Best Places46517, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 46517, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
46517 ranks 19,181st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 46517
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.
46517's strengths and weaknesses
Where 46517 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Short commute19.9 minutes each way, better than 85% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 85% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 46517 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 46517
A household needs to earn about $47,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 46517 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $68,870, 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 46517's effective rate of 0.86%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 46517
46517's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 46517.
Who works in 46517, and how
Work in 46517 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 46517
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 46517.
What the weather is like in 46517, month by month
46517 sees roughly 80 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 28° | 22° |
| April | 58° | 50° | 40° |
| July | 83° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 63° | 55° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 46517
The nearest airport, South Bend International, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 92 miles away.
The best schools in and around 46517
Schools across 46517 average a C−, better than 27% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Wakarusa Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Jimtown Intermediate SchoolB · 49% proficient
- Monger Elementary SchoolD+ · 21% proficient
Top middle schools
- North Wood Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Jimtown Junior High SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Concord Junior High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- North Wood High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Jimtown High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Concord Community High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 46517 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
46517 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 46517 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 46517 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 6% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 46517
Is 46517 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 46517 ranks 19,181st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, fast internet, and short commutes, and lowest on education levels and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 46517 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $176,462. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $68,870 median income, cost of living beats 44% of zip codes.
Is 46517 safe?
46517 is safer than 19% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $432 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 46517?
July highs average about 83 degrees, and January highs near 33 with lows near 22. That works out to about 80 pleasant days a year, more than 44% of zip codes.
Is 46517 good for families?
Schools beat 27% of zip codes, crime safety beats 19%, and childcare runs $851 a month.
Compare 46517 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 46517. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 46517 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.
46517 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 46517: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 46517: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 46517: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 46517: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
46517 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.