What it's like to live in Greenfield

Greenfield is a small city in Indiana with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Greenfield deals with cold winters and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

  • Rent below the national average
  • Affordable home prices
  • Low unemployment
  • Low crime rates
  • Fast-growing population
  • Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

  • Cold winters
  • Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Greenfield compares

Median household income

Greenfield$76,127
Indiana avg$71,957
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Greenfield$1,177
Indiana avg$1,062
US$1,413

Median home value

Greenfield$216,400
Indiana avg$218,200
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Greenfield

Based on Greenfield's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,354

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $47,080 a year
  • 48% of Greenfield renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$43,280

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $21,640
  • Homes cost 2.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▼ 17% below US

$1,177/mo median rent

Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,177 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $216,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.

Median home value $216,400 · 48% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▼ 26% below US

3.2% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.2%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 53% below US

181 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 779/100k · Greenfield Police Department · 2023 data

Getting aroundNear US average

26 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 25.7 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; 11% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
79%
Work from home
11%
Carpool
7.0%
Other
1.7%
Walk
1.3%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 21°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
10°30°50°70°90°6"Jan: 3.29" precipitationFeb: 2.58" precipitationMar: 3.65" precipitationApr: 4.72" precipitationMay: 5.29" precipitationJun: 5.69" precipitationJul: 4.75" precipitationAug: 3.73" precipitationSep: 3.71" precipitationOct: 3.47" precipitationNov: 3.67" precipitationDec: 3.22" precipitation19°JJan: high 35°F, low 19°FFFeb: high 39°F, low 22°FMMar: high 50°F, low 30°FAApr: high 62°F, low 41°FMMay: high 73°F, low 52°FJJun: high 81°F, low 61°F84°JJul: high 84°F, low 64°FAAug: high 83°F, low 62°FSSep: high 78°F, low 55°FOOct: high 65°F, low 43°FNNov: high 51°F, low 33°FDDec: high 39°F, low 24°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▼ 27% below US

26% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 26%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

6 public schools inside the boundary

There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, 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 William Howard Taft National Historic Site (82 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Greenfield'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 ($1,177/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers, and anyone prioritizing low crime.

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