Fort Wayne, Indiana
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Fort Wayne.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Fort Wayne compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 266,235City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $60,293Incorporated place (ACS)23% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 64ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)36% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $169,700City limits (ACS)44% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $959City limits (ACS)29% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.0%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 20 min20% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3229% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 361.6annualized per 100k · citywide40% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2760.9annualized per 100k · citywide11% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 82°F5.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 21°F13.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 39.5 in20% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 23014% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Fort Wayne with another city
Midwest industrial corridors and flat farmland still set the cost baseline. Expect summer highs near 82°F and winter lows around 21°F. Average one-way commute time is about 20 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 32/100. A recent county unemployment reading near 3.0% suggests a relatively tight local labor market. Violent-offense rates around 361.6 per 100k are moderate for a large U.S. city, with meaningful variation by neighborhood.
Relocators eyeing Fort Wayne, Indiana will find roughly 266,235 residents within city limits. With median income around $60,293 and a cost index of 64, the market reads among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs. Entry home prices around $169,700 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Fort Wayne is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Fort Wayne with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Fort Wayne city, 1600000US1825000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN180030000000003 (Allen County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00014827 FT WAYNE INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28