Best Places46217, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 46217, 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.
46217 ranks 6,842nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 46217
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.
46217's strengths and weaknesses
Where 46217 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 46217 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 55 pleasant days a year, better than only 2% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 46217
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 46217 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $91,909, 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 46217's effective rate of 0.94%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 46217
46217'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 46217.
Who works in 46217, and how
Work in 46217 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 46217
46217 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 46217 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 46217, month by month
46217 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 46217
Indianapolis International sits about 7 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 46217
Schools across 46217 average a B, better than 63% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rosa Parks Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Glenns Valley Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Abraham Lincoln Elementary SchoolC · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Merle Sidener Gifted AcademyA+ · 74% proficient
- Perry Meridian Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Perry Meridian 6th Grade AcademyB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Perry Meridian High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- George Washington High SchoolF · 7% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 46217 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
46217 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 46217 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 46217 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 84% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 13% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 46217
Is 46217 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 46217 ranks 6,842nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, fast internet, and a strong job market, 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 46217 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $251,785. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $91,909 median income, cost of living beats 84% of zip codes.
Is 46217 safe?
Yes, 46217 is safer than 71% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $269 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 46217?
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 46217 good for families?
Schools beat 63% of zip codes, crime safety beats 71%, and childcare runs $808 a month.
Compare 46217 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 46217. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 46217 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.
46217 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 46217: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 46217: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 46217: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 46217: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
46217 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.