Scores by category

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

Safety83#156/924
Economy41#542/925
Housing93#65/925
Health16#773/925
Healthcare29#656/923
Environment52#440/917
Education22#723/925
Infrastructure46#503/925
Community43#524/925
Leisure & amenities21#732/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Violent crime rate · low59 /100k
98/100Indiana 254 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · low9.5%
94/100Indiana 12.2%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · low504 /100k
93/100Indiana 1,052 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Job growth · high1.9%
89/100Indiana -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Home price to income ratio · low2.4×
88/100Indiana 3.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Distance to an emergency room · low4.4 mi
85/100Indiana 5.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Adult obesity · high43.6%
6/100Indiana 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
New business applications · low7.7 /1k
7/100Indiana 12.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Dentists · low33 /100k
9/100Indiana 61 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high3 days
10/100Indiana 2 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · low106 /100k
11/100Indiana 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Primary care physicians · low37 /100k
12/100Indiana 66 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

High ozone daysWorsening
1 days (2017) → 3 days (2022)
+200%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
41.4% (2010 & 2021) → 77.5% (2022 & 2024)
+36 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 34% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+33 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.4% (2015-2019) → 88.7% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
19.9% (2020 & 2021) → 31.0% (2023 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Homicide rateImproving
6.6 /100k (2021) → 3.3 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−50%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

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, New Castle, IN micropolitan area improved on 13 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 moved within the margin of error and 4 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.

Improved13

Restaurants+39%5.1 /10k → 7.1 /10k
Grocery stores+39%1.0 /10k → 1.4 /10k
Gyms+49%0.4 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Broadband+14 points74.4% → 88.7%
Weekly wage+28%$762 → $976

Declined2

Traffic deaths+8.7%16.6 /100k → 18.0 /100k
Price / income+0.4×2.0× → 2.4×

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of New Castle, IN micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.5 /10k2020	2.8 /10k2025	+16%	Improved	67%
Average commute time	27.3 min2015-2019	25.8 min2020-2024	−1.5 min	Within the margin of error	93%
Average weekly wage	$7622020	$9762025	+28%	Improved	86%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.4%2015-2019	17.5%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Broadband subscriptions	74.4%2015-2019	88.7%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	88%
Child poverty rate	21.5%2015-2019	18.8%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Distance to an airport	50 mi2020	50 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	76%
Drug overdose deaths	27.3 /100k2020	20.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−25%	Improved	51%
Effective property tax rate	0.77%2015-2019	0.67%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Firearm deaths	14.4 /100k2020	14.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+1.4%	Little change	46%
Grocery stores	1.0 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+39%	Improved	95%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.4 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	+49%	Improved	88%
High school diploma or higher	89.3%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	52%
Homicide rate	3.5 /100k2020	3.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−5.7%	Improved	27%
Income adjusted for local prices	$43,5892019	$57,1072024	+31%	Improved	44%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4232015-2019	0.4252020-2024	+0.002	Within the margin of error	48%
Median household income	$49,8322015-2019	$63,1502020-2024	+27%	Improved	49%
New business applications	5.4 /1k2020	7.7 /1k2025	+41%	Improved	42%
Pharmacies	1.6 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	−0.5%	Little change	70%
Poverty rate	15.1%2015-2019	13.6%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Public libraries	1.0 /10k2019	1.0 /10k2024	−2%	Little change	46%
Rent as share of income	28.2%2015-2019	26.3%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Rent-burdened households	46.1%2015-2019	40.8%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Restaurants and bars	5.1 /10k2020	7.1 /10k2025	+39%	Improved	99%
Suicide rate	26.6 /100k2020	24.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−7.9%	Improved	75%
Traffic deaths	16.6 /100k2015-2019	18.0 /100k2020-2024	+8.7%	Declined	47%
Unemployment rate	7.0%2020	3.7%2025	−3.3 points	Improved	59%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.6%2015-2019	7.0%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	79%

“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 New Castle, IN micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of New Castle, 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, New Castle, IN micropolitan area itself moved +6 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

48,970 residents

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: 50–59 women (−1.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

48,970 residents

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

White92%45,101
Black2.2%1,099
Hispanic or Latino2.3%1,113
Asian0.5%238
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†32
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races2.8%1,387

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−1.4 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

35,221 residents (±114)

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

No high school diploma9.5%3,341
High school or GED42%14,782
Some college22%7,789
Associate degree9.0%3,162
Bachelor's degree11%4,016
Graduate degree6.1%2,131

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

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

18,642 households (±329)

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k16%3,011
$25k–50k22%4,183
$50k–75k21%3,900
$75k–100k14%2,584
$100k–150k17%3,136
$150k–200k5.9%1,096
$200k or more3.9%732

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+7.2 points).

