Town · Madison County, Indiana

Pendleton, Indiana

Pendleton is a town in Madison County, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metro area. It has 5,321 residents. Pendleton, Indiana has a quality-of-life score of 35 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,166 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Indiana it ranks #200 of 353 cities and towns. It ranks best on new homes permitted (high), lack of reliable transportation (low) and food insecurity (low). It ranks worst on drug overdose deaths (high), public EV charging ports (low) and food environment index (low).

35Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,166 of 15,651 cities and towns
Indiana: #200 of 353 in IN
Population: 5,321 (2020-2024)
Land area: 14 mi²
Density: 393.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 1858662

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 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.

Safety43#8,831/15,637
Economy44#8,826/15,631
Housing88#1,787/14,977
Health33#10,476/15,609
Healthcare22#12,179/15,650
Environment28#11,181/15,453
Education46#8,495/15,649
Infrastructure61#6,102/15,650
Community30#10,968/15,651
Leisure & amenities17#12,976/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Pendleton, Indiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Madison 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

New homes permitted · high20.7 /1k
96/100Indiana 3.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Lack of reliable transportation · low5.9%
85/100Indiana 8.1%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Food insecurity · low10.1%
81/100Indiana 15.3%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Distance to an emergency room · low4.0 mi
79/100Indiana 5.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMadison County value
Social associations · high11.7 /10k
74/100Indiana 11.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMadison County value
Rent-burdened households · low40.5%
74/100Indiana 48.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high33.2 /100k
6/100Indiana 18.5 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMadison County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.4 /10k
7/100Indiana 3.2 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyMadison County value
Food environment index · low6.6
9/100Indiana 6.5United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMadison County value
Primary care shortage · high17.0
9/100Indiana 7.8United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMadison County value
Voter turnout · low55.4%
12/100Indiana 59.4%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionMadison County value
Life expectancy · low73.1 yrs
12/100Indiana 75.6 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMadison County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
4,246 (2015-2019) → 5,321 (2020-2024)
+25%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.0% (2015-2019) → 92.1% (2020-2024)
+7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
31.2 /1k (2021) → 20.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−34%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateWorsening
5.4% (2015-2019) → 11.6% (2020-2024)
+6.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$66,497 (2015-2019) → $86,806 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
4.8% (2015-2019) → 10.3% (2020-2024)
+5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Pendleton, Indiana improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 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.

Improved2

Household income+31%$66,497 → $86,806
Broadband+7.2 points85.0% → 92.1%

Declined2

Uninsured+5.5 points4.8% → 10.3%
Price / income+0.6×2.3× → 2.9×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Pendleton, Indiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.9 min2015-2019	23.8 min2020-2024	−4.1 min	Within the margin of error	86%
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.6%2015-2019	33.6%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Broadband subscriptions	85.0%2015-2019	92.1%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Improved	45%
Effective property tax rate	0.91%2015-2019	0.77%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%
High school diploma or higher	94.8%2015-2019	95.4%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	44%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4122015-2019	0.4812020-2024	+0.069	Within the margin of error	10%
Median household income	$66,4972015-2019	$86,8062020-2024	+31%	Improved	56%
Poverty rate	6.3%2015-2019	9.1%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	24.7%2015-2019	25.9%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Rent-burdened households	41.7%2015-2019	40.5%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Unemployment rate	5.0%2015-2019	5.2%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.8%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	+5.5 points	Declined	9%

“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 Pendleton, Indiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Pendleton, 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, Pendleton, Indiana itself moved −3.1 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

5,321 residents (±176)

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

2,060 households (±180)

Pendleton, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $25k12%†256
$25k–50k18%†363
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,060 households (±180)

Pendleton, Indiana
Indiana share

Own73%1,514
Rent27%546

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

2,652 workers (±221)

Pendleton, Indiana
Indiana share

Drive alone72%1,913
Carpool6.2%†164
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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, 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 Madison County, the county holding most of Pendleton's residents.

Madison County has 2,353 employer establishments, 178 for every 10,000 residents (0.72× the US rate of 248; 0.79× Indiana's), with 34,645 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,433. The Census Bureau also counts 8,172 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,353; 8,172 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 178; US 248 · Indiana 226
Paid employees: 34,645
Average annual pay: $46,433; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	206	15.6	0.75×Fewer than typical	2,468	$60,714	295
Restaurants and other eating places	192	14.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	3,826	$18,433	41
Specialty trade contractors	147	11.1	0.72×Fewer than typical	1,207	$61,457	650
Religious organizations	109	8.3	1.49×More than typical	696	$19,628	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	102	7.7	1.15×About typical	536	$41,425	683
Full-service restaurants	89	6.7	0.88×About typical	1,722	$20,609	16
Limited-service restaurants	85	6.4	0.80×About typical	1,956	$16,521	21
Lessors of real estate	78	5.9	0.48×Fewer than typical	179	$38,721	575
Automotive repair and maintenance	75	5.7	1.13×About typical	418	$43,703	113
Construction of buildings	67	5.1	0.67×Fewer than typical	383	$66,084	310
Offices of physicians	65	4.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	747	$96,440	39
Landscaping services	64	4.8	1.38×More than typical	315	$40,622	270

Rank places for an industry Open Madison County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 132,031 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 $72.05 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Pendleton, Indiana: $0.01 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $72.05
Per resident: $0.01; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; 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

Department of Veterans Affairs$72.05100%

Top recipients

PREVAIL PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS, INC.$72.05100%

Spending by fiscal year

25.4KFY2017
16.4KFY2018
8.8KFY2019
10.4KFY2020
8.6KFY2021
4.9KFY2022
3.7KFY2023
4.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$72.05100%

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

Pendleton, Indiana's figures are part of those of Madison County, IN ($9.8M 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: Pendleton is mostly in Madison County.

See federal money in Madison 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.

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

House

Victoria SpartzR-IN-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 6.7%

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.

Madison County31100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN68

Other cities and towns in Madison 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/1858662

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends