Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety92#72/924
Economy82#171/925
Housing97#29/925
Health53#437/925
Healthcare28#662/923
Environment10#824/917
Education37#580/925
Infrastructure58#390/925
Community49#474/925
Leisure & amenities42#533/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Auburn, IN micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Property crime rate · low182 /100k
100/100Indiana 1,052 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · low8.4%
98/100Indiana 12.2%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · low60 /100k
98/100Indiana 254 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.407
95/100Indiana 0.452United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
94/100Indiana 29 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Rent-burdened households · low39.5%
88/100Indiana 48.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-7.0%
1/100Indiana -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Pharmacies · low0.7 /10k
5/100Indiana 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Adult obesity · high43.5%
6/100Indiana 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · low86 /100k
8/100Indiana 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.8 µg/m³
13/100Indiana 8.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high2 days
16/100Indiana 2 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
1% (2021) → 41% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+40 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Distance to an airportWorsening
29 mi (2020) → 70 mi (2025)
+142%5 yearsUS 33 mi → 33 mi
High ozone daysWorsening
1 days (2017) → 2 days (2022)
+100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Property crime rateImproving
887 /100k (2018) → 182 /100k (2025)
−80%7 yearsUS 2,185 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
47.1% (2010 & 2021) → 61.4% (2022 & 2024)
+14 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
15.6% (2020 & 2021) → 28.7% (2023 & 2024)
+13 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%

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, Auburn, IN micropolitan area improved on 11 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 7 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved11

Restaurants+13%8.3 /10k → 9.4 /10k
Child poverty−6.7 points18.5% → 11.7%
Overdose deaths−67%30.0 /100k → 10.0 /100k
Homicides−61%7.6 /100k → 3.0 /100k
Weekly wage+27%$980 → $1,249

Declined8

Airport+41 mi29 mi → 70 mi
Grocery stores−31%1.6 /10k → 1.1 /10k
Traffic deaths+45%12.6 /100k → 18.3 /100k
Pharmacies−27%0.9 /10k → 0.7 /10k
Commute+1.9 min19.4 min → 21.3 min

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Auburn, IN micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.7 /10k2020	3.8 /10k2025	+3.3%	Little change	36%
Average commute time	19.4 min2015-2019	21.3 min2020-2024	+1.9 min	Declined	13%
Average weekly wage	$9802020	$1,2492025	+27%	Improved	82%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.0%2015-2019	20.2%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Broadband subscriptions	78.1%2015-2019	88.1%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	62%
Child poverty rate	18.5%2015-2019	11.7%2020-2024	−6.7 points	Improved	87%
Distance to an airport	29 mi2020	70 mi2025	+41 mi	Declined	1%
Drug overdose deaths	30.0 /100k2020	10.0 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−67%	Improved	95%
Effective property tax rate	0.74%2015-2019	0.61%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	53%
Firearm deaths	13.0 /100k2020	10.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−18%	Improved	80%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−31%	Declined	3%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	−27%	Declined	14%
High school diploma or higher	90.2%2015-2019	92.9%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	55%
Homicide rate	7.6 /100k2020	3.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−61%	Improved	85%
Income adjusted for local prices	$50,6992019	$67,3102024	+33%	Improved	58%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4262015-2019	0.4072020-2024	−0.019	Within the margin of error	89%
Median household income	$56,4212015-2019	$74,3312020-2024	+32%	Improved	74%
New business applications	6.4 /1k2020	9.1 /1k2025	+43%	Improved	45%
Pharmacies	0.9 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	−27%	Declined	11%
Poverty rate	11.3%2015-2019	9.5%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Public libraries	1.4 /10k2019	1.4 /10k2024	−1.8%	Little change	49%
Rent as share of income	23.9%2015-2019	26.4%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Rent-burdened households	34.9%2015-2019	39.5%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Restaurants and bars	8.3 /10k2020	9.4 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	86%
Suicide rate	13.2 /100k2020	15.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+19%	Declined	26%
Traffic deaths	12.6 /100k2015-2019	18.3 /100k2020-2024	+45%	Declined	8%
Unemployment rate	7.1%2020	3.3%2025	−3.8 points	Improved	74%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.2%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	76%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Auburn, IN micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Auburn, IN micropolitan area 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, Auburn, IN micropolitan area itself moved +1.3 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

43,807 residents

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

17,096 households (±290)

Auburn, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k13%2,194
$25k–50k21%3,531
$50k–75k17%2,865

Homes

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

Owners and renters

17,096 households (±290)

Auburn, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Own82%14,029
Rent18%3,067

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+6.0 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

21,644 workers (±484)

Auburn, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone81%17,628
Carpool11%2,358
Public transit0.2%†33

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 no occupation wages for Auburn, IN micropolitan area.

