CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

41.75° N · 85.97° W · GEOID 1869840

Simonton Lake

Elkhart County, Indiana · part of the Elkhart, IN metro

Limited data population under 5,000

IndianaSimonton Lake, INSimonton LakeSimonton Lake

The short answer

Simonton Lake is home to 4,248 people. Median household income is $75,673 a year and median rent is $1,108 a month, 17.6% 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 $266,800, about 3.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,108
19% below the median place
Median household income
$75,673
6% below the median place
Median home value
$266,800
16% below the median place
Unemployment
3.6%
26% 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.

What stands out about Simonton Lake

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 7.1% a year while rent rose 1.3%, so pay gained on rent more than in 90% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • The median resident is 47 years old, older than in 86% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 132 Indiana places.
01

Moving to Simonton Lake

Elkhart County loses about 6.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in6,877
Moved out8,098
Net−1,221

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

St. Joseph County, IN1,9802,065−85
Cass County, MI357444−87
LaGrange County, IN385335+50
Noble County, IN149188−39

Within Indiana, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IndianaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$57K
Leavers$60K

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

Who moves here
3.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.3% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Elkhart County report $56,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $60,300, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$44,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,108 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,519 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $266,800.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 5.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Palmer Town, MA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
3.8%
34% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-6.8
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7
$56,829
19% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSimonton LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure3.8%34% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.3%36% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-6.8below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$56,82919% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$60,26614% below
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax paid (median) is $1,726, 47% below the median place.

Simonton Lake17.6%
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
$44,320
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.6%
14% below the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
7% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$65,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Simonton Lake, $1,108 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.7 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Simonton Lake, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Norton, OH14.0% vs 17.6%$15,100Compare
Lacombe, LA14.6% vs 17.6%$800Compare
Lakehills, TX13.9% vs 17.6%$16,600Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Simonton Lake? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,726
47% below the median place
Homeownership1
80.0%
20% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.7%
29% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSimonton LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,10819% below
Rent to income117.6%14% below
Property tax rate10.7%29% below
Home price to income13.5x7% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure90.310% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,25322% below
HUD area median income4County figure$89,90016% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,72647% below
Median home value1$266,80016% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure5.8%83% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure52.5%2% above
Homeownership180.0%20% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure47.9%5% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,51919% below
Vacant homes19.8%39% above
Median year built119891% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
20 min
22% below the median place
Median household income1
$75,673
6% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSimonton LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$75,6736% below
Income per person1$38,3424% below
Unemployment1County figure3.6%26% below
Average annual pay6County figure$65,7100% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure5.8%57% above
Jobs6County figure126,93516% below
Poverty rate111.5%6% above
Mean commute120 min22% below
Works from home1County figure5.1%59% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 47.0, 21% above the median place.

Median age1
47.0
21% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
20.5%
36% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
95.4%
3% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureSimonton LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population14,2486646th largest
Median age147.021% above
Bachelor's or higher120.5%36% below
High school or higher190.2%2% below
Household size12.52% below
Born abroad1County figure9.7%9% above
No health insurance1County figure14.2%122% above
Homes with broadband195.4%3% above
05

Life in Simonton Lake

39 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.7 −54%
Playgrounds per 10k9.4 +0%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k2.4 −79%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
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.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars18.0 −13%
Shops34.2 +13%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.4 −41%
Doctors' offices and clinics14.2 −30%
Child care centers1.4 −39%

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

Child care centers per 10k8
1.4
39% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
2.4
41% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
14.2
30% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSimonton LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure58above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure33,369above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure16.04% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure18.013% below
Shops per 10k8County figure34.213% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.441% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure14.230% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.439% below
Parks per 10k94.754% below
Playgrounds per 10k99.40% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k92.479% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure39200% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 32.9, 46% 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 Simonton Lake. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk13
32.9
46% below the median place
January average low12
17°F
32% below the median place
Average temperature12
50°F
10% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSimonton LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure83°F4% below
January average low12County figure17°F32% below
Average temperature12County figure50°F10% below
Annual precipitation12County figure38.4 in12% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure83.89% below
Hurricane risk13County figure47.133% below
Tornado risk13County figure90.711% above
Wildfire risk13County figure32.946% below
Heat wave risk13County figure72.919% below
Median air quality index14County figure430% above
Good air days14County figure61.0%11% below
08

Simonton Lake in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 18% 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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,108/mo (2024)$1,400/mo$1,150 to $1,710/mo+4.0%
Median household income$75,673 (2024)$96,500$81,500 to $114,500+4.2%
Median home value$266,800 (2024)$394,000$286,000 to $543,000+6.7%

The median home would be worth 4.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

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

09

Places like Simonton Lake

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

PlaceRentIncome
Palmer Town, MA$1,075$78,480Compare
Red Hill, SC$1,179$68,250Compare
Soddy-Daisy, TN$1,047$75,113Compare
Stuarts Draft, VA$1,201$79,332Compare
Stuarts Draft, VASoddy-Daisy, TNRed Hill, SCPalmer Town, MASimonton Lake, INSimonton LakePalmer TownRed HillSoddy-DaisyStuarts DraftSimonton LakePalmer TownRed HillSoddy-DaisyStuarts Draft

Common questions

Is Simonton Lake a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 7.1% a year while rent rose 1.3%, so pay gained on rent more than in 90% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. The median resident is 47 years old, older than in 86% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 132 Indiana places. On cost, space and class size it scores 73 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Simonton Lake expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.6% 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 $266,800.

What salary do you need to live in Simonton Lake?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $44,320 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Simonton Lake?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Palmer Town, MA, Red Hill, SC, Soddy-Daisy, TN and Stuarts Draft, VA.

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 Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 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
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. 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 Simonton Lake with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Simonton Lake itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/simonton-lake-indiana

Citytistics. “Simonton Lake, Indiana.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/simonton-lake-indiana/

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