What it's like to live in Anderson
Anderson is a smaller city in Indiana with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Anderson deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and hospital ratings below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- Below-average hospital ratings
- High poverty rate
- Cold winters
How Anderson compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Anderson
Based on Anderson's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,850
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $37,000 a year
- 48% of Anderson renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$23,800
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $11,900
- Homes cost 2.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 35% below US
$925/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $925 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $119,000. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $119,000 · 48% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.3% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.3%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 24% above US
410 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 2017/100k · Anderson Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.5 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 56% below US
16% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
10 public schools inside the boundary
There are 10 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (86 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Anderson's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($925/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Anderson
All Indiana guides →Not sure Anderson is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.