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

18,642 households (±329)

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Own76%14,203
Rent24%4,439

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.7 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

4,124 households (±399)

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Under $75043%1,758
$750–1,00031%1,282
$1,000–1,50023%938

Home values

14,203 homes (±425)

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Under $150k48%6,840
$150k–250k29%4,178
$250k–400k14%1,991

Age of homes

20,996 homes (±54)

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

2010 or later2.6%536
2000–20096.2%1,308
1980–199916%3,286

Size of homes

20,996 homes (±54)

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Studio0.5%†108
1 bedroom8.0%1,684
2 bedrooms27%5,652

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

20,561 workers (±648)

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone79%16,147
Carpool9.2%1,901
Public transit0.4%†85
Walk1.7%†358
Bike0.2%†41
Work from home9.3%1,903
Other0.6%†126

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−6.4 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

18,658 workers (±690)

New Castle, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Under 15 min36%6,747
15–29 min26%4,934
30–44 min18%3,349

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 no occupation wages for New Castle, 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.

New Castle, IN has 833 employer establishments, 170 for every 10,000 residents (0.69× the US rate of 248), with 10,929 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,225. The Census Bureau also counts 2,724 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 833; 2,724 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 170; US 248
Paid employees: 10,929
Average annual pay: $44,225; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	69	14.1	0.91×About typical	403	$51,263	267
Restaurants and other eating places	56	11.5	0.62×Fewer than typical	1,013	$19,049	16
Ambulatory health care services	50	10.2	0.49×Fewer than typical	610	$38,425	73
Religious organizations	48	9.8	1.77×More than typical	240	$18,296	—
Building equipment contractors	31	6.3	1.05×About typical	204	$54,431	65
Gasoline stations	30	6.1	1.89×More than typical	304	$30,408	—
Limited-service restaurants	29	5.9	0.74×Fewer than typical	528	$17,794	7
Lessors of real estate	28	5.7	0.46×Fewer than typical	57	$33,333	231
Services to buildings and dwellings	26	5.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	98	$32,051	189
Full-service restaurants	25	5.1	0.67×Fewer than typical	480	$19,375	5
Truck transportation	25	5.1	1.01×About typical	139	$52,439	62
Construction of buildings	21	4.3	0.57×Fewer than typical	112	$46,089	135

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 48,887 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 $0 on contracts performed in New Castle, IN micropolitan area: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

62KFY2017
-33.2KFY2018
16.8KFY2019
15.2KFY2020
236.4KFY2022
68.8KFY2023
369.5KFY2024
119.7KFY2025

What was bought

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 $311.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for New Castle, IN micropolitan area: $6,335 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $311.3M; −8.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,335; US $12,955
Loan face value: $13.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.9%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$206.9M66%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$34.2M11%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$23.6M7.6%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$22.3M7.2%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$9.3M3.0%
93.600 · Head Start$2.2M0.7%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$2.1M0.7%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$1.5M0.5%

Top recipients (organizations)

NEW CASTLE HOUSING AUTHORITY$2.7M0.9%
NEW CASTLE, IN
INTERLOCAL COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM INC$2.2M0.7%
NEW CASTLE, IN
INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$1.2M0.4%
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
CMN-RUS, LLC$284.9K0.1%
OVERLAND PARK, KS
VITAL COMPUTING, LLC$278.9K

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$274M88%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$25.4M8.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$2.7M0.9%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Farm Service Agency$2.5M0.8%
Department of Agriculture
Administration for Children and Families

Assistance by fiscal year

296.8MFY2021
299.8MFY2022
321.1MFY2023
304.2MFY2024
339.4MFY2025
311.3MFY2026

County aggregates

97%

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 New Castle, 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.

Henry CountyCentral county5849,137

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

New CastlePrincipal city17,367

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/M35220

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined2

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

Who lives here

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Getting to work

How people get to work

Time to get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in New Castle, 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

Improved13

Declined2

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Household income

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

How people get to work

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

What was bought