Best Places46311, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 46311, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
46311 ranks 3,106th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 46311
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.
46311's strengths and weaknesses
Where 46311 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Household income$124,213 median, better than 91% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 46311 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Short commute30.8 minutes each way, better than only 25% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 74 pleasant days a year, better than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 46311
A household needs to earn about $96,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 46311 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $124,213, 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 46311's effective rate of 0.95%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 46311
46311 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 46311.
Who works in 46311, and how
Work in 46311 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 46311
46311 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 97% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 80% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 46311 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 46311, month by month
46311 sees roughly 74 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 26° | 20° |
| April | 60° | 48° | 39° |
| July | 84° | 74° | 65° |
| October | 65° | 54° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 46311
Chicago Midway International sits about 24 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 9.4 million passengers in 2025, with 113 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 46311
Schools across 46311 average a B+, better than 76% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- George Bibich Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- James H Watson Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hal E Clark Middle SchoolB+ · 47% proficient
- Hanover Central Middle SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Kahler Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Munster High SchoolA · 76% proficient
- Lake Central High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Hanover Central High SchoolB · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 46311 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
46311 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 46311 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 46311 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 12% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 46311
Is 46311 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 46311 ranks 3,106th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, what local pay buys, and big-city access, and lowest on air quality and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 46311 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $360,900. The overall cost of living runs about 1% below the national average. Set against a $124,213 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 46311 safe?
Yes, 46311 is safer than 59% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $258 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 46311?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 33 with lows near 20. That works out to about 74 pleasant days a year, more than 34% of zip codes.
Is 46311 good for families?
Schools beat 76% of zip codes, crime safety beats 59%, and childcare runs $873 a month.
Compare 46311 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 46311. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 46311 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.
46311 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 46311: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 46311: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 46311: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 46311: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
46311 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.