Best Places46543, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 46543, 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.
46543 ranks 16,197th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 46543
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.
46543's strengths and weaknesses
Where 46543 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Short commute16.6 minutes each way, better than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 46543 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 46543
A household needs to earn about $75,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 46543 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $98,450, 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 46543'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 and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 46543
46543 runs younger than the country, 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 46543.
Who works in 46543, and how
Work in 46543 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in 46543
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 46543.
What the weather is like in 46543, month by month
46543 sees roughly 81 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 27° | 19° |
| April | 62° | 49° | 37° |
| July | 85° | 73° | 62° |
| October | 67° | 54° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 46543
The nearest airport, South Bend International, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 109 miles away.
The best schools in and around 46543
Schools across 46543 average a B, better than 62% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Benton Elementary SchoolB · 49% proficient
- Millersburg Elementary- Middle SchB · 47% proficient
- Topeka Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Westview Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Westview Jr-sr High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Fairfield Jr-sr High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 46543 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
46543 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 46543 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 46543
Is 46543 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 46543 ranks 16,197th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, short commutes, and cheap car insurance, 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 46543 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $288,590. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $98,450 median income, cost of living beats 81% of zip codes.
Is 46543 safe?
46543 is safer than 14% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $468 per resident a year.
Compare 46543 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 46543. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 46543 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.
46543 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 46543: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 46543: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 46543: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 46543: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
46543 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.