46342 ZIP Code — Hobart, IN

Lake County, Indiana

ZIP code 46342 is located in Hobart, Indiana, within Lake County. It covers approximately 35.04 square miles and serves a population of 32,049 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 219.

About ZIP code 46342

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $178,000. Owner-occupancy is high at 76%, well above the national average.

Median household income is $68,808. 35% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 27 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 22% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (21%) compared to national benchmarks.

Overall, ZIP code 46342 reflects a community defined by high homeownership and a significant Social Security-dependent population.

32,049

population

35.04

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

46342 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 46342

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 46342. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Hobart	Acceptable
Hobart	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

46405 Lake Station (4 mi) 46409 Gary (4.7 mi) 46410 Merrillville (4.9 mi) 46385 Valparaiso (5.9 mi) 46368 Portage (6 mi) 46403 Gary (6.1 mi) 46407 Gary (6.2 mi) 46408 Gary (7.4 mi) 46402 Gary (8.6 mi) 46404 Gary (8.7 mi) 46307 Crown Point (9.6 mi) 46319 Griffith (9.7 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	32,049
Population density	915 / sq mi
State FIPS	18
County FIPS	089

Geography
Land area	35.04 sq mi
Water area	0.39 sq mi
Latitude	41.5185
Longitude	-87.2363
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	219

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	38.1%	43.6%	42.9%
$50k – $100k	33.7%	31.1%	32.7%
$100k – $200k	25.9%	21.2%	19.8%
Over $200k	2.3%	4.1%	4.5%

Demographics & statistics

32,049

Population

915

People per sq mi

39.4

Median age

$68,808

Median household income

$33,579

Per capita income

$178,000

Median home value

$1,125

Median monthly rent

76.1%

Home ownership

15.5%

Poverty rate

6.1%

Unemployment

10,630

Housing units

21.6%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

713

Under 5

771

913

5–9

986

1,302

10–14

1,407

883

15–19

954

1,048

20–24

1,132

1,799

25–34

1,945

2,336

35–44

2,526

1,844

45–54

1,994

927

55–59

1,003

1,099

60–64

1,188

1,423

65–74

1,539

688

75–84

743

426

85+

460

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	7,249	22.6%
18 and over	24,800	77.4%
65 and over	5,279	16.5%
Median age	39.4 years

Race & ethnicity

White 70.4%

Hispanic or Latino 9.2%

Two or more races 8%

Black or African American 7.4%

Other race 3.5%

Asian 1.5%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Group	Count	%
White	24,846	70.4%
Hispanic or Latino	3,265	9.2%
Two or more races	2,813	8%
Black or African American	2,596	7.4%
Other race	1,224	3.5%
Asian	531	1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	25	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	38.1%	43.6%	42.9%
$50k – $100k	33.7%	31.1%	32.7%
$100k – $200k	25.9%	21.2%	19.8%
Over $200k	2.3%	4.1%	4.5%

Under $10k 5.0%

$10k–$15k 4.1%

$15k–$25k 8.3%

$25k–$35k 6.7%

$35k–$50k 10.9%

$50k–$75k 19.1%

$75k–$100k 14.6%

$100k–$150k 18.7%

$150k–$200k 9.5%

$200k+ 3.1%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	5.0%
$10k–$15k	4.1%
$15k–$25k	8.3%
$25k–$35k	6.7%
$35k–$50k	10.9%
$50k–$75k	19.1%
$75k–$100k	14.6%
$100k–$150k	18.7%
$150k–$200k	9.5%
$200k+	3.1%
Median income	$68,808

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 5.1%

$50k–$100k 8.5%

$100k–$150k 24.4%

$150k–$200k 19.2%

$200k–$300k 33.0%

$300k–$500k 8.4%

$500k–$1M 1.0%

$1M+ 0.3%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$178,000
Median rent / month	$1,125
Owner occupied	76.1%
Renter occupied	23.9%
Vacant	6.6%
Single-family detached	76.3%
Large apartment buildings	4.3%
Mobile homes	5.1%
Median rooms	5.6
Avg household size (owned)	2.51

