Wells County, Indiana
Population 28,420 · Bluffton, Ossian, Markle
- Overall cost of living: −7.4% vs the US average, higher than 70% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Violent crime: 0.2 per 1k, lower than 97% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−7.4% | higher than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Fort Wayne, IN metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $197,600 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Median rent | $813 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $156/mo | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | N/A | |
| Property tax rate | 0.54% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 7% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| State income tax | 3.15% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,065 | lower than 75% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $71,957 | higher than 67% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +2.2% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 367.8 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈185 days | lower than 82% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 84°F | lower than 69% of US counties |
| January low | 18°F | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 23 in | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 12 days | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 126 days | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 3.8% of weeks | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.7°F | lower than 53% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 40.3 in | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $106/yr | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $77/yr | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.07/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $4.3/yr | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $19/yr | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.03/yr | lower than 88% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.7 µg/m³ | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 105.5 mi | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈102 ft | lower than 94% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.9% | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 19.9% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 5.9% | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 15.3:1 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 94% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.45 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.92 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.17 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 5.2 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 46/100k | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 9 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.8★ | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 77.2 yrs | higher than 68% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.1% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 83/100k | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 28/100k | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 48% | lower than 74% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 36 min | lower than 81% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 120 min | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 85.2% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.2% | higher than 45% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 5.9% | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 42 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 35 per sq mi | higher than 65% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 0.2 per 1k | lower than 97% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 2.4 per 1k | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Population | 28,420 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.8 | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +4.1 per 1k/yr | higher than 59% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 20.2% Dem | lower than 73% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 78.1% Rep | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.7% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| % White | 92.2% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 4% | lower than 59% of US counties |
| % Black | 1% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.2% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 2.4% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.1% | lower than 67% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 57 parks | higher than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 11.3 | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 1.8 | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 214 min | the highest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.6% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 45 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 17 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 243 km | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 9 km | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 61 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 80 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 7 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 35 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 38 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 20 km | higher than 60% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data