Fort Wayne has country’s lowest cost of living – again
Fort Wayne has again been found to have the lowest cost-of-living in the country.
Research and data company Niche listed Fort Wayne at No. 1 in its 2017 ranking of American cities with the lowest cost-of-living. The city of Fort Wayne announced the ranking Monday.
Fort Wayne’s median home value was $100,700, with 63 percent of the population owning their homes. The median household income in Fort Wayne was $43,744, and 33 percent of the city’s residents have some college education.
To measure the overall affordability and relative cost of living of an area, Niche analyzed many key factors such as home value to income ratio, median effective property tax, and median rents and home values using data from the U.S. Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other publicly available government sources.
Out of that, Fort Wayne rose to No. 1 – for the second consecutive year. Fort Wayne was ranked the nation’s most affordable city in 2016, as well.
In a statement, Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry called the ranking “a tremendous honor.”
“I continue to be encouraged by the momentum and investments we’re experiencing in the City of Fort Wayne,” said Henry. “Being recognized as a lowest cost of living city is a tremendous honor. It sends a strong message that Fort Wayne is a destination city for businesses, individuals and families.”
One resident wrote in Niche’s reviews: “Fort Wayne is a great place to live, work, and play! Fort Wayne is the best Little Big city I’ve been to. One minute you’re in city, go down one road and it’s like living in the country. It has that Midwestern small town feel, yet you have the amenities of the big city at your fingertips.”
Evansville ranked No. 2 in Niche’s listing, just ahead of South Bend, Topeka, Kansas, and Wichita, Kansas. Indianapolis has the nation’s 18th lowest cost-of-living, according to Niche.
