AreaProfile

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN

Metro Area Profile

2,130,055 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metropolitan area.

79
Area Score
Top 8% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 18% of 99 published metros79
GrowthTop 14% of 99 published metros71
Housing affordabilityTop 15% of 99 published metros96
Climate63rd of 99 published metros68
Physical resilienceTop 34% of 99 published metros69
AccessTop 36% of 99 published metros97
Economic stabilityTop 28% of 99 published metros84
The quick read

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood ranks in the top 18% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.4% and median household income of $79,852.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most published city profiles, with rent taking 18% of median household income.

A major airport is 10 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

At a glance

Population
2,130,055
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$79,852
Top 18% nationally
Density
521/sq mi
4085.9 sq mi of land
Median age
36.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
Nearest major airport
IND
10 mi · Indianapolis Intl
Median home value
$265,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.4% is lower than 87% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment fell 0.7% over the past year, to 1,129,157 employed residents.

39% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 87% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$856$79,852Top 18%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$435$43,743Top 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.7%Bottom 22%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute27.2 minTop 22%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher38.5%Top 13%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment1,129,157Top 33%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)3.1%Top 15%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.7%Top 46%June 2026
Labor force1,168,742Top 34%June 2026
Labor force participation67.9%Top 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$65,180Bottom 49%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$49,340Bottom 48%2025 OEWS
Metro employment1,105,170Top 31%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.2%Bottom 38%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.4%Bottom 13%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/064.42.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.4% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand48,100$44,180
Retail Salespersons28,840$31,530
Fast Food and Counter Workers28,400$29,040
Registered Nurses25,800$84,230
Stockers and Order Fillers25,630$37,120
Home Health and Personal Care Aides20,590$35,060

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,191 takes 18% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.3 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
17.9%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.3×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,191
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$265,900
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.33Top 45%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate66.8%Bottom 32%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±365909,926Top 4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$9$1,191Top 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$1,972$265,900Top 33%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income17.9%Bottom 46%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate7.4%Bottom 20%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
71/ 100
Top 14% of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 4% since 2020, reaching 2,174,833 in 2024.

At 6.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
13K
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
6.1
Top 30% nationally
Year over year
+5%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
26.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320242175k2093k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 85°F and January a low of 21°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 40.7 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station INDIANAPOLIS EAGLE CREEK AP, 9.4 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND5.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation40.7"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low21°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high85°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing47°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

69 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and earthquake.

TornadoElevated
HailModerate
Inland floodingModerate
EarthquakeElevated

Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, strong wind, heat wave, cold wave, lightning, ice storm, landslide, drought, hurricane, wildfire.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 10 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Indianapolis IntlIND10 mi11,200 ft
Terre Haute RgnlHUF67 mi9,021 ft
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky IntlCVG93 mi10,000 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
79
Your Score

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

Cities in this metro