Scores by category

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

Safety58#392/924
Economy59#382/925
Housing99#9/925
Health37#582/925
Healthcare49#475/923
Environment28#663/917
Education43#528/925
Infrastructure65#325/925
Community65#321/925
Leisure & amenities10#830/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Social associations · high17.9 /10k
97/100Indiana 11.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · low9.8%
93/100Indiana 12.2%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · low2.3×
91/100Indiana 3.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.419
89/100Indiana 0.452United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Rent-burdened households · low39.5%
88/100Indiana 48.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Median Air Quality Index · low34
86/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-2.8%
8/100Indiana -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Comfortable days · low23.3%
13/100Indiana 24.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Dentists · low36 /100k
13/100Indiana 61 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · low1.0 /10k
14/100Indiana 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
New business applications · low8.5 /1k
14/100Indiana 12.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Primary care physicians · low42 /100k
20/100Indiana 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.

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 49% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+49 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
1.5 /1k (2021) → 2.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+101%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Distance to an airportWorsening
34 mi (2020) → 64 mi (2025)
+92%5 yearsUS 33 mi → 33 mi
New business applicationsImproving
4.8 /1k (2020) → 8.5 /1k (2025)
+78%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.7% (2015-2019) → 89.1% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
17.1% (2020 & 2021) → 29.6% (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, Wabash, IN micropolitan area improved on 10 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 8 moved within the margin of error and 6 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.

Improved10

Traffic deaths−54%25.5 /100k → 11.7 /100k
Uninsured−4 points9.9% → 5.9%
Broadband+14 points74.7% → 89.1%
Real income+40%$47,835 → $66,893
Bachelor's++5 points18.1% → 23.1%

Declined5

Grocery stores−40%1.6 /10k → 1.0 /10k
Airport+31 mi34 mi → 64 mi
Gyms−33%1.0 /10k → 0.7 /10k
Arts & recreation−10%2.9 /10k → 2.6 /10k
Price / income+0.5×1.9× → 2.4×

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Wabash, IN micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.9 /10k2020	2.6 /10k2025	−10%	Declined	13%
Average commute time	20.8 min2015-2019	21.5 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Within the margin of error	39%
Average weekly wage	$7892020	$9922025	+26%	Improved	71%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.1%2015-2019	23.1%2020-2024	+5 points	Improved	90%
Broadband subscriptions	74.7%2015-2019	89.1%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	16.8%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Distance to an airport	34 mi2020	64 mi2025	+31 mi	Declined	1%
Drug overdose deaths	27.2 /100k2020	14.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−48%	Improved	79%
Effective property tax rate	0.51%2015-2019	0.51%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Firearm deaths	13.7 /100k2020	13.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−3.6%	Little change	56%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	−40%	Declined	1%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.0 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	−33%	Declined	10%
High school diploma or higher	88.8%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	44%
Homicide rate	4.0 /100k2020	3.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−2.5%	Little change	24%
Income adjusted for local prices	$47,8352019	$66,8932024	+40%	Improved	89%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4022015-2019	0.4192020-2024	+0.018	Within the margin of error	17%
Median household income	$54,2592015-2019	$66,8062020-2024	+23%	Improved	29%
New business applications	4.8 /1k2020	8.5 /1k2025	+78%	Improved	86%
Pharmacies	1.9 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	+0.7%	Little change	74%
Poverty rate	11.5%2015-2019	11.1%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Public libraries	1.0 /10k2019	1.0 /10k2024	+1%	Little change	70%
Rent as share of income	26.5%2015-2019	26.7%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent-burdened households	44.5%2015-2019	39.5%2020-2024	−5 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Restaurants and bars	7.1 /10k2020	7.2 /10k2025	+0.7%	Little change	49%
Suicide rate	14.3 /100k2020	14.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−0.7%	Little change	63%
Traffic deaths	25.5 /100k2015-2019	11.7 /100k2020-2024	−54%	Improved	100%
Unemployment rate	6.3%2020	3.5%2025	−2.8 points	Improved	44%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.9%2015-2019	5.9%2020-2024	−4 points	Improved	97%

“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 Wabash, IN micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wabash, 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, Wabash, IN micropolitan area itself moved +3.2 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

30,844 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

12,674 households (±321)

Wabash, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k16%2,063
$25k–50k20%2,575
$50k–75k20%2,494

Homes

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

Owners and renters

12,674 households (±321)

Wabash, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Own80%10,200
Rent20%2,474

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+6.5 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

14,231 workers (±449)

Wabash, IN micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone81%11,485
Carpool9.1%1,288
Public transit0.3%†47

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 Wabash, 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.

