Best Places47281, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 47281, 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.
47281 ranks 7,924th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 47281
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.
47281's strengths and weaknesses
Where 47281 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 47281 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 47281
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 47281 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $84,922, 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 47281's effective rate of 0.42%, 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 47281
47281's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 47281.
Who works in 47281, and how
Work in 47281 centers on retail trade and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 47281
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 47281.
What the weather is like in 47281, month by month
47281 sees roughly 124 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 32° | 25° |
| April | 66° | 55° | 46° |
| July | 85° | 75° | 68° |
| October | 69° | 58° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 47281
The nearest airport, Louisville Muhammad Ali International, is about 48 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Indianapolis International, about 64 miles away.
The best schools in and around 47281
Schools across 47281 average a C+, better than 49% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Medora Stem AcademyB · 45% proficient
- Brownstown Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Bradie Shrum ElementaryC · 31% proficient
Top middle schools
- Brownstown Central Middle SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Salem Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Brownstown Central High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- Salem High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Medora Jr & Sr High SchoolF · 9% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 47281 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
47281 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 47281 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 47281
Is 47281 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 47281 ranks 7,924th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, heat safety, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on taxes and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 47281 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $219,728. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $84,922 median income, cost of living beats 72% of zip codes.
Is 47281 safe?
Yes, 47281 is safer than 89% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $168 per resident a year.
Compare 47281 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 47281. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 47281 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.
47281 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 47281: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 47281: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 47281: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 47281: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
47281 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.