These Are The 10 Most Affordable Indianapolis Suburbs

Home to the Indianapolis Colts, giant pork tenderloin sandwiches, and the electric atmosphere of the Indy 500, Indianapolis is a pretty awesome place to call home. While Indianapolis is cheaper compared to most big cities, living downtown can still get pretty pricy. If you’re looking to save a few bucks without losing all of the awesome amenities the Circle City has to offer, check out one of these nearby suburbs. Here are the 10 most affordable suburbs in the Indianapolis, Indiana region.

1. Whiteland

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $71,146
• Median home value: $126,300

Whiteland steals the first spot on our list of affordable Indianapolis suburbs thanks to the higher incomes it supports, while still being home to a very affordable housing market. A small town of only 4,000 residents, Whiteland is a great place to commute into the city, only 19 miles from the center of downtown.

2. New Whiteland

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $57,033
• Median home value: $95,300

A nearby neighbor of the first town featured on our list, New Whiteland also has a great location when it comes to commuting downtown. Aside from just being affordable, this town is noteworthy for its education system, with a graduation rate of 88 percent, 7 percent higher than the Indiana average and 8 percent higher than what you’d find downtown.

3. Edinburgh

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $57,033
• Median home value: $95,300

If you love spending time outside, Edinburgh might be the affordable suburb for you. Nestled in the heart of the Hoosier State by several water sources like the Big Blue River, Plover Pit, and Sugar Creek, it’s easy to enjoy nature in this affordable Indy suburb. There are also several parks and recreation hot spots in the local area, including the Edinburgh Aquatic Center with its several slides. It’s also worth mentioning that tons of people from Indy come to Edinburgh on a regular basis for the many stores found at the Edinburgh Premium Outlets strip mall.

4. Beech Grove

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $39,444
• Median home value: $93,600

Only six miles from downtown, Beech Grove is a great suburb to check out if you want to live more of a big city life. Getting into Indianapolis is super easy from this suburb, as residents here have direct access to Interstate 465, as well as public bus routes provided by Indianapolis’ IndyGo public transportation system.

5. Mooresville

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $53,658
• Median home value: $125,100

Mooresville is home to several fun attractions that you won’t find elsewhere, including the Soaring Eagle Zipline and a splash park, perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day. Living in this affordable suburb also makes traveling to other cities very easy, thanks to its close proximity to the Indianapolis airport, which is only 11 miles away.

6. Shelbyville

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $38,578
• Median home value: $98,500

The county seat of Shelby County, Shelbyville is one of the larger affordable Indy suburbs on our list with close to 20,000 residents. Thanks to its larger population and a very active community, it’s a great place to find city events hosted throughout the year, like the Shelby County Arts Fest. Plus, it’s important to mention that in recent years great effort has gone into revitalizing downtown Shelbyville, attracting several new business, restaurants, and shops to the local area.

7. Pittsboro

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $78,348
• Median home value: $154,500

Pittsboro might be the smallest town on our list with only 3,000 residents, but its tiny size doesn’t mean it’s lacking in personality. It’s home to three different parks, each hosting several festivals throughout the year, as well as the Pittsboro Golf Club. This area also attracts the highest incomes amongst the suburbs featured on our list, meaning your chances of locking down a good job are high here if you’re able to meet the qualifications.

8. Lawrence

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $51,384
• Median home value: $125,500

Home to Fort Benjamin Harrison and the Fort Harrison State Park, Lawrence is one area of Indiana that’s notably beautiful. It also attracts a highly educated population, with 31 percent of the local residents have earned a bachelor’s degree, opposed to the state average of 22 percent.

9. Brownsburg

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $65,340
• Median home value: $144,100

Once ranked by CNN Money Magazine as the best place to live in Indiana thanks to its low crime rate and strong economy, the people of Brownsburg have plenty to brag about. Brownsburg also has a very vibrant community that’s constantly out and about, taking advantage of the several beautiful parks in the area filled with trails great for biking and hiking, as well as the many events that this town hosts throughout the year, including the Pumpkin Smash Bash and 5K.

10. Avon

Key Stats:

• Median household income: $75,425
• Median home value: $164,900

Avon is a little more expensive than some of the other suburbs featured on this list, but with a cost of living that’s still several points below the national average and the higher incomes found in this town, things tend to stay affordable. Avon gets a lot of national attention for the Avon High School marching band, well known around the entire country for their truly dominating performance in recent history. It’s also noteworthy for the many youth sports programs in the local area, a great disc golf course, and for having the first outdoor table tennis tables in the state. There are also multiple public libraries within driving distance and a farmer’s market that operates from June through September.

Our Methodology

To create this list of affordable Indianapolis suburbs, we took a look at the following criteria:

• Cost of living
• Median home value
• Percentage of income spent on rent
• Affordability ratio (median home value divided by median household income)

We then averaged those scores into one overall score and the places with the 10 lowest scores made up our list of the 10 most affordable Indianapolis suburbs. For this list, we sourced data from AreaVibes, business listings, and the 2013 U.S. Census American Community Survey. Want to see how all 28 Indianapolis suburbs stacked up? Take a look at the table below: Like This Post? You’ll Definitely Love These:

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