Scores by category

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

Safety22#12,241/15,637
Economy74#4,021/15,631
Housing78#3,354/14,977
Health44#8,703/15,609
Healthcare32#10,600/15,650
Environment34#10,123/15,453
Education94#938/15,649
Infrastructure73#4,200/15,650
Community81#2,998/15,651
Leisure & amenities10#14,106/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Math scores · high3.81
100/100Indiana 3.19United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSpencer County value
Reading scores · high3.57
99/100Indiana 3.08United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSpencer County value
Public libraries · high3.0 /10k
96/100Indiana 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSpencer County value
Broadband subscriptions · high96.9%
92/100Indiana 89.9%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Child care cost burden · low21.5%
90/100Indiana 30.8%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSpencer County value
Social associations · high14.6 /10k
90/100Indiana 11.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSpencer County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-6.4%
1/100Indiana -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSpencer County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Indiana 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSpencer County value
Mental health providers · low55 /100k
6/100Indiana 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSpencer County value
Restaurants and bars · low4.5 /10k
7/100Indiana 8.2 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSpencer County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high113 mi
8/100Indiana 29 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauSpencer County value
Traffic deaths · high28.1 /100k
9/100Indiana 13.3 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataSpencer County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
2.6 /1k (2021) → 1.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−58%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
87.5% (2015-2019) → 96.9% (2020-2024)
+9.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
33.5% (2015-2019) → 42.3% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
8.2% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.2× (2015-2019) → 2.9× (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
39.0% (2015-2019) → 32.5% (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, Santa Claus, Indiana improved on 2 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 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

Bachelor's++8.8 points33.5% → 42.3%
Broadband+9.4 points87.5% → 96.9%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Santa Claus, Indiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.1 min2015-2019	29.6 min2020-2024	+2.5 min	Within the margin of error	23%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.5%2015-2019	42.3%2020-2024	+8.8 points	Improved	87%
Broadband subscriptions	87.5%2015-2019	96.9%2020-2024	+9.4 points	Improved	57%
Effective property tax rate	0.72%2015-2019	0.57%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	47%
High school diploma or higher	97.2%2015-2019	98.6%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	34%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4172015-2019	0.3682020-2024	−0.048	Within the margin of error	83%
Median household income	$77,4262015-2019	$89,6592020-2024	+16%	Within the margin of error	25%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.6%2015-2019	23.3%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	84%

“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 Santa Claus, Indiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Santa Claus, 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, Santa Claus, Indiana itself moved +6.9 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

2,793 residents (±272)

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: 30–39 women (−4.2 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

2,793 residents (±272)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

White95%2,651
Black0.5%†14
Hispanic or Latino1.6%†44

Education

1,866 residents (±169)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

No high school diploma1.4%†27
High school or GED25%464
Some college22%409

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

1,048 households (±98)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $25k9.5%†100
$25k–50k11%†114
$50k–75k19%†198
$75k–100k14%†150
$100k–150k22%†227
$150k–200k15%†155
$200k or more9.9%†104

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+8.0 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

1,048 households (±98)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

Own92%968
Rent7.6%†80

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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

80 households (±30)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $75014%†11
$750–1,00010%†8
$1,000–1,50074%†59

Home values

968 homes (±93)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $150k14%†135
$150k–250k32%310
$250k–400k41%398

Age of homes

1,111 homes (±105)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

2010 or later12%†128
2000–200919%216
1980–199949%549

Size of homes

1,111 homes (±105)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom1.0%†11
2 bedrooms13%†141

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

1,247 workers (±189)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

Drive alone86%1,069
Carpool3.3%†41
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.8%†10
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.1%†114
Other1.0%†13

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−4.6 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,133 workers (±194)

Santa Claus, Indiana
Indiana share

Under 15 min32%367
15–29 min26%†291
30–44 min20%†232

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

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 Spencer County, the county holding most of Santa Claus's residents.

Spencer County has 423 employer establishments, 211 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.93× Indiana's), with 5,132 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,480. The Census Bureau also counts 1,244 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 423; 1,244 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 211; US 248 · Indiana 226
Paid employees: 5,132
Average annual pay: $54,480; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	33	16.5	1.07×About typical	185	$70,519	106
Religious organizations	25	12.5	2.25×More than typical	110	$18,809	—
Truck transportation	23	11.5	2.27×More than typical	274	$54,464	44
Restaurants and other eating places	22	11	0.60×Fewer than typical	211	$14,872	—
Ambulatory health care services	18	9	0.43×Fewer than typical	124	$55,831	38
Lessors of real estate	17	8.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	51	$43,039	151
Gasoline stations	16	8	2.47×More than typical	111	$25,658	—
Construction of buildings	15	7.5	0.99×About typical	70	$52,529	49
Banks and credit unions	12	6	1.86×More than typical	88	$40,875	—
Building equipment contractors	12	6	1.00×About typical	46	$77,826	14
Services to buildings and dwellings	12	6	0.89×About typical	197	$43,807	96
Insurance agencies and brokerages	11	5.5	1.25×More than typical	30	$59,300	33

Rank places for an industry Open Spencer County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 20,014 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 Santa Claus, Indiana: $0 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,995
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

5.9KFY2017
3KFY2018
3.6KFY2019
135.4FY2020
5.5KFY2021
4.2KFY2022
-4KFY2023
8.7KFY2024
302.1FY2025

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Santa Claus, Indiana, so they do not add up across cities.

Santa Claus, Indiana's figures are part of those of Spencer County, IN ($9,006 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: Santa Claus is mostly in Spencer County.

See federal money in Spencer 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.

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

House

Mark B. MessmerR-IN-8 · 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.

Spencer County58100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Spencer 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/1868022