Living in Winona Lake, Indiana: homes, schools and costs

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 3.3 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood3 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.6 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 2.9 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town1 public school. No public high school in town: the nearest is Warsaw Community High School, about 3 miles away.
A hospital close byKosciusko Community Hospital in Warsaw, about 2 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityIndianapolis is about 101 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 Winona Lake 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 1 in 5 residents is a college student, with Grace College and Theological Seminary 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: $274,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 19%Kosciusko County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,132 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $82,188U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 62%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,763 a yearIndiana: $1,614
Homes built before 1940: 10%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 9%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 4%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 19% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Indiana outside metro areas, not Winona Lake 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: 5,1262020: 5,058
Median age: 28.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 16%U.S.: 22%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 12%U.S.: 6%
College students: 21%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: Manufacturing (25%); schools, health care and social services (20%); retail (17%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 14 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 9%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 8%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw, IN, about 2 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 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 Winona Lake, run by Warsaw Community Schools. The nearest public high school is Warsaw Community High School, about 3 miles away.

Colleges in or next to town: Grace College and Theological Seminary (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: 86%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 96%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: 17°F
July average high: 84°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 12 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 132 a year
Rain and melted snow: 39.3 inches a year
Snow: 32 inches a year
Elevation: 854 feet

Weather stations: Warsaw (4 miles away) and Warsaw 5SW (6 miles away, rain and snow). 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

Kosciusko Community HospitalEmergency room2

Elkhart, INCity of 54,00034

Indianapolis, INMetro of 2.2 million101

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: Kosciusko Community Hospital, Elkhart, Indianapolis.

Kosciusko 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

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Winona Lake Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Indiana Dunes National Park60 miles

Campus life. Check Grace College and Theological Seminary's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Winona Lake's history on Wikipedia.

Know Winona Lake?

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

Warsaw, IN16,100 people, 3 miles
North Webster, IN1,000 people, 9 miles
South Whitley, IN1,900 people, 13 miles
Milford, IN1,700 people, 14 miles
Syracuse, IN3,200 people, 15 miles
North Manchester, IN5,200 people, 15 miles

Smaller places

Pierceton, IN934 people, 6 miles
Claypool, IN396 people, 7 miles
Barbee, IN (unincorporated)1,464 people, 7 miles
Oswego, IN (unincorporated)283 people, 7 miles
Palestine, IN (unincorporated)1,085 people, 7 miles
Leesburg, IN550 people, 8 miles
Sidney, IN128 people, 9 miles
Burket, IN121 people, 9 miles

Sources

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.