Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety96#606/15,637
Economy30#10,914/15,631
Housing68#4,748/14,977
Health39#9,582/15,609
Healthcare26#11,641/15,650
Environment47#8,213/15,453
Education62#5,975/15,649
Infrastructure44#8,709/15,650
Community53#7,300/15,651
Leisure & amenities22#12,221/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Berne, Indiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Adams County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Property crime rate · low163 /100k
100/100Indiana 1,052 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAdams County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Indiana 5.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataAdams County value
Social associations · high15.4 /10k
92/100Indiana 11.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAdams County value
Violent crime rate · low89 /100k
89/100Indiana 254 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAdams County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Indiana 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAdams County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low127 min
83/100Indiana 148 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAdams County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low5.9 /1k
0/100Indiana 12.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAdams County value
Mental health providers · low55 /100k
6/100Indiana 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAdams County value
Average weekly wage · low$966
13/100Indiana $1,251United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAdams County value
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100Indiana 3.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Adult smoking · high19.6%
14/100Indiana 17.8%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Voter turnout · low57.0%
15/100Indiana 59.4%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAdams County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
4,235 (2015-2019) → 3,965 (2020-2024)
−6.4%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
2.0 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.0% (2015-2019) → 88.4% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
25.3% (2015-2019) → 12.8% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$45,185 (2015-2019) → $62,159 (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
52.4% (2015-2019) → 45.9% (2020-2024)
−6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Berne, Indiana improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Berne, Indiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.8 min2015-2019	20.1 min2020-2024	+3.4 min	Within the margin of error	17%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.2%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Broadband subscriptions	74.0%2015-2019	88.4%2020-2024	+14 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Effective property tax rate	0.83%2015-2019	0.68%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
High school diploma or higher	93.5%2015-2019	93.7%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4162015-2019	0.4282020-2024	+0.011	Within the margin of error	41%
Median household income	$45,1852015-2019	$62,1592020-2024	+38%	Within the margin of error	70%
Poverty rate	16.3%2015-2019	12.3%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Rent as share of income	31.9%2015-2019	29.0%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent-burdened households	52.4%2015-2019	45.9%2020-2024	−6.5 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.1%2015-2019	5.9%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Berne, Indiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Berne, Indiana in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Berne, Indiana itself moved +4.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,965 residents (±288)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 80 and over women (−4.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,965 residents (±288)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

White93%3,699
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino5.4%†213

Education

2,597 residents (±219)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

No high school diploma6.3%†163
High school or GED46%1,202
Some college10%†265

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,488 households (±164)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $25k18%†263
$25k–50k24%†350
$50k–75k15%†220
$75k–100k17%†258
$100k–150k17%†260
$150k–200k5.3%†79
$200k or more3.9%†58

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−11.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,488 households (±164)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

Own70%1,037
Rent30%451

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

423 households (±140)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $75046%†194
$750–1,00025%†106
$1,000–1,50025%†104

Home values

1,037 homes (±137)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $150k49%503
$150k–250k42%439
$250k–400k8.3%†86

Age of homes

1,582 homes (±174)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

2010 or later6.3%†99
2000–20099.2%†145
1980–199922%†345

Size of homes

1,582 homes (±174)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

Studio4.1%†65
1 bedroom12%†189
2 bedrooms26%406

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,889 workers (±215)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

Drive alone78%1,466
Carpool5.8%†109
Public transit0.5%†9
Walk6.1%†115
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.6%†181
Other0.5%†9

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,708 workers (±207)

Berne, Indiana
Indiana share

Under 15 min49%833
15–29 min31%†535
30–44 min6.4%†109

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Decatur, IN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Adams County, the county holding most of Berne's residents.

Adams County has 768 employer establishments, 211 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.93× Indiana's), with 11,967 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,667. The Census Bureau also counts 3,694 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 768; 3,694 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 211; US 248 · Indiana 226
Paid employees: 11,967
Average annual pay: $48,667; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Adams County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	58	15.9	1.03×About typical	259	$55,278	398
Restaurants and other eating places	43	11.8	0.64×Fewer than typical	785	$15,166	12
Ambulatory health care services	36	9.9	0.47×Fewer than typical	377	$66,143	51
Religious organizations	35	9.6	1.73×More than typical	267	$18,730	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	30	8.2	1.64×More than typical	210	$39,157	47
Truck transportation	29	8	1.57×More than typical	294	$66,741	64
Construction of buildings	27	7.4	0.98×About typical	190	$47,953	1,067
Services to buildings and dwellings	24	6.6	0.98×About typical	75	$32,600	154
Building equipment contractors	21	5.8	0.96×About typical	126	$46,833	51
Insurance agencies and brokerages	21	5.8	1.31×More than typical	59	$56,915	44
Full-service restaurants	20	5.5	0.71×Fewer than typical	378	$13,299	3
Lessors of real estate	20	5.5	0.45×Fewer than typical	103	$43,621	267

Rank places for an industry Open Adams County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 36,438 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Berne, Indiana: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

48.7KFY2019
50.2KFY2020
399.6KFY2021
135.3KFY2022
60.7KFY2023
-8.5KFY2024

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Berne, Indiana, so they do not add up across cities.

Berne, Indiana's figures are part of those of Adams County, IN ($11M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Berne is mostly in Adams County.

See federal money in Adams County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Berne, Indiana is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Marlin A. StutzmanR-IN-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 3.0%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Adams County44100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Decatur, IN30

Other cities and towns in Adams County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1804888