ZIP 46256 vs ZIP 46216

This side-by-side compares ZIP 46256 (Indianapolis, IN) and ZIP 46216 (Indianapolis, IN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 46256 has a population of 23,647 at 816 people per square mile, while ZIP 46216 has 1,697 at 188 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 46256 reports a median household income of $93,847 against $53,161 in ZIP 46216, with per-capita income of $52,277 vs $35,761. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 57.3% in 46256 and 47.2% in 46216. Poverty rate reads 7.0% vs 7.3%, and unemployment 2.3% vs 4.2% — 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 $318,200 in 46256 versus $272,200 in 46216, with median rent of $1,175 and $1,301 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 73.0% vs 30.7%. 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.