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Towns / Indiana

Upland, Indiana

Upland is a college town of about 3,800 people in Grant County, Indiana. Its population has held about steady since 2020. A typical home costs about 2.4 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Indianapolis, is about 58 miles away as the crow flies.

College town

Population
3,835
up 0.3% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$203,200
Grant County prices up 26% since 2022
Household income
$83,839
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, rural Indiana
88.7
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
11 miles
Marion, IN
To Indianapolis
58 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 11.3% below the U.S. average in the parts of Indiana outside metro areas.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Upland itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
  • Schools in town1 public school. No public high school in town: the nearest is Eastbrook High School, about 6 miles away.
  • A hospital close byMarion General Hospital in Marion, about 11 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityIndianapolis is about 58 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Upland meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 40% of residents are college students, with Taylor University in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$203,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 26%Grant County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$982 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$83,839U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
78%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$1,618 a yearIndiana: $1,614
Homes built before 1940
13%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
14%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
88.7U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Indiana outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 26% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Indiana outside metro areas, not Upland alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
3,8352020: 3,822
Median age
21.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
11%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
19%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
54%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
13%U.S.: 6%
College students
40%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (52%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (12%); retail (10%)
Unemployment rate
2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
21 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
20%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
10%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Marion General Hospital, Marion, IN, about 11 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

1 public school in Upland, run by Eastbrook Community Sch Corp. The nearest public high school is Eastbrook High School, about 6 miles away.

Colleges in or next to town: Taylor University (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Indiana's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
79%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
93%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
19°F
July average high
83°F
Days 90°F or hotter
13 a year
Nights at or below freezing
116 a year
Rain and melted snow
41.7 inches a year
Snow
32 inches a year
Elevation
915 feet

Weather station: Hartford City 4 ESE (11 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Marion General Hospital, Muncie, Indianapolis.

Grant County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Campus life. Check Taylor University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Upland's history on Wikipedia.

Know Upland?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Matthews, IN484 people, 5 miles
  • Shamrock Lakes, IN215 people, 5 miles
  • Fowlerton, IN271 people, 5 miles
  • Roll, IN (unincorporated)169 people, 8 miles
  • Gaston, IN806 people, 10 miles
  • Van Buren, IN775 people, 11 miles
  • Summitville, IN991 people, 12 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.