Redkey, Indiana

Town in Jay County · population 1,100 (2020 Census)

Median home: $85,400
Household income: $42,986
Jan low / Jul high: 18° / 84°
Snow a year: 21 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 19
Median age: 28.4

Redkey is a town of 1,100 people in Jay County, Indiana. The median home is worth $85,400, below the typical Indiana town ($150,400). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 78% of Indiana towns.

How Redkey 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 Redkey is worth $85,400, below the typical Indiana town ($150,400). Homes cost about 2.0 times the median household income of $42,986, which is more affordable than 78% of Indiana towns. Median rent is $905 a month. 74.5% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Redkey	Typical Indiana town
Median home value	$85,400	$150,400
Median rent	$905	$888
Median household income	$42,986	$61,953
Home value ÷ income	2.0×	2.5×
Homeownership	74.5%	73.4%
Median year built	1952	1966
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Redkey

People	Redkey	Typical Indiana town
Median age	28.4	38.9
Age 65 and over	14.6%	17.1%
Under 18	35.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.7%	17.4%
Below the poverty line	34.6%	11.6%
Veterans	4.4%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.4%	—
Work from home	6.1%	6.2%
Average commute	26.2 min	24.7 min
Homes with broadband	91.1%	89.2%

Weather in Redkey

July highs average 84.4°F and January lows 17.5°F. About 41.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 20.9 inches of snow (typical Indiana town: 21.1 in). Expect about 17 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 130 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 Farmland 5 Nnw station (6.5 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

19 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Redkey since 1950, compared with 23 for the typical Indiana town. 10 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on April 3, 1974 about 6.4 miles from the town center and killed 1. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 1 deaths and 15 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on March 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 2.50 inches on May 11, 2005.

Severe weather in Jay County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Jay County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 2 deaths recorded.

Jay County has been included in 16 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
June 8, 2008	Severe Storm	DR-1766: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes

Jobs and pay in Jay County

Jay County had 7,027 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $48,103 a year. Unemployment was 3.1% in 2023; in Redkey itself the ACS puts it at 5.5%.

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).

Public schools in Redkey

1 public school with 254 students, about 10.6 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Redkey Elementary School	PK-6	254	10.6

Towns near Redkey

Dunkirk, IN
3.4 mi · 2,164 people · home $81,100
Albany, IN
5.1 mi · 2,295 people · home $105,200
Ridgeville, IN
7.7 mi · 688 people · home $47,600
Pennville, IN
9.9 mi · 621 people · home $84,100
Eaton, IN
10.8 mi · 1,595 people · home $89,800
Portland, IN
10.9 mi · 6,320 people · home $96,700
Farmland, IN
11.1 mi · 1,270 people · home $99,200
Parker City, IN
11.3 mi · 1,278 people · home $94,200

Redkey questions

Is Redkey, Indiana a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Redkey scores better for retirees than 32% of Indiana towns and quieter than 46%. 14.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 28.4).

How much does a house cost in Redkey?

The median owner-occupied home in Redkey is valued at $85,400 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $42,986, so homes cost about 2.0 times income. Median rent is $905 a month.

What is the weather like in Redkey?

July highs average 84.4°F and January lows 17.5°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 41.4 inches of precipitation a year and 20.9 inches of snow.

Does Redkey get tornadoes?

19 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Redkey since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on April 3, 1974. The typical Indiana town has had 23.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Redkey's Census boundary (GEOID 1863450). 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.