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.7%
2010–2019	3.8%
2000–2009	12.7%
1990–1999	14.0%
1980–1989	5.8%
1970–1979	18.0%
1960–1969	11.9%
1950–1959	13.0%
1940–1949	9.6%
1939 or earlier	10.5%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.1%
1 bedroom	6.0%
2 bedrooms	26.1%
3 bedrooms	44.9%
4 bedrooms	18.7%
5+ bedrooms	3.1%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	7.0%
1 vehicle	30.6%
2 vehicles	38.2%
3 or more	24.2%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	85.8%
Electricity	12.0%
Propane / LP gas	1.3%
Fuel oil	0.1%
Wood	0.2%
No fuel used	0.4%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	5,540	43.4%
Cohabiting couple	1,362	10.7%
Male householder, no spouse	2,241	17.5%
Female householder, no spouse	3,634	28.4%
Households with children under 18	3,685	28.8%
Households with seniors (65+)	3,792	29.7%
Average household size	2.49

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	38.0%	27.9%
Married	46.8%	44.2%
Separated	0.9%	3.1%
Widowed	3.7%	11.1%
Divorced	10.6%	13.7%

Education

Less than 9th grade 2.9%

Some HS, no diploma 4.7%

HS graduate 41.1%

Some college, no degree 19.9%

Associate's degree 9.8%

Bachelor's degree 15.9%

Graduate / professional 5.7%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	92.4%
Bachelor's or higher	21.6%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	346	4.4%
Kindergarten	360	4.6%
Elementary school	3,852	49.3%
High school	1,481	19.0%
College / grad school	1,775	22.7%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 22.7%

Manufacturing 17.7%

Retail trade 12.0%

Arts, food & hospitality 11.0%

Professional & management 7.6%

Construction 6.7%

Transportation & utilities 6.1%

Other services 5.2%

Finance & real estate 3.7%

Wholesale trade 3.1%

Public administration 2.1%

Information 1.6%

Agriculture & mining 0.5%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	26.6%
Service	18.4%
Sales & office	22.4%
Natural resources & construction	13.7%
Production & transportation	18.9%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	88.0%
Government	8.9%
Self-employed	3.0%
Unpaid family workers	0.2%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	86.4%
Carpool	8.0%
Public transit	0.8%
Walk	0.5%
Work from home	3.5%
Other means	0.8%
Avg commute (minutes)	26.6

Poverty

All people 15.5%

Under 18 years 22.0%

18 and over 13.6%

Married-couple families 4.6%

Female-led households 29.6%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	35.2%
Retirement income	28.8%
Supplemental Security	6.3%
Cash public assistance	1.4%
Food stamps / SNAP	9.7%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	37.4%
High blood pressure	32.6%
High cholesterol	31.2%
Diabetes	11.5%
Heart disease	6.8%
Stroke	3.1%
Asthma	9.9%
Arthritis	27.4%
Kidney disease	2.9%
Pulmonary disease	8.1%
Cancer	6.5%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	21.2%
Binge drinking	17.2%
No physical activity	28.0%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	34.1%
Depression	21.2%
Fair or poor health	17.1%
Poor mental health	15.5%
Poor physical health	11.6%
No health insurance	16.2%
Visited doctor (checkup)	74.5%
Visited dentist	60.0%
Cholesterol screening	88.6%
Teeth loss	15.8%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,828	7.4%

Disability	%
Any disability	13.8%
Under 18	1.0%
18–64 years	12.5%
65 and over	37.1%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	69.3%
Public insurance	39.6%
No insurance	7.7%
Uninsured under 19	7.1%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	30,565	95.4%
Spanish	908	3.0%
Other Indo-European	499	1.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander	125	0.4%
Other languages	284	0.9%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	30,541	95.3%
Born in same state	30,279	94.5%
Born in different state	21,542	67.2%
Foreign born	262	0.8%
Naturalized citizen	1,508	4.7%
Not a US citizen	881	58.4%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	4,953	15.5%
French	3,546	11.1%
Arab	772	2.4%
Irish	626	2%

Ancestry	Count	%
English	252	0.8%
German	93	0.3%
Norwegian	69	0.2%
Polish	61	0.2%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	39.9%
Internet access	92.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 46342

What city is ZIP code 46342 in?

ZIP code 46342 is primarily assigned to Hobart, Indiana.

What county is ZIP code 46342 in?

ZIP code 46342 falls within Lake County, Indiana.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 46342?

16% of residents in ZIP code 46342 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Does ZIP code 46342 have a large retiree population?

35% of households in ZIP code 46342 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 46342?

The median home value in ZIP code 46342 is $178,000.

What is the population of ZIP code 46342?

ZIP code 46342 has an estimated population of 32,049 residents, with a density of 915 people per square mile.

What timezone is ZIP code 46342 in?

ZIP code 46342 observes the CST timezone.