South Bend, IN
St. Joseph County · Indiana · United States
Home to 16,079 people across 10.002 square miles.
At a glance
46637 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 46637 is
| Coordinates | 41.733712, -86.242693 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/Indiana/Indianapolis |
| County | St. Joseph County |
| State | Indiana (IN) |
| Land area | 10.002 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/Indiana/Indianapolis
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
Loading forecast…
Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Chicago, IL | 72.1 mi |
|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | 560.9 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | 591.5 mi |
| New York, NY | 639.3 mi |
People
Who lives in 46637
16,079 residents in 7,276 households, averaging 2.21 people per household. The largest age group is 65+ at 18.9% of residents.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 7,276 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.21 |
| Family households | 51.6% |
| Living alone | 36.5% |
| Median age | 39 years |
| Households with internet | 87.7% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 46637
The median household here earns $72,401 a year, above the US median of $70,109, which puts 46637 ahead of 54% of American ZIP codes. 9.7% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $72,401 ±$6,798 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $41,822 |
| Poverty rate | 9.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.2% |
| Labor force participation | 70.3% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 37.6% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 93.5% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 46637
A typical home is valued at $192,000, and median rent runs $1,167 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 69.1% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1977.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $192,000 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,167/mo |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Housing units | 8,396 |
| Vacancy rate | 13.3% |
Own vs. rent
Of 7,276 occupied units
| Owner households | 5,027 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 2,249 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 46637 commutes
78.8% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 21.3 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 21.3 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 46637
ZIP code 46637 is assigned to South Bend, IN, and falls within St. Joseph 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 16,079 people live inside it.
At 1,608 residents per square mile spread over 10.002 square miles, 46637 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 $72,401 puts 46637 near the middle of the pack, ahead of 54% 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 South Bend looks like
Housing in 46637 costs close to the national median. A typical home is valued at $192,000 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $1,167 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 69.1% 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 69.9% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1977, making the housing here from the later twentieth century.
The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 39 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.21 people, and 51.6% are family households.
Getting to work takes 21.3 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 78.8% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in South Bend, IN
South Bend 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 46637 is $1,167 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 72.1 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 46637 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 46637 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, 46637 offers a compact profile of South Bend: 16,079 residents, a median household income of $72,401, 37.6% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 6.2%. 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. 46637 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in South Bend 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 46637
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.
Other ZIP codes in South Bend
South Bend is served by 16 postal codes.
More in St. Joseph County
Look up another
Search any ZIP code
Questions
Common questions about 46637
What city is ZIP code 46637 in?
What is the population of 46637?
What is the average income in 46637?
How expensive is housing in 46637?
Is 46637 a good place to live?
What time zone is 46637 in?
How big is ZIP code 46637?
Is 46637 urban, suburban or rural?
How much is rent in 46637?
What is the commute like from 46637?
How many people work in 46637?
Where should I stay when visiting 46637?
Does 46637 cover more than one city or county?
Can ZIP code 46637 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 46637. 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).