Nine Years of Rural Indiana Stats: A Refreshed Look and New Broadband Data

The Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) continues to strengthen and expand its online data platform, Rural Indiana Stats (RIS). Nearly all the 130+ variables available on the site have been refreshed with the latest data. RIS brings together a wide range of information, including county geographic typologies, housing characteristics, local government fiscal indicators, socioeconomic data, agriculture and forestry metrics, and digital inclusion measures. The platform was launched more than nine years ago through a partnership between PCRD and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), a collaboration that remains central to its ongoing success.

RIS has become an essential resource for Hoosiers seeking reliable, county-level data across Indiana’s 92 counties. It is designed to give individuals, community leaders, organizations, and agencies quick access to core information that can guide local programs, planning efforts, and investment decisions. Over the years, RIS data has supported the development of local and regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS), informed place-based workforce attraction plans, strengthened the work of local economic development organizations, and helped validate needs in grant applications. For example, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority uses RIS housing data to help evaluate grant submissions, while members of the Indiana Association of Regional Councils rely on RIS digital inclusion data to communicate broadband needs to state and federal partners. OCRA also uses RIS geographic typologies to ensure that resources intended for rural communities are directed to the right places.

New look and layout!

Over the past several months we have undertaken a comprehensive refresh of the Rural Indiana Stats website. The purpose of this redesign was to make the site’s data easier to find, easier to read, and easier to navigate. To that end, we simplified the visual design so the statistics themselves take center stage, improved the flow between counties and topics so browsing feels seamless, and reorganized the homepage to surface the most relevant information first. We also refined the site to provide a consistent, comfortable experience across all devices and screen sizes. While the site’s appearance has changed, its mission has not. Our aim remains the same: to present clear, reliable data on rural Indiana in a format that is accessible to all users.

Broadband Quality Score (BQS)

The newest data addition to RIS is the Broadband Quality Score (BQS), a metric designed to capture not only whether broadband is available, but how well it performs. The BQS is a normalized 0–100 index that combines three key indicators of internet quality: download speed, upload speed, and latency. This approach builds on a 2010 framework developed by two Spanish researchers who argued that the digital divide must be understood in terms of both access and connection quality.

For Indiana’s Census tracts, the BQS is calculated using weighted averages of download and upload speeds and latency, based on annual average quarterly data from Speedtest® by Ookla. To ensure reliability, only tracts with at least 50 recorded tests are included. After applying the formula, scores are normalized so that 100 represents the highest broadband quality observed in the state and 0 represents the lowest. Additional details about the BQS methodology are available here.

Continued Growth and User Engagement

Since RIS launched in spring 2017, usage has steadily increased, with more than 100,000 individuals accessing the platform and tens of thousands of page views each year. As PCRD continues its commitment to making high-quality data accessible for the benefit of Indiana’s people, communities, and regions, we welcome feedback from users about which datasets are most valuable and what additional variables should be considered for future updates.

Visit Rural Indiana Stats