What it's like to live in Speedway
Speedway 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 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. Speedway deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
How Speedway compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Speedway
Based on Speedway's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,282
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $45,640 a year
- 44% of Speedway renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$45,720
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $22,860
- Homes cost 3.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 19% below US
$1,141/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,141 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $228,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $228,600 · 44% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in Marion County is 3.7%, 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.
Marion County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 41% below US
195 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1951/100k · Speedway Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 15% below US
22 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% 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
Education & workforceNear US average
34% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 34% 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
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. 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.
Bottom line
Speedway'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 air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,141/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Speedway
All Indiana guides →Moving to Indianapolis →
6 mi away · pop. 885,860
Rent $1,156/mo · Income $66,219
Compare with Speedway →Moving to Brownsburg →
8 mi away · pop. 31,215
Rent $1,486/mo · Income $102,235
Compare with Speedway →Moving to Plainfield →
10 mi away · pop. 36,369
Rent $1,499/mo · Income $87,272
Compare with Speedway →Not sure Speedway is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.