | Brazil | 8,114 | 6.3% | $169,013 | $50,153 | 0.0000 |
| 80 | Cedar Lake | 14,215 | 5.7% | $299,808 | $84,444 | 0.0056 |
| 81 | Rensselaer | 5,330 | 2.7% | $210,086 | $58,659 | 0.0310 |
| 82 | Frankfort | 15,976 | 4.4% | $172,339 | $49,821 | 0.0034 |
| 83 | Chesterton | 14,191 | 8.2% | $298,561 | $90,753 | 0.0061 |
| 84 | Bargersville | 9,520 | 7.6% | $413,710 | $102,045 | 0.0066 |
| 85 | Batesville | 7,052 | 3.7% | $288,093 | $72,794 | 0.0053 |
| 86 | North Manchester | 5,017 | 2.4% | $175,015 | $63,029 | 0.0280 |
| 87 | Columbus | 50,896 | 4.0% | $251,458 | $75,114 | 0.0268 |
| 88 | Greenfield | 23,669 | 3.1% | $247,376 | $69,571 | 0.0135 |
| 89 | Garrett | 6,434 | 4.7% | $159,068 | $61,814 | 0.0132 |
| 90 | Sellersburg | 9,948 | 7.1% | $284,292 | $67,230 | 0.0056 |
| 91 | Griffith | 16,182 | 4.4% | $230,174 | $74,350 | 0.0106 |
| 92 | McCordsville | 9,098 | 2.7% | $349,911 | $103,539 | 0.0128 |
| 93 | Greenwood | 63,579 | 3.2% | $308,640 | $75,398 | 0.0193 |
| 94 | Mount Vernon | 6,480 | 5.5% | $198,511 | $58,370 | 0.0190 |
| 95 | Franklin | 26,073 | 4.7% | $255,388 | $72,344 | 0.0132 |
| 96 | Lowell | 10,723 | 5.3% | $299,747 | $77,375 | 0.0030 |
| 97 | Auburn | 13,316 | 5.5% | $242,744 | $58,635 | 0.0132 |
| 98 | Cumberland | 5,991 | 3.1% | $274,160 | $83,718 | 0.0404 |
| 99 | Whitestown | 10,253 | 1.2% | $354,378 | $113,000 | 0.0134 |
| 100 | Valparaiso | 33,991 | 3.0% | $328,211 | $59,943 | 0.0096 |
I am not a expert on what makes a city great and every city has its issues. I think everyone would agree, that they would want high median income, high rank in education (low student/teacher ratio and high expenditures), low crime rates, and high property values. The one question I have is population density. The way they calculated it was population divided by land area. Does a high population density make a city better or stronger? Is this common practice? Personally, I would rather live in a “Mayberry” than a big city. Ranking density (high to low) seems to be a personal opinion and biased.
I didn’t get past the opening paragraph. Only about 63% of Indiana is used for agriculture. I’m not sure there are any facts in this post.
This study gives some mighty broad assertions like, we think you should lock your doors when you drive past Michigan City. I beg your pardon…………This city is very safe and we have wonderful times here.
Have you ever actually been to these places? I suggest you actually do before you criticize a place. Lawrenceburg is a great place to live. It is a great community to live in. There are plenty of things to do here like others have said. If something can’t be found or done here it most defiantly can in Cincinnati. I’m offended that Lawrenceburg is on the same list as Gary and Terre Haute. There is nothing scientific about this article.
Just don’t go to Gary or East Chicago… Trust the article on these 2
I live in EC
Seriously guys its bad but my grandparents house has been there for 60 years and we didn’t lock our doors or ever worry. Believe it or not it was a great place to grow up and am proud. Our thugs have a set back when you grow up with people from birth its harder to commit crime on peeps you share birtjdays with at least thats what I tell myself..Maybe black oak but DONT recall ever having my aunts place broken into.
You don’t have to go there to tell about a place. If you have high crime, high unemployment, and low wages – the place is going to be undesirable. Those are facts the sane cannot dispute. Those conditions produce people who want their handouts. They don’t work so they gey bored and then go out and commit crime for something to do and to get more stuff (that they refuse to work to get).
