Hancock County, Indiana · Greenfield
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Pipes freeze in Hancock County on about 31 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 18% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Hancock County averages 8.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Hancock County gets about 8.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 79 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Hancock County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Indiana county median of 17%.
About 42 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
With 34,370 homes and around 84,037 residents, Hancock County is 306 square miles of eastern Indiana. The county seat is Greenfield, and McCordsville, Fortville and New Palestine round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1991.
37/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Hancock County ranks 89 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hancock County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
For frozen pipes, Hancock County is a typical Indiana county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 31 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 103 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 51st of 92 counties.
On January 2, 2018 the low fell to about -12°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 15 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 24 and the last spring freeze around Apr 19.
Rainfall is about average for Indiana. The county gets about 44.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.1 days of an inch or more (41st of 92). Those downpours cluster in April, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.78 inches on June 16, 2019. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.91 inches (through September 9, 2018).
About 79 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Indiana's 92 counties range widely in housing age; Hancock ranks 88th, with 40% of its homes built before 1980.
36% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Indiana. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
25% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 42 times a year here, above the Indiana county median of 38. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Hancock County's occupied homes: 61% utility gas, 31% electric, 7% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Hancock County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Hamilton, Henry and Marion get more pipe-freeze nights than Hancock. Henry County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hancock | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 35% | 88 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 40% | 58% | 88 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 36% | 18% | 5 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.4% | 6.4% | 90 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 2.6% | 9.2% | 92 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8% | 17% | 72 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 31/yr | 33/yr | 51 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.1/yr | 7.8/yr | 41 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 79/yr | 84/yr | 70 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 42/yr | 38/yr | 34 of 92 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Indiana county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Hancock County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, June and July.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology