Census-designated place · Whitley County, Indiana

Tri-Lakes, Indiana

Tri-Lakes is a census-designated place in Whitley County, Indiana, part of the Fort Wayne, IN metro area. It has 1,025 residents. Tri-Lakes, Indiana has a quality-of-life score of 74 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,058 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Indiana it ranks #27 of 353 cities and towns. It ranks best on unemployment rate (low), uninsured residents (under 65) (low) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), access to exercise opportunities (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high).

74High

Quality-of-life score: #4,058 of 15,651 cities and towns
Indiana: #27 of 353 in IN
Population: 1,025 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 300.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 1876526

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety72#4,398/15,637
Economy82#2,796/15,631
Housing—
Health62#5,905/15,609
Healthcare65#5,425/15,650
Environment48#7,977/15,453
Education73#4,282/15,649
Infrastructure59#6,495/15,650
Community70#4,704/15,651
Leisure & amenities37#9,852/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Tri-Lakes, Indiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Whitley 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 · low0.0%
98/100Indiana 3.7%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.0%
98/100Indiana 9.0%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Indiana 5.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWhitley County value
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Indiana 7.8United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWhitley County value
Natural hazard risk · low7.6
88/100Indiana 24.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyWhitley County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low120 min
87/100Indiana 148 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWhitley County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low7.2 /1k
3/100Indiana 12.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauWhitley County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low53.8%
13/100Indiana 76.2%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWhitley County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.8 µg/m³
18/100Indiana 8.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWhitley County value
Traffic deaths · high20.8 /100k
19/100Indiana 13.3 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataWhitley County value
Pharmacies · low1.1 /10k
20/100Indiana 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWhitley County value
Grocery stores · low1.1 /10k
21/100Indiana 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWhitley County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,750 (2015-2019) → 1,025 (2020-2024)
−41%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
13.8% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
29.2% (2015-2019) → 41.8% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
83.5% (2015-2019) → 95.1% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$85,804 (2015-2019) → $115,250 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
4.6% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−4.6 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, Tri-Lakes, Indiana improved on 0 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Tri-Lakes, Indiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	28.2 min2015-2019	28.5 min2020-2024	+0.4 min	Within the margin of error	43%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.2%2015-2019	41.8%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Broadband subscriptions	83.5%2015-2019	95.1%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Effective property tax rate	0.80%2015-2019	0.64%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	50%
High school diploma or higher	95.2%2015-2019	97.1%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	80%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3712015-2019	0.3462020-2024	−0.026	Within the margin of error	71%
Median household income	$85,8042015-2019	$115,2502020-2024	+34%	Within the margin of error	64%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Unemployment rate	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	49%

“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 Tri-Lakes, Indiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Tri-Lakes, 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, Tri-Lakes, Indiana itself moved +8.9 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

1,025 residents (±264)

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: 60–69 men (+7.6 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,025 residents (±264)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

White83%852
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino0.0%0

Education

839 residents (±229)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

No high school diploma2.9%†24
High school or GED19%†159
Some college15%†

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

468 households (±124)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $25k8.1%†38
$25k–50k13%†63
$50k–75k8.1%†38
$75k–100k9.0%†42
$100k–150k27%†125
$150k–200k19%†88
$200k or more16%†74

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 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

468 households (±124)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

Own98%460
Rent1.7%†8

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

8 households (±21)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,000100%†8
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

460 homes (±121)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $150k2.6%†12
$150k–250k31%†143
$250k–400k28%†127

Age of homes

686 homes (±141)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

2010 or later20%†138
2000–20099.2%†63
1980–199926%†180

Size of homes

686 homes (±141)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom12%†79
2 bedrooms15%†106

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

600 workers (±227)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

Drive alone84%†501
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home17%†99
Other0.0%0

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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

501 workers (±176)

Tri-Lakes, Indiana
Indiana share

Under 15 min11%†54
15–29 min42%†209
30–44 min36%†180

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 Fort Wayne, 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 Whitley County, the county holding most of Tri-Lakes's residents.

Whitley County has 699 employer establishments, 201 for every 10,000 residents (0.81× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Indiana's), with 12,810 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,631. The Census Bureau also counts 2,336 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 699; 2,336 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 201; US 248 · Indiana 226
Paid employees: 12,810
Average annual pay: $56,631; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	48	13.8	0.75×Fewer than typical	907	$15,129	6
Specialty trade contractors	48	13.8	0.89×About typical	377	$75,085	193
Ambulatory health care services	34	9.8	0.47×Fewer than typical	337	$72,086	65
Religious organizations	32	9.2	1.66×More than typical	196	$19,980	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	24	6.9	1.37×More than typical	165	$43,279	30
Limited-service restaurants	24	6.9	0.86×About typical	565	$16,057	4
Building equipment contractors	21	6	1.00×About typical	210	$72,590	35
Lessors of real estate	21	6	0.49×Fewer than typical	72	$87,736	243
Services to buildings and dwellings	21	6	0.89×About typical	78	$36,744	181
Construction of buildings	18	5.2	0.68×Fewer than typical	79	$57,608	95
Full-service restaurants	18	5.2	0.67×Fewer than typical	282	$14,309	—
Truck transportation	18	5.2	1.02×About typical	177	$47,960	60

Rank places for an industry Open Whitley County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 34,832 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 $5.8M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Tri-Lakes, Indiana: $5,652 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $5.8M; −15% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,652; US $1,994
Sole-source: 1.2%; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

3.1MFY2017
3.6MFY2018
3.4MFY2019
5MFY2020
5.1MFY2021
6.2MFY2022
5.6MFY2023
36.7K

Top industries (NAICS)

Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$5.7M99%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$37.2K0.6%
Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$34.9K0.6%
Other textile product mills · 3149$4080.0%
Fiber, yarn, and thread mills · 3131$10.830.0%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$8.300.0%

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 Tri-Lakes, Indiana, so they do not add up across cities.

Tri-Lakes, Indiana's figures are part of those of Whitley County, IN ($336.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.7% of that total.

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

See federal money in Whitley 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.

Tri-Lakes, Indiana is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Marlin A. StutzmanR-IN-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 3.0%

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.

Whitley County76100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Fort Wayne, IN63

Other cities and towns in Whitley 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

JSON · /api/v1/places/1876526

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends