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ZIP Code46787

South Whitley, IN

Whitley County · Indiana · United States
Home to 4,144 people across 65.714 square miles.

EasternOwner-majority4 ZIPs in county

At a glance

46787 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.

Population
4,144
±373 · 58th pctile nationally
Median household income
$70,030
US median $70,109 · 50th pctile
Median home value
$158,500
US median $207,500 · 33th pctile
Median age
35.3
US median 42 years
Population density
63/mi²
46th pctile most dense
Land area
65.714 mi²
plus 0.13 mi² water

Location

Where 46787 is

41.066251, -85.619724 · Census ZCTA internal pointOpen larger map →
Coordinates41.066251, -85.619724
Time zoneAmerica/Indiana/Indianapolis
CountyWhitley County
StateIndiana (IN)
Land area65.714 mi²
Coordinate sourceCensus ZCTA internal point

Local time

America/Indiana/Indianapolis

—:—:—

Current weather

Live from the National Weather Service

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Distance to major cities

Straight-line, computed from coordinates

Chicago, IL118.2 mi
Atlanta, GA510.1 mi
Philadelphia, PA554.2 mi
New York, NY606.7 mi

People

Who lives in 46787

4,144 residents in 1,517 households, averaging 2.73 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 28.1% of residents, and 70.7% of households are families.

Age distribution

Share of residents by age band

Under 1828.1%
18-247.3%
25-3413.8%
35-4411.4%
45-5415.4%
55-6410.8%
65+13.2%

Households

Composition and size

Total households1,517
Average household size2.73
Family households70.7%
Living alone24.6%
Median age35.3 years
Households with internet79.6%

Race & ethnicity

Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.

White97.2%
Black0.2%
Asian0.7%
Native American0.3%
Two or more1.5%
Hispanic / Latino0.2%

Income & work

What people earn in 46787

The median household here earns $70,030 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 46787 ahead of 50% of American ZIP codes. 14.9% of residents live below the poverty line.

Compared to the US

This ZIP against the national median

Median household income$70,030
LowestHighest
Higher than 50% of all US ZIP codes.
Median household income$70,030 ±$16,423
Per capita income$33,414
Poverty rate14.9%
Unemployment rate4.5%
Labor force participation65.8%

Household income distribution

Share of households in each bracket

<$25k10.5%
$25-50k23.2%
$50-75k19.5%
$75-100k13.2%
$100-150k22.4%
$150-200k2.4%
$200k+8.8%

Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 19.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 87.1% finished high school.

Housing

Homes and rent in 46787

A typical home is valued at $158,500, and median rent runs $765 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 81.8% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1962.

Costs

Typical values

Median home value$158,500
Median gross rent$765/mo
Median year built1962
Housing units1,569
Vacancy rate3.3%

Own vs. rent

Of 1,517 occupied units

Owner-occupied81.8%
Renter-occupied18.2%
Owner households1,241
Renter households276

Building types

Units by structure size

Single family84.2%
2-4 units6.9%
5-19 units2.4%
20+ units5.9%
Mobile / other0.6%

Getting to work

How 46787 commutes

81.5% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 28.6 minutes.

Mode of transport

Workers 16 and older

Drove alone81.5%
Carpooled3.5%
Walked3.3%
Worked from home11.6%

Travel time

Mean commute 28.6 minutes

<10 min10.1%
10-1922.0%
20-2929.8%
30-4424.9%
45-596.5%
60+6.8%

Overview

Understanding ZIP code 46787

ZIP code 46787 is assigned to South Whitley, IN, and falls within Whitley 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 4,144 people live inside it.

At 63 residents per square mile spread over 65.714 square miles, 46787 reads as a rural area. It is a smaller 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 $70,030 puts 46787 near the middle of the pack, ahead of 50% 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 Whitley looks like

Housing in 46787 costs below the national median. A typical home is valued at $158,500 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $765 a month. Ownership dominates: 81.8% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, which usually signals an established residential area with relatively low turnover.

The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 84.2% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1962, making the housing here mid-century. At 3.3%, vacancy is low — housing here is tightly held.

The population skews younger than the country as a whole, with a median age of 35.3 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.73 people, and 70.7% are family households.

Getting to work takes 28.6 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 81.5% of workers, while 11.6% work from home. Commute patterns are one of the better proxies for how a place actually functions day to day.

Where to stay

Where to stay in South Whitley, IN

46787 covers a rural area, and accommodation within the postal code itself is likely to be sparse — perhaps a country inn, a lodge or a vacation rental rather than a conventional hotel. Widening the search radius is usually the practical approach, and it also opens up more availability at short notice.

Local costs are modest — median rent here is $765 a month — and accommodation prices in the area tend to be correspondingly reasonable. For reference, Chicago, IL is about 118.2 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.

Book a Hotel →

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Practical uses

What ZIP code 46787 is used for

Beyond addressing mail, 46787 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, 46787 offers a compact profile of South Whitley: 4,144 residents, a median household income of $70,030, 19.2% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 4.5%. 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. 46787 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in South Whitley 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 46787

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 Whitley County

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Questions

Common questions about 46787

What city is ZIP code 46787 in?
46787 serves South Whitley, Indiana, in Whitley County, United States.
What is the population of 46787?
About 4,144 people live in ZIP code 46787, according to the US Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. The margin of error on that figure is ±373. That works out to roughly 63 people per square mile.
What is the average income in 46787?
The median household income in 46787 is $70,030 per year, compared with a US median of $70,109. Per capita income is $33,414. Median income is more representative than an average because it isn't skewed by a small number of very high earners.
How expensive is housing in 46787?
The median home value is $158,500 and median gross rent is $765 a month. 81.8% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Is 46787 a good place to live?
That depends on what you're looking for, but here are the facts: 19.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the unemployment rate is 4.5%, and the median age is 35.3. The average commute is 28.6 minutes. We publish the numbers and let you weigh them.
What time zone is 46787 in?
46787 observes Eastern Time (America/Indiana/Indianapolis). This zone observes daylight saving time.
How big is ZIP code 46787?
ZIP code 46787 covers 65.714 square miles of land plus 0.13 square miles of water, per the US Census Bureau's 2023 Gazetteer files.
Is 46787 urban, suburban or rural?
By population density, 46787 reads as a rural area. It holds 63 people per square mile across 65.714 square miles of land. For reference, densities above 10,000 per square mile generally indicate an urban core, 1,000–3,000 is typically suburban, and under 200 is rural. These are rules of thumb rather than official designations — the Census Bureau classifies urban and rural areas by census block, not by ZIP code.
How much is rent in 46787?
Median gross rent in 46787 is $765 a month, according to the American Community Survey. Gross rent includes contract rent plus the estimated cost of utilities and fuels, so it is closer to what a tenant actually pays than a headline rent figure. Of 1,517 occupied homes here, 276 are rented.
What is the commute like from 46787?
The average one-way commute from 46787 takes about 28.6 minutes. The most common way to travel is drove alone, used by 81.5% of workers aged 16 and over. Commute figures cover people who were employed and working outside the home during the survey period.
How many people work in 46787?
About 1,963 residents of 46787 are employed. Labor force participation stands at 65.8% and the unemployment rate is 4.5%. Note this counts residents by where they live, not by where they work — a ZIP with many offices can have far more jobs than employed residents.
Where should I stay when visiting 46787?
Accommodation in and around South Whitley, IN ranges with the character of the area. See the 'Where to stay' section on this page for local context, and use the live search there for current availability and pricing.
Does 46787 cover more than one city or county?
This page lists South Whitley as the primary place and Whitley County as the county. ZIP codes follow mail delivery routes rather than municipal or county lines, so a single code can straddle boundaries, and USPS also recognises alternate acceptable city names for many codes. If you need the definitive answer for a specific street address, the USPS ZIP Code Lookup is the authority.
Can ZIP code 46787 change?
Yes. USPS adjusts ZIP codes as delivery volumes shift — codes are occasionally split, merged, retired or newly created, and boundaries move more often than most people assume. The Census Bureau's ZCTA definitions, which underpin the demographic figures on this page, are redrawn only once a decade, so the two can drift apart between censuses.

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 46787. 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).
On accuracy. ACS figures are survey estimates, not counts. The margin of error shown alongside the population figure means the true value has a 90% chance of falling in that range. For small ZIP codes the error can be large relative to the estimate — treat the direction as more reliable than the exact number. This page reports data for ZCTA 46787, the Census approximation of the USPS delivery area.