Best Places46142, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 46142, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
46142 ranks 5,850th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 46142
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
46142's strengths and weaknesses
Where 46142 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 46142 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 55 pleasant days a year, better than only 2% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,023 a month, better than only 32% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 46142
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 46142 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $102,393, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 46142's effective rate of 0.72%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 46142
46142's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 46142.
Who works in 46142, and how
Work in 46142 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 46142
46142 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 46142 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 46142, month by month
46142 sees roughly 55 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 30° | 21° |
| April | 67° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 88° | 77° | 67° |
| October | 70° | 57° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 46142
Indianapolis International sits about 10 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.2 million passengers in 2025, with 92 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 46142
Schools across 46142 average a B+, better than 74% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Westwood Elementary SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- North Grove Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Rosa Parks Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Center Grove Middle School NorthB+ · 49% proficient
- Greenwood Middle SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Perry Meridian 6th Grade AcademyB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Center Grove High SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Greenwood Community High SchB+ · 57% proficient
- Perry Meridian High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 46142 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
46142 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 46142 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 46142 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 91% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 15% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 46142
Is 46142 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 46142 ranks 5,850th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, what local pay buys, and cell coverage, and lowest on the weather and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 46142 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $287,482. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $102,393 median income, cost of living beats 91% of zip codes.
Is 46142 safe?
46142 is safer than 41% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $300 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 46142?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 39 with lows near 21. That works out to about 55 pleasant days a year, more than 2% of zip codes.
Is 46142 good for families?
Schools beat 74% of zip codes, crime safety beats 41%, and childcare runs $1,023 a month.
Compare 46142 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 46142. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 46142 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
46142 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 46142: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 46142: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 46142: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 46142: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
46142 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.