ZIP 46032 vs ZIP 46290

This side-by-side compares ZIP 46032 (Carmel, IN) and ZIP 46290 (Indianapolis, IN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 46032 has a population of 42,234 at 632 people per square mile, while ZIP 46290 has 170 at 121 per square mile. That difference in population size and density alone reshapes how every other metric should be interpreted — a higher-income ZIP with 1,200 residents behaves very differently from one with 45,000.

On income and education, ZIP 46032 reports a median household income of $132,085 against — in ZIP 46290, with per-capita income of $78,612 vs $113,153. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 75.5% in 46032 and 56.8% in 46290. Poverty rate reads 4.9% vs 28.4%, and unemployment 2.9% vs 0.0% — these four fields alone drive most of the difference in the scorecard grades you will see for each ZIP.

Housing separates these two ZIPs further: median home value sits at $496,800 in 46032 versus $570,700 in 46290, with median rent of $1,642 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 66.5% vs 100.0%. When reading the comparison table below, focus on paired metrics rather than single winners — a ZIP with lower home values and lower income is not strictly "worse" if rent-to-income ratios and commute times land in the same zone. Every value is pulled from the exact same ACS table so the two columns are genuinely comparable.