Whiting, IN
Lake County · Indiana · United States
Home to 12,141 people across 4.754 square miles.
At a glance
46394 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 46394 is
| Coordinates | 41.682008, -87.499922 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/Chicago |
| County | Lake County |
| State | Indiana (IN) |
| Land area | 4.754 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/Chicago
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
Loading forecast…
Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Chicago, IL | 15.1 mi |
|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | 573.8 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | 655.4 mi |
| New York, NY | 704.0 mi |
People
Who lives in 46394
12,141 residents in 4,954 households, averaging 2.45 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 20.8% of residents.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 4,954 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.45 |
| Family households | 56.5% |
| Living alone | 32.7% |
| Median age | 40.1 years |
| Households with internet | 87.3% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 46394
The median household here earns $66,386 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 46394 ahead of 44% of American ZIP codes. 16.7% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $66,386 ±$9,146 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $33,050 |
| Poverty rate | 16.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.9% |
| Labor force participation | 59.4% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 22.8% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 85.9% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 46394
A typical home is valued at $162,900, and median rent runs $970 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 64.2% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1938.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $162,900 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $970/mo |
| Median year built | 1938 |
| Housing units | 5,437 |
| Vacancy rate | 8.9% |
Own vs. rent
Of 4,954 occupied units
| Owner households | 3,179 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 1,775 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 46394 commutes
78.2% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 29.2 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 29.2 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 46394
ZIP code 46394 is assigned to Whiting, IN, and falls within Lake County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 12,141 people live inside it.
At 2,554 residents per square mile spread over 4.754 square miles, 46394 reads as a suburban area. It is a mid-sized postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings track close to the national picture. The median of $66,386 puts 46394 near the middle of the pack, ahead of 44% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Whiting looks like
Housing in 46394 costs below the national median. A typical home is valued at $162,900 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $970 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 64.2% owner-occupied, which tends to indicate a mix of housing types rather than one dominant form.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 71.1% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1938, making the housing here largely pre-war.
The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 40.1 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.45 people, and 56.5% are family households.
Getting to work takes 29.2 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 78.2% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Whiting, IN
Whiting is largely suburban in character. Accommodation here skews toward mid-range chain hotels and extended-stay properties positioned near highway junctions and business parks, which suits anyone driving in or visiting for work rather than sightseeing.
Median rent in 46394 is $970 a month, which sits in the middle of the national range; accommodation pricing locally tends to be similarly mid-market. For reference, Chicago, IL is about 15.1 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
Opens Booking.com in a new tab. We are not affiliated with Booking.com and receive nothing from this link.
Practical uses
What ZIP code 46394 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 46394 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 46394 offers a compact profile of Whiting: 12,141 residents, a median household income of $66,386, 22.8% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 8.9%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 46394 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Whiting may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 46394
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Indiana ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
More in Lake County
Look up another
Search any ZIP code
Questions
Common questions about 46394
What city is ZIP code 46394 in?
What is the population of 46394?
What is the average income in 46394?
How expensive is housing in 46394?
Is 46394 a good place to live?
What time zone is 46394 in?
How big is ZIP code 46394?
Is 46394 urban, suburban or rural?
How much is rent in 46394?
What is the commute like from 46394?
How many people work in 46394?
Where should I stay when visiting 46394?
Does 46394 cover more than one city or county?
Can ZIP code 46394 change?
Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 46394. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).