Best Places46545, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 46545, 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.
46545 ranks 15,526th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 46545
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.
46545's strengths and weaknesses
Where 46545 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 87% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Short commute20.6 minutes each way, better than 82% of zip codes
Where 46545 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 46545
A household needs to earn about $47,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 46545 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $68,192, 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 46545's effective rate of 0.83%, 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 46545
46545 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 46545.
Who works in 46545, and how
Work in 46545 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 46545
46545 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 86% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 76% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 46545 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 46545, month by month
46545 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 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° | 48° | 36° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 62° |
| October | 67° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 46545
The nearest airport, South Bend International, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 82 miles away.
The best schools in and around 46545
Schools across 46545 average a B−, better than 56% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Horizon Elementary SchoolA · 69% proficient
- Bittersweet Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Swanson Traditional SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Schmucker Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Lasalle AcademyB− · 40% proficient
- John J Young Middle SchoolD · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- Penn High SchoolA− · 64% proficient
- Mishawaka High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Rise Up Academy At EgglestonD− · 15% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 46545 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
46545 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 46545 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 46545 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 46545
Is 46545 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 46545 ranks 15,526th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, cheap car insurance, and walkability, and lowest on noise and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 46545 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $180,525. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $68,192 median income, cost of living beats 50% of zip codes.
Is 46545 safe?
46545 is safer than 18% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $467 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 46545?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 35 with lows near 19. That works out to about 64 pleasant days a year, more than 14% of zip codes.
Is 46545 good for families?
Schools beat 56% of zip codes, crime safety beats 18%, and childcare runs $831 a month.
Compare 46545 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 46545. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 46545 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.
46545 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 46545: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 46545: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 46545: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 46545: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
46545 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.