Living in Kokomo, IN

Howard County

Kokomo is Indiana's real "City of Firsts" -- inventor Elwood Haynes drove an early automobile around the city on July 4, 1894 (a claim genuinely contested by the Duryea brothers' earlier Massachusetts test) and unambiguously invented stainless steel in 1912, both commemorated at the city's Elwood Haynes Museum. Kokomo's real, current economic identity centers on Stellantis, which operates three plants in the city as part of a real $13 billion multi-state investment plan -- including a disclosed $100 million commitment to build the new GMET4 EVO engine starting in 2026, and a separate $250 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to convert a Kokomo transmission plant to produce electric-drive modules for EVs. Housing runs genuinely affordable: an average home value of $185,001 (Zillow, up 5.4% year-over-year), paired with a low 0.86% median effective property tax rate. Howard County's local income tax rose to a real 2.35% for 2026, combining with Indiana's flat 2.95% state rate for a disclosed 5.30% combined rate. Kokomo's median household income ($55,360) runs below the national median, with a real, disclosed 17.07% poverty rate -- a genuinely working-class manufacturing profile this record does not soften. Two real hospital systems, Community Howard Regional Health and Ascension St. Vincent Kokomo, operate directly in the city. Kokomo's crime rate runs above the national average and higher than roughly 88% of Indiana's own cities and towns, per one aggregator. Kokomo's median age (39.4) and senior share (approximately 18.9%) run essentially at the national average -- neither distinctly elevated nor distinctly young -- which is why this record uses best-areas rather than retiring as its ninth topic.

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Housing

Median sale price$185,001

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.86%

Not independently sourced at the Howard County level this session. Indiana's top state income tax rate is 2.95%. See the Indiana hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Kokomo-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

Genuinely affordable housing ($185,001 average value) and a low 0.86% effective property tax rate; a real, current, substantial manufacturing-employer base in Stellantis, including active, disclosed investment in both traditional engine production and EV-component conversion; two real, distinct hospital systems headquartered in the city; and a genuine, well-documented "City of Firsts" identity anchored by Elwood Haynes's real inventions.

Cons

A below-national median household income ($55,360) alongside a real, disclosed 17.07% poverty rate; a crime rate that runs above the national average and higher than most other Indiana cities and towns per one aggregator; Howard County's real 2.35% local income tax layer (2026) on top of the state's flat 2.95% rate, for a combined 5.30%; and Indiana's real, statewide, elevated tornado risk applies here as it does across the state.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits movers prioritizing housing affordability and manufacturing-sector employment -- particularly workers connected to Stellantis's real, current engine-production and EV-conversion investments -- along with families comfortable with a working-class economic profile and above-average public schools anchored by Kokomo High School.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers requiring above-national median household income comparables, or anyone assuming Indiana's flat 2.95% state income tax is the complete picture -- Howard County's own additional local income tax layer runs a real, disclosed 2.35% for 2026. Movers highly averse to elevated crime-rate rankings relative to other Indiana cities should also weigh that disclosed figure directly.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.