Indianapolis 2026The independent atlas report on Indianapolis, Indiana.

Indianapolis in 200 numbers. Read this before you read anything else.

A humid continental city, 2,111,000 people across the metro, the city profile in one stat grid.

Indianapolis scored 7.0 on the everycity index. A single person spends $2,020 a month here including rent, groceries, transport and utilities. A working couple spends $3,020. Internet runs at a median 178 Mbps on residential fiber and cable per OOKLA Speedtest readings from April 2026. The average reported salary, blended across sectors, is $5,080 a month before tax. The federal top marginal income tax rate is 37 percent, Indiana state income tax is a flat 3.05 percent, and Marion County layers a 2.02 percent county option income tax. Safety reads 6.0 on a 0 to 10 scale, with the night safety subindex at 5.2, the female solo subindex at 5.8, and the family subindex at 6.6. The metro area holds 2,111,000 people and sits at 39.768403 degrees, negative 86.158068 degrees. The summer high lands at 30 Celsius, the winter low at negative 6. The city averages 2,440 sunshine hours a year.

Compared with peer cities, Indianapolis sits in the bottom third of the US Midwest cohort on monthly outlay, similar to Cincinnati and slightly above Kansas City. See Cincinnati vs Indianapolis for the head to head numbers, and Indianapolis vs Columbus for the closest peer comparison. For broader context, the north america continent page covers the region. The full method behind the everycity composite is on the methodology page.

Risk, by the subindex.

No moral panic, no rose tint. Four subindices, referenced to FBI UCR 2024 and Numbeo's panel.

Indianapolis's overall safety score lands at 6.0, at the lower edge of the workable band. The night walk subindex at 5.2 reflects the higher than US median violent crime rate in the city of Indianapolis (Marion County): 1,260 incidents per 100,000 residents per the FBI UCR 2024 release, versus the US national average of 369. The Hamilton County suburbs (Carmel, Fishers, Westfield) and Hendricks County sit well below the national rate. Family safety at 6.6 picks up the suburban county effect. Health insurance for relocating expats typically runs $420 to $720 a month for a marketplace plan through SafetyWing or an employer plan.

The neighborhoods that draw the bulk of incident reports are the near east side and parts of the near north side. The areas that draw the fewest are Meridian Kessler, Broad Ripple Village, Mass Ave, Fountain Square, Carmel (Hamilton County), Fishers, Zionsville, and the Geist Reservoir corridor. See Cincinnati vs Indianapolis for the head to head safety read.

Who pays, and how much.

Salaries are gross monthly figures, blended from US BLS OEWS 2024.

Largest employers in metro Indianapolis

1. Eli Lilly and Company (Fortune 100 pharma, headquartered in Indianapolis)
2. Indiana University Health (the largest healthcare system in Indiana)
3. Salesforce (the largest tech anchor, in the Salesforce Tower)
4. Anthem (now Elevance Health, Fortune 25)
5. Cummins (Fortune 200 engine maker, Columbus Indiana headquartered)
6. Roche Diagnostics
7. Rolls Royce North America (jet engine operations)

The blended average salary in Indianapolis runs $5,080 a month. The Indiana flat state income tax at 3.05 percent is the lowest of any US state with an income tax. The largest employer is Eli Lilly (the GLP-1 boom driver since 2023). For peer set comparison, run Indianapolis vs Cincinnati.

Seven quarters, one verdict each.

A working map of where to live in Indianapolis in 2026.

The seven quarters cover the spread of metro Indianapolis. The full walk through is in the Indianapolis neighborhoods longform, scheduled for Q3 2026.

For the kids, and the postgrads.

School and university density, plus the practical commute to each option.

Top public districts and private schools

• Carmel Clay Schools (the top public district in Indiana)
• Hamilton Southeastern Schools (Fishers)
• Zionsville Community Schools
• Park Tudor School (independent, PreK to 12)
• The Orchard School (independent, PreK to 8)

Universities

• Indiana University Indianapolis (formerly IUPUI)
• Butler University
• Indiana University Bloomington (80 kilometers south)
• Purdue University (West Lafayette, 105 kilometers north)
• Indiana University School of Medicine

The United States country page covers the broader context.

What makes the city itself.

Food signatures, nightlife rating, and the cultural through line.

The food signatures of Indianapolis include the pork tenderloin sandwich (the regional standard, served oversized on a small bun), St Elmo Steak House shrimp cocktail (the legendary horseradish forward signature, since 1902), Shapiro's Delicatessen (the city's oldest Jewish deli, since 1905), the Indianapolis 500 sugar cream pie (the Indiana state pie), and the duckpin bowling lounges' bar food tradition. The dining scene anchors on the Mass Ave and Fountain Square clusters. The best food cities ranking places Indianapolis in the US top 30. Nightlife sits at a 6.4 rating on the everycity scale.

The cultural calendar runs through the Indianapolis 500 (Memorial Day weekend, the largest single day sporting event in the world by attendance at 350,000), the Indy 500 Festival, the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race (July), and the GenCon gaming convention (August, the largest tabletop gaming event in North America). The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, and the Eiteljorg Museum anchor the high arts ecosystem.

Keep going.