Best Places47986, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 47986, 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.
47986 ranks 13,645th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 47986
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.
47986's strengths and weaknesses
Where 47986 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 81% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 47986 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 47986
A household needs to earn about $51,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 47986 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $83,393, 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 47986's effective rate of 0.73%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 47986
47986 runs older 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 47986.
Who works in 47986, and how
Work in 47986 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 47986
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 47986.
What the weather is like in 47986, month by month
47986 sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 28° | 19° |
| April | 66° | 52° | 40° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 63° |
| October | 70° | 56° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 47986
The nearest airport, University of Illinois/Willard, is about 65 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Indianapolis International, about 73 miles away.
The best schools in and around 47986
Schools across 47986 average a B, better than 61% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Prairie Crossing Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Benton Central Jr-sr High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 47986 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
47986 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 47986 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 47986
Is 47986 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 47986 ranks 13,645th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, cheap car insurance, and civic engagement, and lowest on biking and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 47986 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $195,500. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $83,393 median income, cost of living beats 81% of zip codes.
Is 47986 safe?
47986 is safer than 48% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $273 per resident a year.
Compare 47986 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 47986. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 47986 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.
47986 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 47986: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 47986: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 47986: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 47986: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
47986 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.