While big cities like Fort Wayne offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Fort Wayne. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Fort Wayne without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Fort Wayne are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Fort Wayne area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Fort Wayne for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Fort Wayne? Leo-Cedarville ranks as the best suburb of Fort Wayne for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Leo-Cedarville, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Fort Wayne ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Indiana:
The 10 Best Fort Wayne Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 3,649
Median Income: $101,042
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 3.3%
More on Leo-Cedarville: Data | Real Estate
Leo-Cedarville is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Fort Wayne area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Leo-Cedarville.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $101,042 a year, which is the highest in the Fort Wayne region. And only 2.83% are out of work. Homes average more than $316,431 each.
/10
Population: 3,339
Median Income: $56,326
Unemployment Rate: 1.3%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Ossian: Data | Real Estate
Ossian is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Fort Wayne for 2024.
It ranks 12th for incomes in the area and only 3.18% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
3. Avilla, IN
/10
Population: 2,702
Median Income: $77,583
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 6.6%
More on Avilla: Real Estate
Here in Avilla, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Fort Wayne metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Avilla.
/10
Population: 15,552
Median Income: $63,744
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on New Haven: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
New Haven ranks as the 4th best suburb of Fort Wayne for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in New Haven and the schools are some of the best around.
5. Albion, IN
/10
Population: 2,835
Median Income: $62,813
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%
Poverty Rate: 11.3%
More on Albion: Crime | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Albion.
Albion gets kudos for having the 4th most expensive homes in the Fort Wayne area, where houses sell for an average of $226,741. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 13,316
Median Income: $58,635
Unemployment Rate: 5.5%
Poverty Rate: 11.5%
More on Auburn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Auburn is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 5.51%.
According to online reports, Auburn is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Fort Wayne area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 9,718
Median Income: $54,369
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 10.4%
More on Decatur: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Decatur.
Decatur schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 21.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 6,434
Median Income: $61,814
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 10.3%
More on Garrett: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Garrett is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 3.81% of people lack insurance, good for 4th in the area.
/10
Population: 10,176
Median Income: $59,971
Unemployment Rate: 5.9%
Poverty Rate: 7.9%
More on Kendallville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Kendallville?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
The m**h is crazy in Kendallville it has took over a lot of the town
Bixler is their main attraction in my eyes I grew up there and loved going to the lake I would watch out if your kids are growing up there though make sure they stay around the good crowd
10. Hicksville, OH
/10
Population: 3,114
Median Income: $59,096
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 10.2%
More on Hicksville: Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Hicksville.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Fort Wayne for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Fort Wayne was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Fort Wayne.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 17 suburbs to evaluate around Fort Wayne.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 17 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Fort Wayne.” We’re lookin’ at you, Leo-Cedarville.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Fort Wayne suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Fort Wayne ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Fort Wayne are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Fort Wayne but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Indiana reading, check out:
Table: Best Fort Wayne Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo-Cedarville, IN | 3,649 | $101,042 | $316,431 |
| 2 | Ossian, IN | 3,339 | $56,326 | $225,402 |
| 3 | Avilla, IN | 2,702 | $77,583 | $252,083 |
| 4 | New Haven, IN | 15,552 | $63,744 | $208,336 |
| 5 | Albion, IN | 2,835 | $62,813 | $226,741 |
| 6 | Auburn, IN | 13,316 | $58,635 | $242,744 |
| 7 | Decatur, IN | 9,718 | $54,369 | $196,644 |
| 8 | Garrett, IN | 6,434 | $61,814 | $159,068 |
| 9 | Kendallville, IN | 10,176 | $59,971 | $193,691 |
| 10 | Hicksville, IN | 3,114 | $59,096 | $160,880 |
| 11 | Bluffton, IN | 10,461 | $56,955 | $160,724 |
| 12 | Waterloo, IN | 2,136 | $59,519 | $209,240 |
| 13 | Huntington, IN | 17,017 | $50,748 | $167,689 |
| 14 | Rome, IN | 32,031 | $56,901 | $179,000 |
| 15 | Paulding, IN | 3,638 | $52,750 | $139,522 |
| 16 | Butler, IN | 2,746 | $53,233 | $174,267 |
| 17 | Columbia, IN | 4,811 | $45,163 | $130,093 |