Starke County, Indiana Housing Market

In Starke County, Indiana, the median home value is $157,700, with a median monthly rent of $712. This places Starke County at #2071 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #68 within Indiana.

Median Home Value $157,700
Median Rent $712/mo
Owner Occupancy 83.0%
Price/Rent Ratio 18.5

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

📊 Recent Market Momentum (FHFA HPI)

FHFA House Price Index — All-Transactions, Annual (2000 = 100) · Latest: 2025

💡 Year-over-Year Trend: Home prices in Starke County rose +7.7% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

3,154
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $914
  • Establishments: 320
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

58
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 52
  • Multi-family: 6
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+416
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 9,395 (avg $57,247)
  • Outflow: 8,979 (avg $57,460)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 1 active ZIP codes in Starke County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 46534 230.7 +3.92% 2025

Source: FHFA HPI for Five-Digit ZIP Codes (All-Transactions Index, 2000 = 100).
This product uses FHFA Data but is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA.

How Starke County Compares

MetricStarke CountyIndiana AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $157,700 $191,898 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $712 $910 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 83.0% 76.3% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 18.5 17.5 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Starke County is 17.8% below the Indiana state average and 30.7% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $712/month is 21.8% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 18.5, the buy-vs-rent decision in Starke County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Starke County has an owner-occupancy rate of 83.0%, compared to 76.3% in Indiana and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more homeowner-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Guernsey County Ohio $157,700 $864
Pike County Alabama $157,600 $856
Pulaski County Georgia $157,600 $883
Mahaska County Iowa $157,800 $793
Lac qui Parle County Minnesota $157,600 $728

Other Counties in Indiana

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Wabash County $157,200 $762 80.5%
Scott County $158,400 $822 70.9%
Orange County $158,700 $855 78.7%
Fulton County $156,500 $839 80.1%
Pulaski County $156,400 $772 74.6%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).