Best Places46601, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 46601, 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.
46601 ranks 31,569th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 46601
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.
46601's strengths and weaknesses
Where 46601 ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 99% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 99% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Short commute17.8 minutes each way, better than 92% of zip codes
Where 46601 ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$34,903 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 6% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 46601
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 46601 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $34,903, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 46601's effective rate of 1.04%, 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 46601
46601 runs younger than the country, 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 46601.
Who works in 46601, and how
Work in 46601 centers on hospitality & food and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 20%
Life in 46601
46601 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 92% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 90% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 46601 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 46601, month by month
46601 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 46601
The nearest airport, South Bend International, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 78 miles away.
The best schools in and around 46601
Schools across 46601 average a C−, better than 19% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Marshall Traditional SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
- Madison S.t.e.a.m. AcademyF · 2% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lasalle AcademyB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Rise Up Academy At EgglestonD− · 15% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 46601 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
46601 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 46601 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 46601
Is 46601 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 46601 ranks 31,569th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cell coverage, biking, and walkability, and lowest on crime and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 46601 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $152,246. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $34,903 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 46601 safe?
46601 is safer than 0% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,588 per resident a year.
Compare 46601 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 46601. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 46601 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.
46601 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 46601: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 46601: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 46601: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 46601: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
46601 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.