Brook, Indiana

Town in Newton County · population 939 (2020 Census)

Median home: $116,200
Household income: $53,571
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 84°
Snow a year: 27 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 26
Median age: 34.6

Brook is a town of 939 people in Newton County, Indiana. The median home is worth $116,200, below the typical Indiana town ($150,400). It ranks quieter than 98% of Indiana towns, hipper than 81% of Indiana towns.

Brook in our rankings:

#11 in The 25 Quietest Small Towns in Indiana

How Brook ranks

Percentile among Indiana towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Indiana towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Brook is worth $116,200, below the typical Indiana town ($150,400). Homes cost about 2.2 times the median household income of $53,571, which is more affordable than 68% of Indiana towns. Median rent is $880 a month. 80.5% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Indiana towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Brook	Typical Indiana town
Median home value	$116,200	$150,400
Median rent	$880	$888
Median household income	$53,571	$61,953
Home value ÷ income	2.2×	2.5×
Homeownership	80.5%	73.4%
Median year built	1954	1966
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Brook

People	Brook	Typical Indiana town
Median age	34.6	38.9
Age 65 and over	18.1%	17.1%
Under 18	21.4%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.9%	17.4%
Below the poverty line	13.0%	11.6%
Veterans	6.6%	—
Born outside the U.S.	15.3%	—
Work from home	4.7%	6.2%
Average commute	28.4 min	24.7 min
Homes with broadband	86.1%	89.2%

Weather in Brook

July highs average 83.9°F and January lows 16.1°F. About 40.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 26.5 inches of snow (typical Indiana town: 21.1 in). Expect about 17 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 127 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Rensselaer station (10.7 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

26 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Brook since 1950, compared with 23 for the typical Indiana town. 3 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF2, struck on May 25, 2011 about 4.3 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 11, 2026.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 30 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on August 9, 2012.

Severe weather in Newton County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Newton County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 7 deaths recorded.

Newton County has been included in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
August 15, 2026	Flood	EM-3651: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
January 24, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3641: Severe Winter Storm
April 3, 2020	Biological	DR-4515: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3456: Covid-19
May 4, 2018	Flood	DR-4363: Severe Storms And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Newton County

Newton County had 3,237 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $48,666 a year. Unemployment was 3.9% in 2023; in Brook itself the ACS puts it at 16.5%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Brook

Morocco, IN
7.0 mi · 1,081 people · home $113,900
Kentland, IN
7.6 mi · 1,641 people · home $114,000
Goodland, IN
8.0 mi · 980 people · home $96,100
Sheldon, IL
12.4 mi · 965 people · home $78,000
Rensselaer, IN
12.5 mi · 5,733 people · home $153,800
Remington, IN
14.0 mi · 1,356 people · home $146,100
Fowler, IN
17.4 mi · 2,337 people · home $111,800
Wolcott, IN
18.5 mi · 950 people · home $113,900

Brook questions

Is Brook, Indiana a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Brook scores better for retirees than 45% of Indiana towns and quieter than 98%. 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (median age 34.6).

How much does a house cost in Brook?

The median owner-occupied home in Brook is valued at $116,200 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $53,571, so homes cost about 2.2 times income. Median rent is $880 a month.

What is the weather like in Brook?

July highs average 83.9°F and January lows 16.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 40.1 inches of precipitation a year and 26.5 inches of snow.

Does Brook get tornadoes?

26 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Brook since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF2 on May 25, 2011. The typical Indiana town has had 23.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Brook's Census boundary (GEOID 1807966). Comparisons use the median of Indiana towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.