What it's like to live in Danville
Danville is a small city in Indiana with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and household incomes running above the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Danville deals with larger class sizes than the national average, cold winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Clean air
The not so good
- High student-teacher ratio
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Danville compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Danville
Based on Danville's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,302
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $46,040 a year
- 49% of Danville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$59,640
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $29,820
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 19% below US
$1,151/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,151 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $298,200. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $298,200 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Hendricks County is 3.0%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Hendricks County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 74% below US
84 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 429/100k · Danville Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.4 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; 13% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°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
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 5.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
37% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 37% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is George Rogers Clark National Historical Park (93 miles away).
Bottom line
Danville's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are cold winters and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit. A year of median rent ($1,151/mo) equals 14% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Danville
All Indiana guides →Not sure Danville is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.