CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.22° N · 84.86° W · GEOID 1807624

Bright

Dearborn County, Indiana · part of the Cincinnati, OH metro

IndianaBright, INBrightBright

The short answer

Bright is home to 5,540 people. Median household income is $108,974 a year and median rent is $869 a month, 9.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $279,500, about 2.6x annual median household income.

Bright stands out on value for money. Rent run 34% below what its fundamentals predict in the same metro area. Also notable: The median rent takes 9.6% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 132 Indiana places we track.

82OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

Bright scores better than 82% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 32nd of 132 in Indiana.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%94
Economy 20%87
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%26
Education 10%41
Commute 10%27
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$869
36% below the median place
Median household income
$108,974
36% above the median place
Median home value
$279,500
12% below the median place
Unemployment
1.9%
61% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

01

Moving to Bright

Dearborn County gains about 3.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,252
Moved out2,078
Net+174

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Ripley County, IN292398−106
Ohio County, IN9884+14
Switzerland County, IN5958+1

Within Indiana, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IndianaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$70K
Leavers$55K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Dearborn County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
3.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Dearborn County report $70,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $54,900, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$34,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $869 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,625 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $279,500.
Getting to work
29 minutes each way on average; 18.9% work from home; 1.1% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Polk City, IA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Income of households moving out7
$54,867
22% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
3.8%
33% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
3.8
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure3.8%33% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.0%1% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure3.8above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$70,1221% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$54,86722% below
02

What it costs to live here

After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $101,600 a year, more than in 79% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track.

Bright9.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$34,760
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
9.6%
53% below the median place
Home price to income
2.6x
33% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
10%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$101,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Bright, $869 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.0 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Bright, but easier on the budget

Places that match Bright on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Polk City, IA875.7% vs 9.6%$64,800Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Bright.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Bright? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
89.3%
35% above the median place
Median year built1
1993
1% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,967
40% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureBrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$86936% below
Rent to income19.6%53% below
Property tax rate10.7%23% below
Home price to income12.6x33% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure95.45% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,44211% below
HUD area median income4County figure$109,9002% above
Property tax paid (median)1$1,96740% below
Median home value1$279,50012% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.0%25% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure57.1%11% above
Homeownership189.3%35% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure37.2%26% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,62513% below
Vacant homes1County figure3.9%45% below
Median year built119931% above
03

Work and pay

Median household income is $108,974, 36% above the median place.

Median household income1
$108,974
36% above the median place
Works from home1
18.9%
51% above the median place
Mean commute1
29 min
16% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$108,97436% above
Income per person1$44,91312% above
Unemployment1County figure1.9%61% below
Average annual pay6County figure$53,71119% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure5.4%46% above
Jobs6County figure14,99890% below
Poverty rate1County figure7.6%29% below
Mean commute129 min16% above
Works from home118.9%51% above
Commutes by transit1Metro figure1.1%34% above
04

Who lives here

0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 103 Indiana places we track.

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Homes with broadband1
95.7%
4% above the median place
High school or higher1
95.6%
4% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age42.1 +8%
Bachelor's or higher27.9% −13%
Household size2.5 +0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureBrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,5406248th largest
Median age142.18% above
Bachelor's or higher127.9%13% below
High school or higher195.6%4% above
Household size12.50% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure4.8%25% below
Homes with broadband195.7%4% above
05

Life in Bright

OpenStreetMap shows 0 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 84% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 132 Indiana places we track.

27 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents3.6 −65%
Playgrounds per 10k3.6 −62%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k10.8 −3%
Libraries per 10k3.6 4.1×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • William Howard Taft National Historic Site 20 miles
  • Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park 57 miles
  • Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument 62 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.5 −25%
Shops28.4 −6%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.9 −29%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.0 −16%
Child care centers3.3 +43%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
20.3
34% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
15.5
25% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k8
3.3
43% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureBrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure1456% above
Public school students12County figure7,32650% above
Students per teacher12County figure15.72% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure15.525% below
Shops per 10k8County figure28.46% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.929% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure17.016% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure3.343% above
Parks per 10k93.665% below
Playgrounds per 10k93.662% below
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k910.83% below
Libraries per 10k93.6315% above
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1020.334% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1020% above
National Register listings11County figure27108% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 12.3, 80% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Bright. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk14
12.3
80% below the median place
Natural hazard risk14
45.2
51% below the median place
Good air days15
26.0%
62% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureBrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure85°F2% below
January average low13County figure22°F12% below
Average temperature13County figure54°F2% below
Annual precipitation13County figure45.6 in4% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure45.251% below
Hurricane risk14County figure8.388% below
Tornado risk14County figure75.57% below
Wildfire risk14County figure12.380% below
Heat wave risk14County figure35.860% below
Median air quality index15Metro figure5630% above
Good air days15Metro figure26.0%62% below
08

Bright in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 9% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 10% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Bright does better than 94% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 51%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$869/mo (2024)$1,110/mo$910 to $1,350/mo+4.1%
Median household income$108,974 (2024)$140,000$118,000 to $165,500+4.2%
Median home value$279,500 (2024)$401,000$291,000 to $552,000+6.2%

The median home would be worth 2.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.6 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Bright

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Tuttle, OK$1,016$103,994Compare
Lumberton, TX$1,067$107,623Compare
New Baltimore, MI$1,039$106,033Compare
Amherst, OH$906$90,725Compare
Amherst, OHNew Baltimore, MILumberton, TXTuttle, OKBright, INBrightTuttleLumbertonNew BaltimoreAmherstBrightTuttleLumbertonNew BaltimoreAmherst

Places built like Bright

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Bright performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Bright, IN9.6%7.5%/yrn/a
Porter, IN16.5%-4.1%/yr-0.7%Compare
Kronenwetter, WI11.7%6.4%/yr0.9%Compare
New Baltimore, MI11.8%6.4%/yr0.1%Compare
DeForest, WI16.3%3.8%/yr21.1%Compare
Waterloo, IL10.8%7.8%/yr1.2%Compare
Salem Lakes, WI15.0%5.0%/yr-2.3%Compare

Common questions

Is Bright a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 82 out of 100, better than 82% of the places we rate and 32nd of 132 in Indiana. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Bright expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 9.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $279,500.

What salary do you need to live in Bright?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $34,760 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Bright?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Tuttle, OK, Lumberton, TX, New Baltimore, MI and Amherst, OH.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Bright with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Bright itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/bright-indiana

Citytistics. “Bright, Indiana.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/bright-indiana/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.