The 10 Best Suburbs In Indiana For 2026


The best suburbs in Indiana are Zionsville and Carmel for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

Are you sick of being a city slicker?

Do you long for life in suburban Indiana? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.

We do, too.

If you wanted to move out to the suburbs of Indianapolis, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Indiana suburb was best?

No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


These are the 10 best suburbs in the Hoosier State

  1. Zionsville
  2. Carmel
  3. Westfield
  4. St. John
  5. Cicero
  6. Dyer
  7. Brownsburg
  8. Noblesville
  9. Danville
  10. Munster

Zionsville is the place to be when it comes to being a soccer mom in suburban Indiana.

So if you’re thinking of packing up your mini van and making a move to a quiet place to live in Indiana, we’ve got you covered.

Keep on reading for a detailed methodology. Or, check out the best places to live in Indiana and the best places to raise a family in Indiana.

Best Suburbs In Indiana For 2026

Zionsville, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 32,095
Median Income: $172,024
Average Home Price: $680,117
More on Zionsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Zionsville is located 17 miles north of Indianapolis.

Carmel, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 101,651
Median Income: $141,505
Average Home Price: $563,457
More on Carmel: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Carmel is located 13 miles north of Indianapolis.

Westfield, IN

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 54,677
Median Income: $122,789
Average Home Price: $468,588
More on Westfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Westfield is located 17 miles north of Indianapolis.

St. John, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 22,567
Median Income: $131,467
Average Home Price: $450,805
More on St. John: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

St. John is located 29 miles south of Chicago.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,509
Median Income: $66,934
Average Home Price: $401,399
More on Cicero: Data | Crime | Movers

Cicero is located 24 miles north of Indianapolis.

Dyer, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Augiejv | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 16,400
Median Income: $107,159
Average Home Price: $355,530
More on Dyer: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Dyer is located 25 miles south of Chicago.

Brownsburg, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 31,215
Median Income: $102,235
Average Home Price: $356,184
More on Brownsburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Brownsburg is located 13 miles west of Indianapolis.

Noblesville, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 73,362
Median Income: $104,047
Average Home Price: $389,215
More on Noblesville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Noblesville is located 19 miles north of Indianapolis.

Danville, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Paul J Everett | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,714
Median Income: $97,083
Average Home Price: $337,029
More on Danville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Danville is located 19 miles west of Indianapolis.

Munster, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Dmytro Sergiyenko | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 23,733
Median Income: $110,187
Average Home Price: $347,951
More on Munster: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Munster is located 22 miles south of Chicago.

Methodology:How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Hoosier State

We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Indiana. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”

First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Indiana, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.

In other words, suburbs.

We paid particular attention to the following criteria:

  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Population Density (Higher is Better)
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Commute Time
  • Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We ranked each suburb in Indiana across these criteria from one to 44, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Indiana.”

The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Indiana.

Read on to see why Zionsville is the ‘burb with the most, while Gary is probably not the best place to live in Indiana.

Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Indiana

If you’re measuring the locations in Indiana where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best suburbs in Indiana are Zionsville, Carmel, Westfield, St. John, Cicero, Dyer, Brownsburg, Noblesville, Danville, and Munster.

Here’s a look at the worst suburbs in Indiana according to the data:

  1. Gary
  2. Lake Station
  3. Hammond

For more Indiana reading, check out:

The Best Suburbs In Indiana

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Price
1 Zionsville 32,095 $172,024 $680,117
2 Carmel 101,651 $141,505 $563,457
3 Westfield 54,677 $122,789 $468,588
4 St. John 22,567 $131,467 $450,805
5 Cicero 5,509 $66,934 $401,399
6 Dyer 16,400 $107,159 $355,530
7 Brownsburg 31,215 $102,235 $356,184
8 Noblesville 73,362 $104,047 $389,215
9 Danville 11,714 $97,083 $337,029
10 Munster 23,733 $110,187 $347,951
11 New Whiteland 5,704 $89,918 $228,046
12 Avon 23,437 $98,486 $352,859
13 Greenwood 66,029 $83,608 $326,491
14 Auburn 13,565 $68,750 $275,151
15 Bargersville 10,752 $114,231 $442,137
16 Mccordsville 10,329 $110,692 $375,788
17 Schererville 29,701 $89,466 $352,735
18 Pendleton 5,321 $86,806 $334,738
19 Whiteland 5,173 $96,944 $296,965
20 Griffith 16,273 $76,636 $247,098
21 Franklin 26,168 $82,380 $279,167
22 Garrett 6,642 $64,179 $187,133
23 Huntington 17,030 $56,520 $192,024
24 Cumberland 6,267 $87,364 $289,408
25 Greenfield 24,940 $76,127 $285,065
26 New Haven 15,698 $70,970 $240,072
27 Plainfield 36,369 $87,272 $331,617
28 Bluffton 10,529 $57,539 $183,602
29 Shelbyville 20,296 $55,602 $222,048
30 Lawrenceburg 5,179 $51,250 $248,400
31 Decatur 9,811 $58,646 $229,668
32 Kendallville 10,556 $58,939 $220,523
33 Lebanon 17,812 $65,154 $299,031
34 Lawrence 49,517 $74,022 $268,724
35 Mooresville 9,751 $68,983 $308,098
36 Beech Grove 14,913 $49,973 $191,935
37 Speedway 13,968 $60,147 $236,684
38 Hobart 29,558 $75,160 $238,195
39 Portage 38,082 $76,276 $264,578
40 Martinsville 11,933 $60,177 $288,805
41 East Chicago 26,022 $42,125 $128,170
42 Hammond 76,768 $55,504 $170,817
43 Lake Station 13,185 $59,591 $151,774
44 Gary 68,113 $38,731 $86,989
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.