Wabash, IN has 747 employer establishments, 243 for every 10,000 residents (0.98× the US rate of 248), with 10,893 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,241. The Census Bureau also counts 1,965 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 747; 1,965 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 243; US 248
Paid employees: 10,893
Average annual pay: $49,241; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	56	18.2	1.18×About typical	332	$56,151	174
Restaurants and other eating places	53	17.3	0.94×About typical	751	$16,181	18
Ambulatory health care services	52	16.9	0.81×About typical	485	$57,528	48
Religious organizations	43	14	2.53×More than typical	201	$20,711	—
Building equipment contractors	26	8.5	1.41×More than typical	193	$53,358	24
Lessors of real estate	26	8.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	91	$26,440	181
Limited-service restaurants	25	8.1	1.02×About typical	477	$15,625	4
Offices of other health practitioners	24	7.8	1.29×More than typical	235	$45,111	30
Construction of buildings	22	7.2	0.95×About typical	59	$45,034	75
Truck transportation	22	7.2	1.42×More than typical	125	$59,712	69
Full-service restaurants	21	6.8	0.89×About typical	244	$17,529	8
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	17	5.5	3.47×More than typical	869	$89,817	10

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 30,700 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 $244.6K on contracts performed in Wabash, IN micropolitan area: $7.96 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $244.6K; −63% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7.96; 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$115.8K47%
Department of the Army$115.2K47%
Department of Veterans Affairs$13.5K5.5%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

572.4KFY2017
824.4KFY2018
1.2MFY2019
3MFY2020
2.3MFY2021
2.1MFY2022
668.6KFY2023
6.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Industrial machinery manufacturing · 3332$216.3K88%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$14.8K6.0%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$13.5K5.5%

Largest awards

CONSTRUCTION OF UPPER WABASH PROJ. OFFIC$4.9M
GUARDIAN CONSTRUCTION, INC.· Wabash County, IN· Construction & real property· Aug 30, 2024 – Mar 9, 2026· W912P624C0016
8512020710!SAW, RIP, STRAIGHT LINE$115.8K
MEREEN-JOHNSON LLC· Wabash County, IN· Other equipment & supplies· Apr 6, 2026 – Apr 6, 2026· SP330026P0547
S2P2: RIP SAW SOLICITATION# W911S226U2253$100.5K
MEREEN-JOHNSON LLC· Wabash County, IN· Other equipment & supplies· Dec 11, 2025 – May 11, 2026· W911S226PA068
SALAMONIE CONTROL TOWER WINDOWS AND DOORS REPLACEMENT

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 $225.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Wabash, IN micropolitan area: $7,337 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $225.3M; −15% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,337; US $12,955
Loan face value: $2.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$154.2M68%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$21.8M9.7%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$15.1M6.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$13.6M6.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$4.5M2.0%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$2.4M1.1%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$2.2M1.0%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$1.5M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$4M1.8%
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY, INC.$2.4M1.1%
NORTH MANCHESTER, IN
KRATZER FARMS INC$826.1K0.4%
LA FONTAINE, IN
MIKE SCHULER FARMS LLC$655.4K0.3%
ROANN, IN
MEADOWBROOK NORTH APARTMENTS, PHASE II AN INDIANA LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

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$194.2M86%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$17.4M7.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$4M1.8%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency$2.6M1.2%
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education$2.4M

Assistance by fiscal year

219.1MFY2021
211.6MFY2022
218.1MFY2023
227.2MFY2024
266.7MFY2025
225.3MFY2026

County aggregates

95%

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 Wabash, 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.

Wabash CountyCentral county5930,713

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

WabashPrincipal city10,358

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
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/M47340

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Wabash, 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 Wabash, 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

Improved10

Declined5

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