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 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Indianapolis? Carmel ranks as the best suburb of Indianapolis for 2025 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 2025
/10
Population: 100,501
Median Income: $134,602
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.7%
More on Carmel: Data
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 $134,602 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Indianapolis region. And only 2.72% are out of work. Homes average more than $455,500 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.
2. Westfield, IN
/10
Population: 51,109
Median Income: $119,598
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 3.9%
More on Westfield:
Westfield is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Indianapolis for 2025.
It ranks 4th for incomes in the area and only 4.71% of residents lack insurance, good for 12th best.
/10
Population: 3,988
Median Income: $125,133
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 0.3%
More on Pittsboro: Data
Here in Pittsboro, 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 Pittsboro.
/10
Population: 31,442
Median Income: $159,126
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on Zionsville: Data
Zionsville ranks as the 4th best suburb of Indianapolis for 2025.
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.
/10
Population: 11,049
Median Income: $93,080
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.7%
More on Danville: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Danville.
Danville gets kudos for having the 11th most expensive homes in the Indianapolis area, where houses sell for an average of $269,400. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 9,700
Median Income: $113,495
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 1.7%
More on Mccordsville: Data
McCordsville 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 2.56%.
According to online reports, McCordsville is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Indianapolis area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 5,441
Median Income: $75,278
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%
Poverty Rate: 10.8%
More on Cicero: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Cicero.
Cicero 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 24.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 30,310
Median Income: $105,435
Unemployment Rate: 1.5%
Poverty Rate: 6.4%
More on Brownsburg: Data
Brownsburg 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 7.72% of people lack insurance, good for 25th in the area.
/10
Population: 71,940
Median Income: $102,319
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on Noblesville: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Noblesville?’
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.
/10
Population: 5,641
Median Income: $89,196
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on New Whiteland: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is New Whiteland.
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 2025
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 2019-2023 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 35 suburbs to evaluate around Indianapolis.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 35 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 2025. 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 2025
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 | 100,501 | $134,602 | $455,500 |
| 2 | Westfield, IN | 51,109 | $119,598 | $391,900 |
| 3 | Pittsboro, IN | 3,988 | $125,133 | $289,700 |
| 4 | Zionsville, IN | 31,442 | $159,126 | $543,800 |
| 5 | Danville, IN | 11,049 | $93,080 | $269,400 |
| 6 | Mccordsville, IN | 9,700 | $113,495 | $327,900 |
| 7 | Cicero, IN | 5,441 | $75,278 | $251,000 |
| 8 | Brownsburg, IN | 30,310 | $105,435 | $282,800 |
| 9 | Noblesville, IN | 71,940 | $102,319 | $321,800 |
| 10 | New Whiteland, IN | 5,641 | $89,196 | $185,000 |
| 11 | New Palestine, IN | 3,027 | $93,170 | $320,300 |
| 12 | Monrovia, IN | 2,090 | $91,375 | $216,500 |
| 13 | Greenwood, IN | 64,237 | $78,765 | $248,700 |
| 14 | Greenfield, IN | 24,308 | $74,949 | $205,800 |
| 15 | Cumberland, IN | 6,154 | $84,167 | $241,200 |
| 16 | Bargersville, IN | 10,163 | $104,160 | $405,100 |
| 17 | Avon, IN | 22,683 | $97,589 | $300,600 |
| 18 | Whiteland, IN | 4,369 | $88,411 | $189,200 |
| 19 | Franklin, IN | 25,999 | $77,305 | $212,500 |
| 20 | Lapel, IN | 2,568 | $77,563 | $201,900 |
| 21 | Pendleton, IN | 5,115 | $87,971 | $236,200 |
| 22 | Fortville, IN | 5,092 | $82,763 | $240,300 |
| 23 | Plainfield, IN | 35,783 | $85,074 | $263,900 |
| 24 | Mooresville, IN | 9,608 | $70,228 | $194,300 |
| 25 | Southport, IN | 2,036 | $69,148 | $186,500 |
| 26 | Ingalls, IN | 2,453 | $72,330 | $161,000 |
| 27 | Lawrence, IN | 49,284 | $73,455 | $220,400 |
| 28 | Brooklyn, IN | 2,410 | $60,742 | $117,800 |
| 29 | Sheridan, IN | 3,355 | $65,104 | $177,200 |
| 30 | Lebanon, IN | 17,575 | $63,773 | $179,200 |
| 31 | Beech Grove, IN | 15,082 | $49,452 | $169,500 |
| 32 | Speedway, IN | 13,622 | $57,158 | $209,400 |
| 33 | Shelbyville, IN | 19,866 | $58,532 | $151,100 |
| 34 | Martinsville, IN | 11,913 | $56,186 | $140,400 |
| 35 | Morgantown, IN | 2,729 | $37,037 | $111,400 |