Best Places46936, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 46936, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
46936 ranks 5,339th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 46936
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.
46936's strengths and weaknesses
Where 46936 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 86% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 46936 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 42% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 46936
A household needs to earn about $53,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 46936 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $88,206, 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 46936's effective rate of 0.80%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 46936
46936 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 46936.
Who works in 46936, and how
Work in 46936 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 46936
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 46936.
What the weather is like in 46936, month by month
46936 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 28° | 20° |
| April | 64° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 64° |
| October | 69° | 55° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 46936
The nearest airport, Fort Wayne International, is about 53 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Indianapolis International, about 56 miles away.
The best schools in and around 46936
Schools across 46936 average a B, better than 62% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Eastern Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Howard Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Park Elementary SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top middle schools
- Northwestern Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Eastern Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Taylor Middle SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Northwestern Senior High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Eastern High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Madison-grant Jr./sr. High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 46936 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
46936 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 46936 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 46936
Is 46936 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 46936 ranks 5,339th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, cheap car insurance, and health care access, and lowest on the weather and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 46936 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $204,683. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $88,206 median income, cost of living beats 86% of zip codes.
Is 46936 safe?
Yes, 46936 is safer than 95% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $144 per resident a year.
Compare 46936 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 46936. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 46936 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.
46936 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 46936: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 46936: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 46936: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 46936: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
46936 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.