46385 ZIP Code — Valparaiso, IN

Porter County, Indiana

ZIP code 46385 is located in Valparaiso, Indiana, within Porter County. It covers approximately 80.75 square miles and serves a population of 41,304 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 219.

About ZIP code 46385

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 1990s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $285,100. Owner-occupancy is high at 88%, well above the national average.

The gap between median ($95,350) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. The poverty rate of 7% is below the national average. 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 30 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 35% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Overall, ZIP code 46385 reflects a community defined by high homeownership and a significant Social Security-dependent population.

41,304

population

80.75

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

46385 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 46385

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 46385. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Valparaiso	Acceptable
Valparaiso	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

46342 Hobart (5.9 mi) 46383 Valparaiso (7.5 mi) 46368 Portage (8.5 mi) 46410 Merrillville (9.1 mi) 46405 Lake Station (9.5 mi) 46409 Gary (10.6 mi) 46307 Crown Point (10.8 mi) 46341 Hebron (10.8 mi) 46403 Gary (11 mi) 46304 Chesterton (11.5 mi) 46407 Gary (12.1 mi) 46408 Gary (13.1 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	41,304
Population density	512 / sq mi
State FIPS	18
County FIPS	127

Geography
Land area	80.75 sq mi
Water area	0.56 sq mi
Latitude	41.4705
Longitude	-87.1417
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	26.8%	34.9%	42.9%
$50k – $100k	31.3%	32.3%	32.7%
$100k – $200k	31.2%	26.2%	19.8%
Over $200k	10.8%	6.7%	4.5%

Demographics & statistics

41,304

Population

512

People per sq mi

43.1

Median age

$95,350

Median household income

$48,220

Per capita income

$285,100

Median home value

$1,161

Median monthly rent

87.8%

Home ownership

7.4%

Poverty rate

2.4%

Unemployment

14,000

Housing units

35.3%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

1,167

Under 5

1,176

1,063

5–9

1,070

1,525

10–14

1,535

1,316

15–19

1,326

1,152

20–24

1,161

2,040

25–34

2,054

2,493

35–44

2,511

2,828

45–54

2,847

1,589

55–59

1,601

1,575

60–64

1,586

2,357

65–74

2,373

1,138

75–84

1,146

336

85+

339

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	9,297	22.5%
18 and over	32,007	77.5%
65 and over	7,689	18.6%
Median age	43.1 years

Race & ethnicity

White 84.3%

Two or more races 5.3%

Hispanic or Latino 4.5%

Black or African American 2%

Asian 2%

Other race 1.8%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Group	Count	%
White	36,457	84.3%
Two or more races	2,287	5.3%
Hispanic or Latino	1,966	4.5%
Black or African American	867	2%
Asian	850	2%
Other race	794	1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	30	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	26.8%	34.9%	42.9%
$50k – $100k	31.3%	32.3%	32.7%
$100k – $200k	31.2%	26.2%	19.8%
Over $200k	10.8%	6.7%	4.5%

Under $10k 1.9%

$10k–$15k 1.7%

$15k–$25k 5.2%

$25k–$35k 6.6%

$35k–$50k 9.8%

$50k–$75k 13.0%

$75k–$100k 14.7%

$100k–$150k 19.8%

$150k–$200k 12.9%

$200k+ 14.3%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	1.9%
$10k–$15k	1.7%
$15k–$25k	5.2%
$25k–$35k	6.6%
$35k–$50k	9.8%
$50k–$75k	13.0%
$75k–$100k	14.7%
$100k–$150k	19.8%
$150k–$200k	12.9%
$200k+	14.3%
Median income	$95,350

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 2.5%

$50k–$100k 2.0%

$100k–$150k 10.3%

$150k–$200k 14.2%

$200k–$300k 24.9%

$300k–$500k 35.2%

$500k–$1M 8.8%

$1M+ 2.0%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$285,100
Median rent / month	$1,161
Owner occupied	87.8%
Renter occupied	12.2%
Vacant	2.9%
Single-family detached	87.1%
Large apartment buildings	0.6%
Mobile homes	2.8%
Median rooms	6.5
Avg household size (owned)	2.67

