What is the cost of living in Fort Wayne?

Fort Wayne has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 92.6, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 72.3, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,113/month.

What is the median salary in Fort Wayne?

The median salary in Fort Wayne is $61,404 annually (mean: $65,163). Top occupations include Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses.

How safe is Fort Wayne?

The violent crime rate in the Fort Wayne area is 308 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1321 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Fort Wayne?

The state of IN has 1,865 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.9:1. Charter schools make up 6.5% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Fort Wayne?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Fort Wayne.

Is Fort Wayne a good place to relocate?

Fort Wayne has a Life Score of 50.1/100 (D), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Fort Wayne sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Fort Wayne ranks #171 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Fort Wayne, IN

BEA RPP 92.6 sits mid-pack (#161 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

92.6
Cost index (US=100): $1,113
2BR rent / mo: $61,404
Median salary: 52.7
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Fort Wayne ranks #171 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (52.7/100), with its strongest marks in housing and low hazard.

#171
of 387 US metros · Above median: 6,924,275
metro-area population: 308
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,865
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: air quality (33/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Fort Wayne ranks #171 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 92.6 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,113/mo, median salary $61,404; LiveAbility Score 52.7/100, strongest in housing and low hazard.

Signature: BEA RPP 92.6 sits mid-pack (#161 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 92.6 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,113/mo.

LiveAbility 52.7/100 keeps Fort Wayne in the middle third (#171 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Fort Wayne area is 217,390.

Fort Wayne vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

53 Top 44% higher than 56% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Fort Wayne housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Fort Wayne MSA; housing RPP 72.3 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,113/mo.

Studio

$892

/month

1 Bedroom

$916

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,113

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,381

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,512

/month

Fort Wayne wages and employment

Fort Wayne posts 217,390 total employment with median salary $61,404.

Median Salary

$61,404

Mean Salary

$65,163

Total Employment

217,390

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$48,120
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,360
Registered Nurses	$79,630
Retail Salespersons	$31,200
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$37,860

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Fort Wayne area from NCES.

Schools

1,865

Enrollment

1,033,761

Student:Teacher

15.9:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Fort Wayne's composite Life Score is 50.1/100 (D), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

59/100

Above average

Wages

35/100

Below average

Rent

78/100

Strong

Crime

50/100

Average

Schools

56/100

Above average

Environment

16/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Fort Wayne ranks #171 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 52.7/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Housing (78/100)

Housing

78
Low hazard

74
Cost of living

59
Safety

50
Schools

44
Climate

40
Job market

35
Air quality

33

What this shows Fort Wayne's strongest dimensions are housing and low hazard; its weakest among scored dims is air quality at 33/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Fort Wayne to

Lebanon Lewiston-Auburn Lewiston Lexington-Fayette Lexington Park Lima

Metros near Fort Wayne on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Fort Wayne on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Fort Wayne cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Fort Wayne wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Fort Wayne?

Fort Wayne runs a $61,404 median salary at a 92.6 cost index, ranking #171 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Fort Wayne's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Fort Wayne head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Fort Wayne
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.