Damn straight! Lawrenceburg is a great little city! Whomever wrote this article has no clue. You can also take Batesville off your stupid list! It’s one of the most giving and pretty cities in our small 6 city/county surrounding areas!
Can you give a little more info on terre haute. There wasn’t much listed on its schooling or its unemployment rates.
Who are you to say stuff about Terre haute I’ve lived here all my life get over your selfs ppl really who cares
After reading your comment it is clear that you care as much as anybody and that you are hung up on it. really person get under yourself you care…
The article begins with staying this is opinion based off statistical facts da da da or something along the lines of that. Basically the author said, ok readers…I know a lot of Hoosiers are going to see this list… And a fair amount of you will even realize that your very own stomping grounds found itself a spot on this list… But don’t have a hissy fit now and come back at me with things like… Dude you don’t know Gary or it’s people I mean have you ever been there or seen how the amount of dollar tree stores being built there, obviously the economics there must be doin good or they wouldn’t be building all the new dollar trees every 12 miles … I mean born n raised myself I’d suck the shit out of Gary’s ass….Gary till death!
Oh yeah, I am from Henryville, IN. Henryville 19 miles north of Louisville, KY.
South Bend? Rochester? Rensselaer? Did you just randomly pick cities?
A visit to Jasper County will prove it is the # 1 to stay out of
I completely agree with Gary being #1. Everyone knows that. But Bedford being #10? Don’t agree at all. I love this county and wouldn’t trade it for anywhere.
Also, Bedford is 30 minutes from Bloomington, not an hour. Unless you’re coming from the north side of Bloomington and get stuck in the I-69 construction at rush hour. Then it could take over an hour. 😉
I am not sure how well this was researched. I can tell the picture of Lawrenceburg is from Google Maps so the writer did not travel to this town. Lawrenceburg only has one casino not two. There are a few other things to do in the town other than to gamble the money we clearly do not have. lol I know of several other things to do; Lawrenceburg Speedway, Perfect North Slopes, Lawrenceburg Pool which is free to residents in the summer months, Ice Staking Rink which is free to Lawrenceburg residents in the winter months, Durbin Bowl, ect… I have been to places that really have nothing to do I would say Lawrenceburg has a few more things to do than “just a casino”.
What the hell is roadsnacks.net anyways.
Don’t forget Petersburg Indiana… Paul Harvey once said if you want to get away with murder go to Petersburg Indiana…Pike county…so very true!!! Crooked cops and politicians!!/
How is south bend????,safety etc.
I lived there for awhile and there were lots of murders, bodies floating in the river every few months…and it snows almost every day all winter long…and the people drive really slow and are rude…lots of abandoned houses…lots of blight/neglect/poverty/mental illness…definitely should have made the list.
South Bend used to be that way but a lot has changed in the 30+ years I have lived here. Many of the abandoned buildings have been torn down or rebuilt/repaired and used. Murder rate is down as is crime in general. Hasn’t been a body in the river in decades. winter is milder than the 60s and 70s. Elkhart is much worse. It has the highest number of Superfund sites in Indiana at 6. Indianapolis and Gary both have 5. Elkhart has always been bad.
I’ve lived in Dyer and Valparaiso … Valpo is a much nicer community to live in, with more to do, i.e., shopping, university, dining in a downtown environment, equal or better school system, and many more positive factors favoring Valpo over Dyer. The study is very simplistic and naive.
My parents grew up in East Chicago (HARBOR). My grandfather retired from Inland Steel after 42 yrs.
My 3 brothers and my 2 sisters and I grew up in the Miller Beach area if Gary.
So sad too see what has happened to NW Indiana. Wonderful memories.
Don’t think this article was well researched. Bedford is 30 minutes South of Bloomington, not one hour. And it’s called Bedford, not Little Bedford. Maybe the person writing this had not heard of Bedford; however, it should be known that we provided limestone for some beautiful buildings throughout the United States and beyond. Claude Akins (the actor) was from Bedford, IN and two astronauts were born and raised in Bedford (Charles Walker & Kenneth Bowersox) and Virgil Grissom from Mitchell, IN just a 15 minutes south of Bedford but all in Lawrence County. Our Lady’s and Mens Bedford North Lawrence High School basketball teams have won many State Championships and Damon Bailey was well known throughout the country and was a much sought after player by Bobby Knight. The person who wrote this article needs to do more research. Many people are employed by General Motors in Bedford while even more are employed with Cook, Inc. in Bloomington and NSA Crane, IN.
I would have expected Muncie to be high on the list of worst places. When I worked for the Indianapolis Star I frequently read the Muncie Star Press. Several times a week they ran stories about local people arrested for child molestation. If that doesn’t qualify for a bad place to live, I don’t know what does.
I do agree about Anderson, though. I was born and raised there and left at the age of 26. Don’t miss it a bit. When I visit, I find it terribly depressing.
Marion, IN is a great city. I’ve lived here my whole life. It’s a nice environment, great schools, and great high school sports. As long as you’re in a good neighborhood, you don’t need to worry about crime one bit. It gives you just the right amount of cultural diversity, unlike places like DeKalb County. I plan on living here for the rest of my life.
I lived in Marion for a short time moving from Crawfordsville. I agree with you Caleb I liked Marion and I consider Marion as my adopted hometown just like my dad who was born in Detroit living in Canada during his childhood years with him and my family moving to Marion sometime during the 1960s but my left Marion to expand his horizons but he always back because he got homesick and wanted to come back to the place that he had called home
WOW……..!!!!!!!!!!
I live in Michigan City, In.
And we have alot to do here and we don’ t have to lock our doors when we are driving and going places. Yes we have homeless people as much as any other town would have. But i love our town and the Beautiful beach and shopping we have. Crime isn’ t as bad as you say it is.
All are welcome to come here and enjoy. You need to get you facts straight before you make your remarks about locking your doors .
Please lady, I lived for many years in Michigan City and nearby also later in Chesterton and Portage and Michigan City was the pits. Gary and Hammond were the worst cities of NW Indiana at that time and now its spreading into Southern Lake County but Michigan City was nothing to brag about. Crime going through the roof there, druggies and bums everywhere and even though its 35 miles to South Bend there exist the same problems and same type of methed out losers and social degenerates that exists in that rathole city.
One of my high school friends was living there not too long ago still and was preparing to move elsewhere because the crime problems were going through the roof and locking your doors in necessary because of crime and even some gang activity. They were going to move further south to get away from the increased problems with inner city style crime and other crap going on. It was nothing to brag about at least over the last 25 years. It was actually a decent town back in the 1970s and 1980s. Even the local mall closed down in that city of 31,000 and combined with LaPorte County has 110,000 people and it still couldn’t support Marquette Mall so it all closed down. What a frigging dump the place became.
Bedford ind is a shit pit and dope every were you look there is nothing pertty about bedford
Bedford should readily be called Methford due to all of the dopeheads running around that town. Same with Mitchell 10 miles South of Bedford. It’s no wonder there’s so much poverty in Lawrence County when half the people are on dope and the other half are on welfare because of the plant closures and people too stupid to look for better jobs. This is what having unemployed able bodied people is like in these counties like Lawrence County. A good deal of the SSI and SSDI recipients could actually work especially those physically able and between the ages of 18 to 65 minus those with disabling medical problems and severe mental issues who can’t work. Most of them can but they choose to get mailbox money from the government rather than hold a job 30 to 40 hours a week and get a 500-800 dollar weekly paycheck. Its really disgusting when unemployment is 4 percent and yet people choose to sit on their rear ends. Time to cut their benefits off for the ones able bodied and send in a caseworker and get them back to work.
Bedford is awful. The county leaders get rid of programs designed to help the people who live there. Education is discouraged, and people get made fun of for becoming educated. A lot of people there think those with an education are idiots, because apparently barely graduating high school, or dropping out of high school, makes you more knowledgeable about everything, including the Constitution, that studying and learning.
Indianapolis should be somewhere on this list. It’s the largest hicktown, (pretending to be a big city) in the United States.
Obviously you haven’t been to Louisville, Kentucky which has about 760,000 people and acts as if the city is something out of Appalachia despite pretending to be progressive and family oriented. Louisville is like Appalachia and the rest of Kentucky, truly the armpit of America.
Salem being 8th on the list of 10 worst places. These people haven’t done their homework and their economic data is several years old. The unemployment rate in Washington County, Indiana in June 2018 is 3.6 percent. Granted Salem could use some improvement but its probably in many ways one of the better smaller communities in Indiana between 5,000 and 15,000 people. It’s not perfect and its not for everyone though I feel generally much safer in Salem than when I lived in Louisville, Kentucky for about 5 years.