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.

Auburn, IN has 1,034 employer establishments, 234 for every 10,000 residents (0.94× the US rate of 248), with 21,088 paid employees at an average annual pay of $62,826. The Census Bureau also counts 2,922 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,034; 2,922 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 234; US 248
Paid employees: 21,088
Average annual pay: $62,826; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	94	21.3	1.38×More than typical	596	$58,815	263
Restaurants and other eating places	73	16.5	0.90×About typical	1,396	$17,746	5
Ambulatory health care services	52	11.8	0.57×Fewer than typical	684	$64,925	81
Truck transportation	47	10.6	2.11×More than typical	499	$69,381	97
Religious organizations	39	8.8	1.59×More than typical	356	$23,115	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	37	8.4	1.24×About typical	140	$41,164	222
Automotive repair and maintenance	36	8.2	1.62×More than typical	161	$44,739	60
Construction of buildings	36	8.2	1.08×About typical	237	$56,194	152
Limited-service restaurants	35	7.9	0.99×About typical	773	$16,882	3
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	31	7	4.40×More than typical	2,316	$100,776	10
Full-service restaurants	30	6.8	0.88×About typical	552	$18,509	—
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	29	6.6	2.08×More than typical	226	$65,305	56

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 44,148 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $17.7K on contracts performed in Auburn, IN micropolitan area: $0.40 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $17.7K; +712% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.40; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$17.7K100%

Top recipients

THREE DAUGHTERS CORP$16.6K93%
QM SALES, LLC$1,1956.7%

Spending by fiscal year

531.1KFY2017
2.7MFY2018
1.4MFY2019
245.5KFY2020
34.2KFY2021
6.3MFY2022
3.7MFY2023
203.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Forging and stamping · 3321$9,75955%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$6,79138%
Cutlery and handtool manufacturing · 3322$1,1956.7%

Largest awards

8512152576!RETAINER,SPINDLE$9,759
THREE DAUGHTERS CORP· DeKalb County, IN· Other equipment & supplies· Jun 9, 2026 – Jun 9, 2026· SPE4A726PC052
8511912397!GUIDE, BIPOD LEG$6,791
THREE DAUGHTERS CORP· DeKalb County, IN· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Feb 11, 2026 – Mar 10, 2026· SPE7L426P0759
8511732835!BLADE,SCRAPER$1,195
QM SALES, LLC· DeKalb County, IN· Other equipment & supplies· Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 31, 2025· SPE4A726P1766
8511913004!WASHER,FLAT$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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $286.1M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Auburn, IN micropolitan area: $6,424 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $286.1M; −5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,424; US $12,955
Loan face value: $18.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 2.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$185.5M65%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$29.8M10%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$20.7M7.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$16.2M5.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$5.1M1.8%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$5M1.8%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$4.5M1.6%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$3M1.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$9.9M3.5%
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
WALKER FARMS GP$599.9K0.2%
WATERLOO, IN
WESLEY PARK APARTMENTS$533.2K0.2%
AUBURN, IN
WALKER AG LLC$511.8K0.2%
WATERLOO, IN
GRIMM FARMS LLC$314.9K0.1%

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$236.6M83%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$23.5M8.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$9.9M3.5%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency$5.2M1.8%
Department of Agriculture
Railroad Retirement Board

Assistance by fiscal year

218MFY2021
235MFY2022
255.3MFY2023
273.3MFY2024
301.2MFY2025
286.1MFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Auburn, IN

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

DeKalb CountyCentral county6844,535

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

AuburnPrincipal city13,565

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Indiana

Areas based in Indiana, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M12140

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Auburn, IN micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Auburn, IN

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Indiana

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved11

Declined8

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought