Town · Grant County, Indiana

Sweetser, Indiana

Sweetser is a town in Grant County, Indiana, part of the Marion, IN metro area. It has 1,061 residents. Sweetser, Indiana has a quality-of-life score of 30 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,974 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Indiana it ranks #244 of 353 cities and towns. It ranks best on unemployment rate (low), home price to income ratio (low) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on premature death (high), voter turnout (low) and life expectancy (low).

30Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,974 of 15,651 cities and towns
Indiana: #244 of 353 in IN
Population: 1,061 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,052.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 1874546

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety49#7,990/15,637
Economy48#8,073/15,631
Housing66#5,112/14,977
Health29#11,113/15,609
Healthcare27#11,358/15,650
Environment22#12,074/15,453
Education34#10,258/15,649
Infrastructure46#8,401/15,650
Community43#8,849/15,651
Leisure & amenities16#13,140/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Unemployment rate · low0.7%
94/100Indiana 3.7%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
94/100Indiana 3.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Social associations · high15.1 /10k
91/100Indiana 11.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrant County value
Violent crime rate · low75 /100k
91/100Indiana 254 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationGrant County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.342
91/100Indiana 0.452United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Public libraries · high1.2 /10k
81/100Indiana 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesGrant County value

Weaknesses

Premature death · high15,005 /100k
4/100Indiana 9,486 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrant County value
Voter turnout · low49.9%
4/100Indiana 59.4%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionGrant County value
Life expectancy · low70.9 yrs
4/100Indiana 75.6 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrant County value
New business applications · low8.2 /1k
8/100Indiana 12.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauGrant County value
Injury deaths · high130 /100k
10/100Indiana 96 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrant County value
Dental care shortage · high17.0
12/100Indiana 6.4United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationGrant County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,292 (2015-2019) → 1,061 (2020-2024)
−18%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
22.6% (2015-2019) → 65.6% (2020-2024)
+43 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 20.0% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
17.9% (2015-2019) → 37.1% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.9% (2015-2019) → 97.1% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
17.0% (2015-2019) → 28.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Sweetser, Indiana improved on 2 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 7 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++12 points17.0% → 28.9%
Household income+38%$58,426 → $80,625

Declined1

Rent / income+19 points17.9% → 37.1%

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Sweetser, Indiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.2 min2015-2019	21.5 min2020-2024	−2.7 min	Within the margin of error	77%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.0%2015-2019	28.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	93%
Broadband subscriptions	81.9%2015-2019	97.1%2020-2024	+15 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Effective property tax rate	0.64%2015-2019	0.68%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	12%
High school diploma or higher	91.5%2015-2019	97.6%2020-2024	+6.1 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	1.9×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	67%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3232015-2019	0.3422020-2024	+0.019	Within the margin of error	35%
Median household income	$58,4262015-2019	$80,6252020-2024	+38%	Improved	71%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	17.9%2015-2019	37.1%2020-2024	+19 points	Declined	3%

“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 Sweetser, Indiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sweetser, 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, Sweetser, Indiana itself moved +2.2 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

1,061 residents (±369)

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: 70–79 men (−3.7 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

1,061 residents (±369)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

White91%†969
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino1.8%†19

Education

751 residents (±252)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

No high school diploma2.4%†18
High school or GED36%†268
Some college26%†

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

453 households (±154)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $25k11%†52
$25k–50k23%†103
$50k–75k9.9%†45
$75k–100k28%†129
$100k–150k17%†77
$150k–200k8.6%†39
$200k or more1.8%†8

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (−11.2 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 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

453 households (±154)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

Own81%†365
Rent19%†88

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

61 households (±53)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $75026%†16
$750–1,00015%†9
$1,000–1,50059%†36

Home values

365 homes (±124)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $150k49%†178
$150k–250k36%†131
$250k–400k15%†56

Age of homes

480 homes (±162)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

2010 or later5.4%†26
2000–20094.6%†22
1980–199929%†140

Size of homes

480 homes (±162)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

Studio2.3%†11
1 bedroom8.8%†42
2 bedrooms9.4%†45

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

574 workers (±216)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

Drive alone84%†482
Carpool8.5%†49
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home6.3%†36
Other1.2%†7

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+5.3 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

538 workers (±214)

Sweetser, Indiana
Indiana share

Under 15 min58%†310
15–29 min11%†61
30–44 min17%†94

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 Marion, 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 Grant County, the county holding most of Sweetser's residents.

Grant County has 1,261 employer establishments, 191 for every 10,000 residents (0.77× the US rate of 248; 0.84× Indiana's), with 28,381 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,621. The Census Bureau also counts 3,540 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,261; 3,540 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 191; US 248 · Indiana 226
Paid employees: 28,381
Average annual pay: $43,621; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	109	16.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,576	$41,421	130
Restaurants and other eating places	104	15.7	0.86×About typical	2,312	$16,858	19
Religious organizations	80	12.1	2.18×More than typical	667	$25,100	—
Specialty trade contractors	60	9.1	0.59×Fewer than typical	590	$68,254	226
Gasoline stations	56	8.5	2.61×More than typical	450	$25,224	—
Limited-service restaurants	51	7.7	0.96×About typical	1,426	$14,916	9
Full-service restaurants	41	6.2	0.81×About typical	806	$19,408	8
Automotive repair and maintenance	40	6	1.20×About typical	159	$39,226	55
Building equipment contractors	33	5	0.83×About typical	307	$67,407	32
Construction of buildings	33	5	0.66×Fewer than typical	189	$46,111	115
Lessors of real estate	33	5	0.40×Fewer than typical	83	$31,759	336
Offices of other health practitioners	33	5	0.82×About typical	679	$37,125	62

Rank places for an industry Open Grant County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 66,188 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Grant 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.

Sweetser, 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.

Grant County32100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Marion, IN25

Other cities and towns in Grant 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
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

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