That being said, we have the same problems with drugs that most of the country has with the pill poppers, heroin junkies and meth addicts. Once you start locking them up and the other assorted thieves and bums you will see the crime rate in Washington County continue to go down. The only real problems around here are drugs and crooked law enforcement officials and judges along with lawyers that are involved with the drug trade in Salem, Indiana.
If the State of Indiana actually removed its head from its rear end and launched an investigation of Salem public officials and local lawyers, they could easily find out which judges and lawyers along with crooked cops are causing the problems. Not to mention one or two law firms in Salem had people running it at one time that were heavily involved in cocaine trafficking and dope distribution but the good old boys turn their heads.
If those people were prosecuted and sent up the river for 20 or 30 years, Salem would improve greatly and probably be one of the best smaller cities in Indiana with a city population of 6700 and 30,000 in the county total. Clean up the trash and you would have a much better community.
That being said, Salem isn’t anywhere close to the worst ten communities in the state of Indiana and I’ve been to 85 out of 92 counties many times in most of them and there are plenty of other cities have much worse drug and crime problems along with the economy than Salem.
Try out Muncie, Anderson, Mitchell, Austin, Scottsburg, Washington, Linton, Lawrenceburg, North Vernon, Rushville, English, Petersburg, Shoals, St. Paul, Greensburg, Marion, Gary, East Chicago, Hammond, Lake Station, NW Indianapolis, Indianapolis Eastside of City, etc.
My husband and I moved down here to Bedford, Lawrence County from the South Bend/Mishawaka area (where we were born and raised) and have never regretted it. We decided that a small town/rural atmosphere was for us and we were correct. Jobs are not easy to find unless you are a professional or can work at GM or military at Crane Naval, but many have found their niche here. The beauty of the steep hills and landscape too is something many who have never driven down here are aware of. And speaking of the limestone quarries; Bedford limestone built the Empire State Building as well as the Pentagon and the National Cathedral in Washington,D.C. This area is close enough to Bloomington and Indy for big time shopping if you so desire.
I live in Salem and I am a medical, police, and fire Dispatcher for the entire county this is complete bullshit. Salem isn’t a vad place to live, and you definitely don’t get robbed around here. This article is a lie.
Your comments about East Chicago indicate you know little if anything about the area. You start your description out by talking about Chicago, a huge city in Illinois. While all of northwest Indiana can be loosely called another suburb of Chicago, East Chicago has no special relationship to Chicago. It is not adjacent to Chicago. They just share a name.
Logansport: If you want people to take your ranking seriously you need to have accurate information. First unemployment is 3.4 not 7.4 according to current state data. Also median home price according for 2019 is 89,240 not 65K. BackgroundCheck.org, which monitors FBI violent crime statistics has ranked Logansport as the 10th safest community in Indiana. Oh and did you know Logansport was voted the #1 small town in the United States that you would actually like to live in according to realtorcom for 2018. AND has the #2 best walkscore in the state of Indiana? You guys really need to do real research. You do not appear to be well informed.
Salem is a rathole and has been for years. Just because you’re one of the butt kissers at the police station in Salem doesn’t mean that it doesn’t serious problems with public corruption. Or you are too young to know better like a lot of the morons in Washington County, Indiana. If you believe in equality of all and justice under the law and the Constitution and civil rights, you don’t move to Salem, Indiana. There is a plenty of corruption in Salem, Indiana going back 30 to 40 years including people ending up dead in the county jail under mysterious circumstances. One guy ended up being buried in concrete by his killers on a farm outside of Salem and no one was put in the slammer for murder despite the people doing the crime basically getting caught red handed.
It’s been well known going back decades that the cops in Salem were known to rough up suspects and people in the county jail where all prisoners in Washington County go once they are arrested. One sheriff was shot coming out of the church across from the post office in Salem back in the 1980s because a man had a vendetta due to the treatment he received in jail. I know several people that have talked personally about being roughed up receiving beatings from the law enforcement at that time.
Not to mention the fact that public officials often do plenty of things behind the scenes so that the general public does not know what is going on. Or the fact that drugs have invaded the town and city of Salem and Washington County, Indiana in general and no one bats an eye about getting rid of the drug problem. Just like years ago when the local police and law enforcement knew about who the people were at the top of the drug chain but no one would do anything about it because the drug kingpins had enough dirty laundry on the rest of the people that could do something about the crime and drug problem.
Salem looks like any other small Southern Indiana town in a lot of ways but whereas most places at the least the police and law enforcement go after not only the street level users but the street level dealers Salem won’t go after the people at the top. All because they know who butters their bread and pays their salaries and the Washington County authorities dare not go after legitimate drug pushers and criminals that have been dealing drugs and had involvement for the better part of 3 decades.
Another thing that might be mentioned about Salem is that just about everyone in the entire town is related to someone else in the town and there are very few outsiders other than the occasional people that move to Salem from somewhere else. That also means that many of the people in the court system, government, law enforcement etc are also almost directly related to many other people either by blood or marriage. This is why if you’re not part of the system you won’t get a fair trial in Salem or they’ll do everything under the cover of law despite the fact that everyone deserves a fair and impartial trial.
The same could be said for the fact that many people have been harassed by local law enforcement over the years for speaking out against corruption. There are plenty of these people that know what kind of corruption that goes out in Salem everyday but they usually won’t talk for fear of getting some sort of legal trouble again when they are accused of something else. Like an honest lawyer from outside of Salem said, don’t go to Salem and expect to find any real justice there and its well known in much of Southern Indiana that have the eyes to see and the discernment to speak out about injustices and criminal behavior under the color of the law.
While we are at it, let’s also talk about the lack of economic development in Washington County, Indiana and another reason why Washington County and Salem, Indiana is a hellhole. Washington County, Indiana ranks 88th out of 92 Indiana counties in personal income so fifth from the bottom of the states poorest counties. It sits only about 20 miles from the nearest interstate and 35 miles from Louisville, Kentucky yet is the 5th poorest county and has been for much of the past 30 years. Very few good wage jobs exist except for a few factory or labor jobs that are going by the wayside as more manufacturing jobs leave Salem.
Salem officials and Washington County government has no clue how to get other industries into Washington County whether its based on technology, high wage manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment companies manufacturing high end products or anything that society demands. They have no clue in how to get decent paying jobs in Salem, Indiana nor do they have enough ability at the local level to actually create a local economy that really works for the people of the community so they don’t have to drive 35 or 40 miles one way to their job. The county council and commissioners along with City of Salem doesn’t have a clue how to obtain and create lasting economic development other than getting fast food jobs, low wage retail and a few factories that one day will decide to locate elsewhere. Stay away from Salem, Indiana as the corruption has driven people away along with the lack of economic opportunities.
The public officials and so called community leaders will make all kinds of excuses and complaints about how Salem is a small community and they can’t get anything done because no one wants to locate in the community. Well, I wonder why because the local yokels in power have no clue how to get things moving and create better paying opportunities for the local population. Too bad that most of the people of Salem are too ignorant of what goes on elsewhere in Indiana and other surroundings states that have long since passed Salem, Indiana by on the highway of life and sped by it like a NASCAR race car passing someone on a bicycle.
I find this “survey” to be very misleading, not to mention discouraging for the people who live and work in these places and are working hard to make them more desirable. I live in Los Angeles, but I am from Connersville, and I go back monthly to be with my family. Connersville was hurt by manufacturers leaving to produce products out of the country. With no major Interstate within 30 minutes of Connersville, it has been difficult to bring new manufacturers in, but it is not worth trying. The current mayor, Chad Frank, is excellently recruiting new businesses while fostering that small-town sense of community through dinners, community projects, new gathering spaces, and especially supporting local businesses.
I love going back to Connersville every month. My family owns a Dodge Chrysler Jeep Dealership, and we will celebrate our 100th anniversary in 2026. Many small business owners work hard daily to make Connersville a productive and thriving environment. I am inspired by the people who choose to make it their home and raise their families there. They are investing in the community to restore it to its original glory. Shame on you for not being a better “reporter.” You obviously should have done your homework on some of these small towns. I proudly sign my name—Kathryn Riedman Richards from Connersville, IN.