While big cities like Indianapolis offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Indianapolis. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Indianapolis without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Indianapolis are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Indianapolis area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Indianapolis for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Indianapolis? Carmel ranks as the best suburb of Indianapolis for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Carmel, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Indianapolis ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Indiana:
The 10 Best Indianapolis Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 99,453
Median Income: $132,859
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on Carmel: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Carmel is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Indianapolis area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Carmel.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $132,859 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Indianapolis region. And only 2.57% are out of work. Homes average more than $519,540 each.
I know someone who moved to Carmel and she thinks she’s above everybody else. The only reason she lives there is she rents. She married a much older guy who she thinks has lots of money. When that well runs dry, she’ll be off to find number 6.
/10
Pittsboro is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Indianapolis for 2024.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 1.31% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
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Population: 48,262
Median Income: $117,519
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 4.1%
More on Westfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Westfield, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Indianapolis metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Westfield.
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Population: 30,832
Median Income: $152,788
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Zionsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Zionsville ranks as the 4th best suburb of Indianapolis for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Zionsville and the schools are some of the best around.
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Population: 9,098
Median Income: $103,539
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 2.8%
More on Mccordsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is McCordsville.
McCordsville gets kudos for having the 8th most expensive homes in the Indianapolis area, where houses sell for an average of $349,911. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
6. New Palestine, IN
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Population: 2,831
Median Income: $86,082
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on New Palestine: Real Estate
New Palestine is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 5.0%.
According to online reports, New Palestine is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Indianapolis area, meaning you need to get in soon.
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Population: 5,991
Median Income: $83,718
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Cumberland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Cumberland.
Cumberland schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 10.4 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
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Population: 10,842
Median Income: $90,686
Unemployment Rate: 1.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on Danville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Danville is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 4.56% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
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Population: 29,379
Median Income: $101,883
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%
Poverty Rate: 7.2%
More on Brownsburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Brownsburg?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
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Population: 70,442
Median Income: $99,458
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on Noblesville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Noblesville.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Indianapolis for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Indianapolis was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Indianapolis.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 34 suburbs to evaluate around Indianapolis.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 34 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Indianapolis.” We’re lookin’ at you, Carmel.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Indianapolis suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Indianapolis ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Indianapolis are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Indianapolis but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Indiana reading, check out:
Table: Best Indianapolis Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel, IN | 99,453 | $132,859 | $519,540 |
| 2 | Pittsboro, IN | 3,814 | $118,750 | $340,031 |
| 3 | Westfield, IN | 48,262 | $117,519 | $431,094 |
| 4 | Zionsville, IN | 30,832 | $152,788 | $571,985 |
| 5 | Mccordsville, IN | 9,098 | $103,539 | $349,911 |
| 6 | New Palestine, IN | 2,831 | $86,082 | $354,706 |
| 7 | Cumberland, IN | 5,991 | $83,718 | $274,160 |
| 8 | Danville, IN | 10,842 | $90,686 | $301,935 |
| 9 | Brownsburg, IN | 29,379 | $101,883 | $329,814 |
| 10 | Noblesville, IN | 70,442 | $99,458 | $358,434 |
| 11 | Cicero, IN | 5,356 | $63,288 | $356,053 |
| 12 | Avon, IN | 21,783 | $98,162 | $337,215 |
| 13 | New Whiteland, IN | 5,591 | $83,958 | $210,861 |
| 14 | Greenwood, IN | 63,579 | $75,398 | $308,640 |
| 15 | Bargersville, IN | 9,520 | $102,045 | $413,710 |
| 16 | Lapel, IN | 2,517 | $69,028 | $204,772 |
| 17 | Pendleton, IN | 4,937 | $81,413 | $301,763 |
| 18 | Mooresville, IN | 9,525 | $68,089 | $287,287 |
| 19 | Greenfield, IN | 23,669 | $69,571 | $247,376 |
| 20 | Whiteland, IN | 4,278 | $85,351 | $262,844 |
| 21 | Franklin, IN | 26,073 | $72,344 | $255,388 |
| 22 | Fortville, IN | 5,206 | $79,806 | $279,914 |
| 23 | Plainfield, IN | 35,078 | $77,249 | $310,684 |
| 24 | Martinsville, IN | 11,916 | $57,383 | $264,822 |
| 25 | Southport, IN | 2,088 | $68,182 | $224,073 |
| 26 | Brooklyn, IN | 2,248 | $66,425 | $149,860 |
| 27 | Lawrence, IN | 49,218 | $70,762 | $252,234 |
| 28 | Ingalls, IN | 2,404 | $70,313 | $161,328 |
| 29 | Lebanon, IN | 17,277 | $63,125 | $248,292 |
| 30 | Shelbyville, IN | 19,678 | $55,850 | $201,373 |
| 31 | Beech Grove, IN | 15,181 | $51,352 | $183,313 |
| 32 | Sheridan, IN | 3,464 | $58,021 | $283,566 |
| 33 | Speedway, IN | 13,646 | $52,627 | $227,778 |
| 34 | Morgantown, IN | 2,734 | $29,103 | $133,317 |
