Indianapolis Neighborhoods Ranked by Crime, Schools, Value

Indianapolis's highest-scoring ZIP code on NeighborScore's composite index is 46259 on the city's southeast side, at 52 out of 100, driven by a strong 83/100 school score. According to NCES assessment data and the FBI Crime Data Explorer, here's how Indianapolis's top five ZIP codes compare on crime, schools, and home value, and what actually separates them once safety is held constant.

Indianapolis's Top 5 ZIP Codes, Ranked

1. 46259 — overall 52, crime 25, school 83, value 36
2. 46220 — overall 49, crime 25, school 75, value 37
3. 46217 — overall 48, crime 25, school 74, value 46
4. 46227 — overall 47, crime 25, school 71, value 50
5. 46113 — overall 46, crime 25, school 69, value 43

Every ZIP code in this top-five list shares Indianapolis's countywide crime score of 25 out of 100, the baseline tier common to most Marion County ZIP codes in NeighborScore's current dataset. That means school score and home value are what actually separate these neighborhoods on the overall ranking, not safety.

Indianapolis is Indiana's largest metro and one of the more affordable big-city housing markets in the Midwest, which has made it a steady draw for relocating buyers priced out of coastal metros. That affordability shows up clearly in this dataset: even the ZIP code with the weakest value score among these five, 46220 at 37/100, would rank as comparatively affordable against the top-scoring ZIP codes seen in San Diego or Austin in other NeighborScore comparisons.

46259: The Metro's Strongest Schools

46259 leads the metro with an 83/100 school score, the only ZIP code in this comparison to break 80. It also posts a solid 36/100 value score, giving it the best overall combination of the five. The ZIP code sits on Indianapolis's far southeast side, an area that has drawn steady suburban development over the past decade without the sharpest price increases seen in some other fast-growing Sun Belt metros.

46227: The Best Value in the Group

46227 posts the strongest value score of any ZIP code in this comparison, at 50 out of 100, despite ranking fourth on schools at 71/100. For buyers prioritizing affordability without giving up meaningfully on school quality, 46227 currently represents the best balance in Indianapolis's top five. It's a useful reminder that the highest overall score and the best individual value score don't always belong to the same ZIP code.

46220 and 46217: The Middle Tier

46220 and 46217 sit in the middle of this ranking on overall score but arrive there differently. 46220 leans on a stronger school score, 75 versus 46217's 74, while 46217 counters with a meaningfully better value score, 46 versus 46220's 37. The two ZIP codes are close enough on overall score — 49 versus 48 — that the choice between them mostly comes down to whether a buyer weights schools or affordability more heavily in their own decision. Both ZIP codes sit inside Indianapolis's Marion County core rather than in the outer suburban ring, which typically means shorter commute times to downtown employers at the cost of somewhat higher density than 46113 or 46259 offer.

46113: The Farthest Suburb in This Ranking

46113, on Indianapolis's southwest side near Mooresville, rounds out the top five with the lowest overall score of the group at 46/100, but it isn't far behind on either individual component — a 69/100 school score and a 43/100 value score. It's a reasonable option for buyers who want lower density and don't need the absolute top school score available in the metro, trading a modest amount of school quality for more space and a quieter suburban setting than the ZIP codes closer to the urban core.

How Indianapolis Compares to Other Midwest Metros

An overall score in the high 40s to low 50s, as seen across Indianapolis's top five ZIP codes, is fairly typical for a Midwest metro without ZIP-level FBI incident data — it reflects the county-wide crime baseline of 25/100 pulling down otherwise-solid school scores in the 70s and 80s. Metros with more granular, favorable crime data, or crime scores drawn from smaller, lower-crime counties, can post higher overall scores even with comparable schools. That's a data-resolution effect as much as a real difference in neighborhood quality, and it's worth keeping in mind when comparing Indianapolis to metros elsewhere in the country.

What This Means for Relocating Buyers

Buyers moving to Indianapolis from a higher-cost metro should expect every ZIP code on this list to feel like a meaningful step up in affordability, even the ones with comparatively weaker value scores within this specific five-ZIP comparison. The bigger decision within Indianapolis itself is less about price and more about which combination of school quality, commute distance, and suburban character fits a given household, since crime scores don't currently differentiate these neighborhoods at all.

Bottom Line

Indianapolis's ZIP 46259 leads the metro's top five on NeighborScore's overall index at 52/100, driven by the strongest school score in the group. ZIP 46227 offers the best value score at 50/100 for buyers prioritizing affordability, while 46220 and 46217 sit close together in the middle, trading school score for value score depending on which ZIP code you compare. Crime scores are identical across all five, so schools and value are the two factors actually worth comparing directly. Full data for each ZIP code is available on their NeighborScore profiles, and more neighborhood guides are posted on the NeighborScore blog.