Blackford County

Blackford County sits at a median home price of $148,185, making it one of the most affordable entry points in Indiana and, by the model's ranking, the top county in the state and 7th nationally out of 1,000 counties scored. The affordability index of 98 out of 100 confirms that buying power here is about as favorable as it gets. Home prices are up 5.65% year-over-year, which is meaningful appreciation on a low absolute base. The cash flow and cap rate fields in the provided data return zero, which means the model did not produce a reliable rent-derived yield estimate for this county, so investors should treat Blackford as an appreciation and entry-cost story rather than a modeled cash-flow opportunity, and should run their own rent comps before underwriting a yield target.

The score profile makes the investor fit fairly clear. With an appreciation score of 88 and a cash flow score that the model could not calculate, this county appeals most to a buyer prioritizing price-to-book value and capital preservation over immediate yield. At $148,185 median, an investor deploying $29,637 down (20%) has a low-cost basis that leaves room to absorb the rate environment at 6.85% while waiting for continued appreciation. The 5.65% year-over-year price gain on a $148K asset is roughly $8,380 in equity, which matters to a buy-and-hold investor whose thesis is forced equity plus long-run price growth rather than month-one cash flow. A value-add operator who can acquire below median, renovate, and reposition at higher rent could also find the low entry price useful, but without a modeled rent figure in the dataset, that thesis requires independent underwriting.

Economic context for Blackford County is not included in this dataset, so no employer anchors or economy notes are available. Investors should independently verify the county's employment base before committing, particularly given the stability score of 50 out of 100, which sits at the midpoint and signals neither a resilient nor a deteriorating labor market by the model's read. A population of 12,074 is small enough that a single employer contraction could move vacancy rates meaningfully, so job-base research is a necessary pre-closing step, not optional due diligence.

On carry costs, the combined monthly tax and insurance estimate comes to $140, based on Indiana's state-average effective property tax rate of 0.85% and an insurance rate of 0.28%. To be direct: the note in the data flags that actual county and township rates may differ from the state average, so treat $140 as a baseline estimate rather than a locked figure. At 0.85%, the rate lands in the normal range and does not demand special attention the way a 1.7%+ rate would. That said, $1,260 in annual taxes and $415 in insurance on a $148K asset is a manageable combined cost, and it does not meaningfully distort a yield calculation the way carry costs can in high-tax states. When you do build your pro forma, plug in the actual county assessor rate rather than the state average.

The concentration and demographic risk here is the one number investors cannot ignore: 12,074 people. Blackford is a small rural county, and small markets carry illiquidity risk in both the rental and resale dimensions. If rent demand softens, the pool of replacement tenants is thin. If you need to exit, the buyer pool is limited and days-on-market can extend considerably. The stability score of 50 reflects this. Investors who need liquidity within a three-to-five year window should size their position accordingly or avoid the market entirely.

Against its neighbors, Blackford's $148,185 median is the lowest in the comparison set, essentially tied with Grant County at $147,231. Delaware County offers the most complete data picture among the neighbors, with a median rent of $1,071 and a rent-to-price ratio of 0.080, which translates to a gross yield of roughly 9.6% annualized on a $160,460 asset. Miami County comes in at a 0.072 rent-to-price ratio on a $163,132 median. Both Delaware and Miami provide modeled yield data that Blackford currently lacks, which makes them easier to underwrite for a cash-flow buyer. Blackford's edge is purely in purchase price and its top-ranked appreciation score of 88. If your thesis is lowest-cost basis in Indiana with exposure to continued price appreciation, and you are willing to do your own rent research, Blackford is the right pick. If you want a market where the yield math is already visible in the data, Delaware County at an 8.0% rent-to-price ratio is the more immediately underwritable option in this peer group.