Metro area · Indiana
Fort Wayne, IN metro area
Fort Wayne, IN is a metropolitan area of 3 counties in Indiana, home to 466,258 residents. Fort Wayne, IN metro area has a quality-of-life score of 63 out of 100 (high), ranking #339 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Indiana it ranks #7 of 37. It ranks best on distance to an emergency room (low), severe housing problems (low) and flu vaccinations (high). It ranks worst on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high), high ozone days (high) and grocery stores (low).
- Quality-of-life score
- #339 of 925 metro and micro areas
- Indiana
- #7 of 37 in IN
- Population
- 466,258 (2025)
- Land area
- 1,361 mi²
- Density
- 342.6 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 23060
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety49#471/924
- Economy73#248/925
- Housing78#203/925
- Health59#382/925
- Healthcare63#346/923
- Environment7#856/917
- Education63#340/925
- Infrastructure75#232/925
- Community62#350/925
- Leisure & amenities44#514/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Fort Wayne, IN metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Distance to an emergency room · low3.8 mi94/100Indiana 5.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
- Severe housing problems · low10.6%87/100Indiana 12.2%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Flu vaccinations · high49.6%81/100Indiana 47.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Physical inactivity · low22.5%79/100Indiana 25.6%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Unemployment rate · low3.4%
- Job growth · high0.9%
Weaknesses
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.8 µg/m³12/100Indiana 8.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
- High ozone days · high3 days12/100Indiana 2 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
- Grocery stores · low1.0 /10k14/100Indiana 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
- Days with unhealthy air · high1.4%
- Child care cost burden · high34.2%25/100Indiana 30.8%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Public libraries · low0.4 /10k26/100Indiana 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Distance to an airportWorsening
11 mi (2020) → 74 mi (2025)
+551%5 yearsUS 33 mi → 33 mi
- Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 48% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+48 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Child care cost burdenWorsening
17.5% (2020 & 2021) → 34.2% (2023 & 2024)
+17 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
35.8 /100k (2021) → 15.9 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−56%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
- High ozone daysWorsening
2 days (2017) → 3 days (2022)
+52%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
18.4% (Dec 2021) → 28.3% (Aug 2026)
+9.9 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
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.
Metro and micro areas like Fort Wayne, IN metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Fort Wayne, IN metro 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
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.
Federal contract spending
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.
Counties in Fort Wayne, 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.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- Fort Wayne268,589
- New Haven15,698
- Huntertown11,379
- Bluffton10,529
- Columbia City9,897
- Leo-Cedarville3,695
- Ossian3,384
- Churubusco1,757
- South Whitley1,660
- Woodburn1,263
- Harlan1,254
- Markle1,203
- Monroeville1,122
- Grabill1,108
- Tri-Lakes1,025
- Hoagland845
- Zanesville488
- Larwill425
- Liberty Center389
- Lake Everett368
- Uniondale309
- Tocsin266
- Hessen Cassel261
- Arcola201
Other metro and micro areas in Indiana
Areas based in Indiana, best score first.
- Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN68
- South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI50
- Evansville, IN62
- Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN67
- Elkhart-Goshen, IN30
- Terre Haute, IN21
- Bloomington, IN64
- Muncie, IN32
- Michigan City-La Porte, IN30
- Columbus, IN82
- Kokomo, IN47
- Warsaw, IN50
- Marion, IN25
- Richmond, IN29
- New Castle, IN42
- Kendallville, IN37
- Seymour, IN54
- Plymouth, IN41
- Bedford, IN44
- Auburn, IN58
- Jasper, IN87
- Crawfordsville, IN60
- Greencastle, IN44
- Logansport, IN34
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).
- Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN68Alike on ER distance, Unemployment, Median age
- South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI50Alike on Density, PM2.5, ER distance
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN69Alike on PM2.5, New businesses, Flu vaccination
- Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH58Alike on PM2.5, Traffic deaths, Depression
- Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA84Alike on PM2.5, Flu vaccination, Density
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
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08