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	1.1%
2010–2019	8.2%
2000–2009	17.3%
1990–1999	19.5%
1980–1989	11.5%
1970–1979	19.2%
1960–1969	12.0%
1950–1959	5.0%
1940–1949	1.0%
1939 or earlier	5.1%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	0.8%
1 bedroom	1.4%
2 bedrooms	12.0%
3 bedrooms	51.6%
4 bedrooms	28.1%
5+ bedrooms	6.2%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	1.9%
1 vehicle	27.5%
2 vehicles	42.0%
3 or more	28.6%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	91.7%
Electricity	6.3%
Propane / LP gas	0.9%
Fuel oil	0.2%
Wood	0.6%
No fuel used	0.1%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	9,449	61.3%
Cohabiting couple	1,202	7.8%
Male householder, no spouse	1,868	12.1%
Female householder, no spouse	2,905	18.8%
Households with children under 18	4,972	32.2%
Households with seniors (65+)	5,125	33.2%
Average household size	2.66

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	29.6%	20.7%
Married	59.0%	56.7%
Separated	0.7%	0.9%
Widowed	2.2%	9.2%
Divorced	8.5%	12.6%

Education

Less than 9th grade 1.6%

Some HS, no diploma 3.7%

HS graduate 31.1%

Some college, no degree 20.2%

Associate's degree 8.1%

Bachelor's degree 19.2%

Graduate / professional 16.1%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	94.7%
Bachelor's or higher	35.3%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	625	6.9%
Kindergarten	460	5.1%
Elementary school	4,013	44.3%
High school	2,397	26.4%
College / grad school	1,571	17.3%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 22.9%

Manufacturing 17.4%

Retail trade 13.4%

Professional & management 9.8%

Construction 8.8%

Arts, food & hospitality 8.5%

Finance & real estate 5.3%

Transportation & utilities 4.7%

Other services 4.1%

Public administration 2.9%

Wholesale trade 1.6%

Information 0.5%

Agriculture & mining 0.2%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	41.1%
Service	12.6%
Sales & office	20.8%
Natural resources & construction	11.7%
Production & transportation	13.8%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	84.6%
Government	10.9%
Self-employed	4.4%
Unpaid family workers	0.1%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	84.1%
Carpool	6.4%
Public transit	0.6%
Walk	1.1%
Work from home	7.4%
Other means	0.5%
Avg commute (minutes)	30.3

Poverty

All people 7.4%

Under 18 years 7.5%

18 and over 7.4%

Married-couple families 2.6%

Female-led households 35.7%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	34.5%
Retirement income	31.1%
Supplemental Security	3.9%
Cash public assistance	1.3%
Food stamps / SNAP	3.7%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	35.9%
High blood pressure	33.0%
High cholesterol	31.3%
Diabetes	9.5%
Heart disease	5.9%
Stroke	2.6%
Asthma	9.7%
Arthritis	24.0%
Kidney disease	2.6%
Pulmonary disease	6.8%
Cancer	6.4%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	17.7%
Binge drinking	16.4%
No physical activity	22.4%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	33.0%
Depression	21.1%
Fair or poor health	12.9%
Poor mental health	14.3%
Poor physical health	9.7%
No health insurance	11.6%
Visited doctor (checkup)	74.5%
Visited dentist	65.2%
Cholesterol screening	89.9%
Teeth loss	11.9%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	2,092	6.5%

Disability	%
Any disability	9.8%
Under 18	2.8%
18–64 years	7.8%
65 and over	25.0%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	77.5%
Public insurance	31.2%
No insurance	5.2%
Uninsured under 19	4.0%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	38,961	94.3%
Spanish	657	1.7%
Other Indo-European	204	0.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander	112	0.3%
Other languages	333	0.9%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	39,991	96.8%
Born in same state	39,696	96.1%
Born in different state	27,313	66.1%
Foreign born	295	0.7%
Naturalized citizen	1,313	3.2%
Not a US citizen	769	58.6%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	6,663	16.1%
French	4,020	9.7%
Arab	2,043	4.9%
English	757	1.8%
Irish	493	1.2%

Ancestry	Count	%
Dutch	329	0.8%
Polish	279	0.7%
Norwegian	165	0.4%
German	137	0.3%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	37.3%
Internet access	96.8%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 46385

What city is ZIP code 46385 in?

ZIP code 46385 is primarily assigned to Valparaiso, Indiana.

What county is ZIP code 46385 in?

ZIP code 46385 falls within Porter County, Indiana.

Is ZIP code 46385 mostly owner-occupied?

88% of occupied units in ZIP code 46385 are owner-occupied, well above the national average.

What is the population of ZIP code 46385?

ZIP code 46385 has an estimated population of 41,304 residents, with a density of 512 people per square mile.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 46385?

The median household income in ZIP code 46385 is $95,350, above the national median of ~$75,000.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 46385?

The median home value in ZIP code 46385 is $285,100.

What timezone is ZIP code 46385 in?

ZIP code 46385 observes the CST timezone.