The gender makeup of the town was 49.8% male and 50.2% female. 2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 1,264 people, 469 households, and 364 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 500 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.66% White, 0.08% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population. There were 469 households, out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $61,875, and the median income for a family was $71,667. Males had a median income of $50,156 versus $31,538 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,821. About 1.7% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over. Arts and culture New Palestine has a public library, a branch of the Hancock County Public Library. Education New Palestine is home to the Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County, which includes three elementary schools (New Palestine, Sugar Creek, and Brandywine), one junior high school (New Palestine Junior High), one intermediate school (New Palestine Intermediate) and one high school (also referred to as New Palestine High School). The area includes Brandywine and Sugar Creek townships and is approximately in area. There are currently 3,206 students enrolled in the entire district. It is adjacent to Warren and Franklin township to its west and Shelby County