Best Places46961, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 46961, 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.
46961 ranks 21,595th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 46961
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.
46961's strengths and weaknesses
Where 46961 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 83% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 46961 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 56 pleasant days a year, better than only 3% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 46961
A household needs to earn about $49,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 46961 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $69,875, 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 46961's effective rate of 0.69%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 46961
46961 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 46961.
Who works in 46961, and how
Work in 46961 centers on manufacturing and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 1%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 46961
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 46961.
What the weather is like in 46961, month by month
46961 sees roughly 56 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 28° | 19° |
| April | 64° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 63° |
| October | 69° | 56° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 46961
The nearest airport, Fort Wayne International, is about 54 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Indianapolis International, about 73 miles away.
The best schools in and around 46961
Schools across 46961 average a C, better than 38% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lewis Cass Elementary SchoolC · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Lewis Cass High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Peru Jr/sr High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 46961 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
46961 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 46961 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 46961
Is 46961 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 46961 ranks 21,595th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, cheap car insurance, and health care access, and lowest on taxes and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 46961 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $190,900. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $69,875 median income, cost of living beats 53% of zip codes.
Is 46961 safe?
Yes, 46961 is safer than 70% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $214 per resident a year.
Compare 46961 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 46961. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 46961 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.
46961 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 46961: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 46961: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 46961: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 46961: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
46961 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.