Terre Haute vs Parker

Which is the better fit for you?

Terre Haute, IN
59
Area Score
Top 49% nationally
Parker, SC
63
Area Score
Top 37% nationally

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Parker receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Terre Haute to Parker

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Everyday prices
5% higher
Regional price level 93.1 against 88.3 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$245 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,339 in Parker against $1,094 in Terre Haute.
The median home
30% more
$150,400 in Parker against $115,700 in Terre Haute.
The weather you would swap
Winters 14°F milder
Normal January lows are 35°F in Parker against 21°F in Terre Haute; July highs are 91°F against 86°F (summers 5°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

32 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Terre Haute
Parker
Opportunity: Parker is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
55 · Bottom 47%
vs
66 · Top 30%
Growth: Parker is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
58 · Top 33%
vs
71 · Top 14%
Climate: Parker is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
64 · Bottom 30%
vs
70 · Bottom 48%
Physical resilience: Parker is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
63 · Top 45%
vs
64 · Top 44%
Housing affordability: Terre Haute is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
64 · Bottom 43%
vs
61 · Bottom 38%
Schools: Terre Haute is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
50 · Top 50%
vs
39 · Bottom 36%
Access: Parker is the more favorable of the two.
Access
97 · Top 31%
vs
98 · Top 21%
Economic stability: Parker is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
22 · Bottom 3%
vs
24 · Bottom 5%

Measured values

MetricTerre HauteParkerSource period
Population58,42712,8982024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$43,126 ±$2,119$40,043 ±$5,1322024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$25,369 ±$1,081$24,584 ±$4,9592024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,680/sq mi1,891/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$115,700$150,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$922 — more favorable$1,0992024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,094 — more favorable$1,339FY2026
Cost of living index88.3 — more favorable93.12023
Homeownership rate52.2%42.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.4%3.5% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+1.0%+4.5% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher24.6% — more favorable15.9%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate21.2% ±3%28.4% ±8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)2894,87312 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents4.98.9 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−50.4%−10.1%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high86°F91°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low21°F35°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation40.8"47.0"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport4 mi — more favorable8 miNASR current cycle
Average commute19.9 min — more favorable26.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age32.931.92024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools17102024-25 school year
Students per teacher13.7 — more favorable14.32024-25 school year
Math proficiency41.0%50.8%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency48.3%50.3%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Indiana and South Carolina do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Terre Haute

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.

Parker

Elevated or high exposure: ice storm, earthquake.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Terre Haute
—
Terre Haute: Your Score
59
Area Score
Parker
—
Parker: Your Score
63
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Terre Haute, IN · Parker, SC · How this is calculated: methodology