Scores by category

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

Safety53#7,385/15,637
Economy14#13,450/15,631
Housing77#3,434/14,977
Health17#12,957/15,609
Healthcare12#13,705/15,650
Environment25#11,590/15,453
Education52#7,570/15,649
Infrastructure10#14,015/15,650
Community32#10,569/15,651
Leisure & amenities3#15,248/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sullivan, Indiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Sullivan 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 · low332 /100k
96/100Indiana 1,052 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureSullivan County value
Public libraries · high2.9 /10k
95/100Indiana 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSullivan County value
Drought exposure · low5%
85/100Indiana 19%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASullivan County value
Math scores · high3.33
85/100Indiana 3.19United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSullivan County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100Indiana 2 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySullivan County value
Reading scores · high3.19
74/100Indiana 3.08United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSullivan County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low6.0 /1k
1/100Indiana 12.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauSullivan County value
Job growth · low-5.6%
1/100Indiana -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSullivan County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.0 /10k
2/100Indiana 3.8 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSullivan County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low32.8%
3/100Indiana 76.2%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSullivan County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Indiana 3.2 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergySullivan County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Indiana 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSullivan County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
1.4 /1k (2021) → 2.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+99%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
69.3% (2015-2019) → 84.6% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
59.1% (2015-2019) → 46.8% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
85.0% (2015-2019) → 96.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$34,402 (2015-2019) → $46,551 (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
35.8% (2015-2019) → 29.4% (2020-2024)
−6.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Sullivan, Indiana improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 13 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.

Improved1

Broadband+15 points69.3% → 84.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Sullivan, Indiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.1 min2015-2019	22.5 min2020-2024	+4.4 min	Within the margin of error	12%
Bachelor's degree or higher	8.5%2015-2019	12.8%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Broadband subscriptions	69.3%2015-2019	84.6%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	80%
Child poverty rate	20.7%2015-2019	24.0%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Effective property tax rate	0.79%2015-2019	0.66%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	43%
High school diploma or higher	85.0%2015-2019	96.3%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	41%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4042015-2019	0.3982020-2024	−0.006	Within the margin of error	56%
Median household income	$34,4022015-2019	$46,5512020-2024	+35%	Within the margin of error	66%
Poverty rate	15.8%2015-2019	19.6%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	35.8%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	−6.4 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Rent-burdened households	59.1%2015-2019	46.8%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.8%2015-2019	7.4%2020-2024	−5.4 points	Within the margin of error	88%

“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 Sullivan, Indiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sullivan, 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, Sullivan, Indiana itself moved +11.7 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

4,252 residents (±24)

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: Under 10 men (+6.1 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

4,252 residents (±24)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

White91%3,854
Black0.3%†12
Hispanic or Latino1.1%†48
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.3%†12
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races7.7%†326

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other or two or more races (+6.9 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,650 residents (±192)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

No high school diploma3.7%†98
High school or GED44%1,173
Some college24%646
Associate degree15%†393
Bachelor's degree9.0%†239
Graduate degree3.8%†101

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (−11.3 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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

1,749 households (±156)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $25k23%†395
$25k–50k30%†517
$50k–75k25%†432
$75k–100k13%†226
$100k–150k4.3%†76
$150k–200k5.1%†90
$200k or more0.7%†13

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−18.1 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

1,749 households (±156)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

Own64%1,128
Rent36%621

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

621 households (±140)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $75034%†213
$750–1,00042%†262
$1,000–1,50017%†105

Home values

1,128 homes (±166)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $150k66%750
$150k–250k31%†355
$250k–400k1.2%†13

Age of homes

2,159 homes (±235)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

2010 or later6.7%†145
2000–200910%†222
1980–199913%†273

Size of homes

2,159 homes (±235)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

Studio13%†283
1 bedroom5.3%†115
2 bedrooms36%†767

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

2,028 workers (±202)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

Drive alone81%1,645
Carpool8.9%†180
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.1%†62
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.0%†141
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+6.3 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,887 workers (±201)

Sullivan, Indiana
Indiana share

Under 15 min45%855
15–29 min22%†413
30–44 min18%†335

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 Terre Haute, 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 Sullivan County, the county holding most of Sullivan's residents.

Sullivan County has 325 employer establishments, 157 for every 10,000 residents (0.63× the US rate of 248; 0.69× Indiana's), with 4,125 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,792. The Census Bureau also counts 1,006 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 325; 1,006 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 157; US 248 · Indiana 226
Paid employees: 4,125
Average annual pay: $50,792; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	24	11.6	0.63×Fewer than typical	378	$16,222	—
Specialty trade contractors	19	9.2	0.59×Fewer than typical	116	$60,284	88
Religious organizations	18	8.7	1.57×More than typical	84	$19,619	—
Ambulatory health care services	16	7.7	0.37×Fewer than typical	52	$43,038	32
Gasoline stations	15	7.2	2.23×More than typical	119	$19,723	—
Truck transportation	15	7.2	1.43×More than typical	74	$34,649	26
Full-service restaurants	14	6.8	0.88×About typical	153	$18,484	—
Child day care services	11	5.3	2.18×More than typical	17	$15,824	23
Construction of buildings	8	3.9	0.51×Too few to compare	17	$22,882	51
Limited-service restaurants	8	3.9	0.48×Too few to compare	215	$15,005	—
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	7	3.4	1.07×Too few to compare	23	$77,304	10
General merchandise stores	7	3.4	1.91×Too few to compare	148	$32,764	12

Rank places for an industry Open Sullivan County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 20,714 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 $106 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sullivan, Indiana: $0.02 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $106; −94% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.02; 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

Department of the Navy$106100%

Top recipients

HARRELL CONTRACTING INC$106100%
SNODGRASS CONTRACTING LLC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

16.7FY2017
6KFY2018
1.2KFY2019
-211.9FY2020
31.1FY2023
483.2FY2024
1.7KFY2025
105.8FY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$106100%

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

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

See federal money in Sullivan 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.

Sullivan, 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.

Sullivan County27100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Terre Haute, IN21

Other cities and towns in Sullivan 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/1874006

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends