A recent study by Niche.com ranked Warsaw among the top five cities in the state. Ranked fourth, Warsaw was scored on a variety of factors including local education, crime rates, demographics, housing income and weather.

According to Niche, Warsaw, which was ranked a large town with 13,907 people, received a “B” letter grade. The county’s population density is set at 1,038 people per square mile with the city spanning 13 square miles.

When examining school statistics, Warsaw faired very well with an “A-” awarded by Niche. Components factored included numerous statistics on both finances and academics.

The average local graduation rate is 91 percent, 10 percent above the national average. The average high school dropout rate was .5 percent, 1.4 percent below the national average. Math and reading proficiency ranked high with math proficiency at 82 percent and reading proficiency at 84 percent. The local teacher to student ratio was on par with the national average with both set at 16 students to one teacher.

Total education expenses was estimated at $61,046,000 with instruction accounting for 58 percent of costs, support services accounting for 38 percent of costs and 4 percent of costs spent on miscellaneous expenses. Revenue per student was $11,353, slightly lower than the national average of $11,989. Expenses per student was set at $10,007, also slightly below national average of $11,965. Net profit per student was much higher in Warsaw than the national average with a profit of $1,328 per student compared to the national average of $25 per student.

Students eligible for free or reduced lunch equaled 49 percent, slightly higher than the national average of 46 percent.

Demographics played a part in the ranking. In Warsaw, 5.4 percent of people are non citizens with the national average set at 7.1 percent. Unemployment rate in Warsaw is higher than the national average of 6.3 percent at 8.7 percent. Poverty is just under the national average of 15.2 percent at 14.7 percent.

Only 16 percent of residents did not receive a high school diploma with 37 percent graduating high school and 24 percent attending some college or receiving a degree. Thirteen percent of residents hold a bachelor’s degree and 10 percent a master’s degree or higher. In terms of gender 48.2 percent of citizens are males and 51.8 percent are women.

Income and housing were also taken into account. The median household income is $42,648, lower than the national $53,046 average. Median individual income is set at $22,640, also lower than the national average of $26,564. A total of 34 percent of individuals make 15k or less; 37.32 make between $15k to $34k; 20.82 percent make $35k to $64k and 7.8 percent make $65k or more.

A total of 39.2 percent of residents rent with 60.9 percent listed as homeowners. The median home construction year was 1972, with national median set at 1976. Median rent was lower than the national average of $904 at $644. Median home value is set at $115,900, lower than the national average of $176,700.

Crime rates were also considered. Warsaw ranked very high for assault and rape compared to national averages but low in cases of murder and robbery. Larceny was high above national average with burglary and motor vehicle theft below national averages.

“It has low home values, low rent costs, and very high unemployment levels. Its citizens generally have average education levels and average income levels,” notes Niche about Warsaw.

The top cities in the state were Carmel, West Lafayette and Bloomington. Area cities that made the list included Columbia City at 11; Goshen at 12; North Manchester at 13; Plymouth at 22; and Nappanee at 23.

Nationally, Carmel was ranked 11th in the nation with West Lafayette ranked 46th and Bloomington ranked 97th.

For further information on rankings, visit Niche.com