City · Lawrence County, Indiana

Mitchell, Indiana

Mitchell is a city in Lawrence County, Indiana, part of the Bedford, IN metro area. It has 3,937 residents. Mitchell, Indiana has a quality-of-life score of 29 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,112 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Indiana it ranks #251 of 353 cities and towns. It ranks best on property crime rate (low), preventable hospital stays (low) and drought exposure (low). It ranks worst on broadband subscriptions (low), adult obesity (high) and restaurants and bars (low).

29Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,112 of 15,651 cities and towns
Indiana: #251 of 353 in IN
Population: 3,937 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 1,095.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 1849950

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety83#2,629/15,637
Economy9#14,253/15,631
Housing74#3,903/14,977
Health8#14,304/15,609
Healthcare25#11,695/15,650
Environment67#5,111/15,453
Education42#9,138/15,649
Infrastructure9#14,203/15,650
Community50#7,808/15,651
Leisure & amenities7#14,564/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Mitchell, Indiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lawrence 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 · low139 /100k
100/100Indiana 1,052 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationLawrence County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,187 /100k
99/100Indiana 3,202 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLawrence County value
Drought exposure · low0%
96/100Indiana 19%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAALawrence County value
Violent crime rate · low57 /100k
96/100Indiana 254 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationLawrence County value
Social associations · high14.6 /10k
90/100Indiana 11.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLawrence County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Indiana 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLawrence County value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low78.7%
3/100Indiana 89.9%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Adult obesity · high44.7%
5/100Indiana 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Restaurants and bars · low4.4 /10k
6/100Indiana 8.2 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLawrence County value
Adult smoking · high22.0%
6/100Indiana 17.8%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.8 /10k
8/100Indiana 3.8 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLawrence County value
Frequent mental distress · high21.3%
9/100Indiana 19.3%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
4,261 (2015-2019) → 3,937 (2020-2024)
−7.6%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.5 /1k (2021) → 2.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+456%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateWorsening
14.3% (2015-2019) → 34.4% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.7× (2015-2019) → 2.3× (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
42.1% (2015-2019) → 48.2% (2020-2024)
+6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateWorsening
14.6% (2015-2019) → 20.7% (2020-2024)
+6.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Mitchell, Indiana improved on 0 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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.

Declined2

Child poverty+20 points14.3% → 34.4%
Price / income+0.6×1.7× → 2.3×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Mitchell, Indiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.2 min2015-2019	20.2 min2020-2024	−4.0 min	Within the margin of error	85%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.6%2015-2019	14.4%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Broadband subscriptions	74.2%2015-2019	78.7%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Child poverty rate	14.3%2015-2019	34.4%2020-2024	+20 points	Declined	4%
Effective property tax rate	0.86%2015-2019	1.07%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	3%
High school diploma or higher	76.4%2015-2019	82.2%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	40%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3982015-2019	0.4582020-2024	+0.060	Within the margin of error	13%
Median household income	$43,0252015-2019	$48,9302020-2024	+14%	Within the margin of error	22%
Poverty rate	14.6%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	+6.1 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.8%2015-2019	29.2%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Rent-burdened households	42.1%2015-2019	48.2%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.5%2015-2019	12.5%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	68%

“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 Mitchell, Indiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mitchell, 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, Mitchell, Indiana itself moved −10.3 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

3,937 residents (±16)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

1,525 households (±176)

Mitchell, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $25k24%†359
$25k–50k30%†451
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,525 households (±176)

Mitchell, Indiana
Indiana share

Own62%940
Rent38%585

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,687 workers (±205)

Mitchell, Indiana
Indiana share

Drive alone78%1,310
Carpool16%†266
Public transit0.0%0

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 Bedford, 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 Lawrence County, the county holding most of Mitchell's residents.

Lawrence County has 909 employer establishments, 202 for every 10,000 residents (0.81× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Indiana's), with 12,033 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,979. The Census Bureau also counts 2,854 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 909; 2,854 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 202; US 248 · Indiana 226
Paid employees: 12,033
Average annual pay: $47,979; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	69	15.3	0.73×Fewer than typical	847	$56,367	79
Specialty trade contractors	55	12.2	0.79×Fewer than typical	414	$57,087	298
Religious organizations	53	11.8	2.12×More than typical	253	$21,075	—
Restaurants and other eating places	43	9.5	0.52×Fewer than typical	1,080	$18,245	10
Lessors of real estate	31	6.9	0.56×Fewer than typical	57	$41,895	257
Gasoline stations	27	6	1.85×More than typical	240	$24,142	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	27	6	0.89×About typical	97	$44,629	237
Building equipment contractors	26	5.8	0.96×About typical	166	$56,271	58
Construction of buildings	25	5.6	0.73×Fewer than typical	160	$60,500	160
Insurance agencies and brokerages	25	5.6	1.26×More than typical	102	$61,853	47
Limited-service restaurants	22	4.9	0.61×Fewer than typical	518	$18,656	5
Offices of physicians	21	4.7	0.72×Fewer than typical	231	$90,121	8

Rank places for an industry Open Lawrence County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 45,044 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 $33.9K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Mitchell, Indiana: $8.61 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $33.9K; −93% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8.61; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Federal Acquisition Service$33K97%
Department of the Navy$9272.7%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

1.3KFY2017
3.5KFY2018
754.1FY2019
508.4FY2020
708.4FY2021
29.3KFY2022
38.5KFY2023
37.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$33K97%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$9272.7%

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 Mitchell, Indiana, so they do not add up across cities.

Mitchell, Indiana's figures are part of those of Lawrence County, IN ($34.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Lawrence 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.

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

House

Erin HouchinR-IN-9 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.9%

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.

Lawrence County56100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Bedford, IN44

Other cities and towns in Lawrence 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/1849950

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends