Postal Codes

46402 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 46402 covers Gary, Indiana, with a population of about 5,636 and a median household income of $29,125.

Population
5,636668 per square mile
Median age
34.64.1 points below the US average
Median household income
$29,12558% below the Indiana median
Poverty rate
44.4%32 points above the US average
Typical home value
$61,729up 22.4% in five years
Median rent
$90411% below the Indiana median
Degree or higher
9.8%25.2 points below the US average
Homeownership
37.8%27.2 points below the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
143

Where 46402 is

Gary, Indiana — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population5,636
Median age34.6
Family households51.1%
Born outside the US1.2%
Speaks a language other than English at home2.5%
White (non-Hispanic)4.7%
Black (non-Hispanic)87%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0%
Hispanic or Latino3.8%
Veterans8.5%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$29,125
Income per person$16,812
Poverty rate44.4%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance40.4%

Household income distribution

Under $10k13.0%
$10–15k11.4%
$15–20k9.1%
$20–25k8.9%
$25–30k10.4%
$30–35k9.0%
$35–40k4.5%
$40–45k1.8%
$45–50k4.4%
$50–60k4.3%
$60–75k4.0%
$75–100k12.6%
$100–125k2.6%
$125–150k1.7%
$150–200k1.6%
$200k or more0.8%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed1,820
Mean adjusted gross income$29,337
Returns declaring $200,000 or more0%
Returns, under $25k58.2%
Returns, $25k–$50k26.4%
Returns, $50k–$75k8.2%
Returns, $75k–$100k3.8%
Returns, $100k–$200k3.3%
Returns, $200k or more0.0%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$61,200
Median gross rent$904
Rent as a share of household income35.6%
Owner-occupied37.8%
Vacant homes34.3%
Median year built1942

What the homes are

Detached house56.1%
Attached house7.8%
2 to 4 units12.2%
5 to 19 units5.6%
20 or more units17.4%
Mobile home1%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$61,729as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yeardown 3.9%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 22.4%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 144.3%
Typical home value since 2000
201620212026$64,234$25,272

$25,272 in 2016 to $61,729 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate17.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher9.8%
High school diploma or higher85.7%
Works from home6.6%
Drives to work alone69.2%
Takes public transport2.7%
Commutes 45 minutes or more13%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity54.4% 21 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes27.8% 15.8 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes27.6% 14.4 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure55.6% 21.5 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health41% 20.7 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)13.8% 2.5 pts above the national average of 11.3%
Depression19.1% 2.8 pts below the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity44.4% 19 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis35.3% 10.2 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking10.8% 5.2 pts below the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication82.8% 8.1 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)5.6% 2.1 pts below the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma14.7% 4.3 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease10.9% 4.7 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year83.9% 7.2 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening84.9% 1 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability21.4% 6.6 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening63.6% 0.7 pts below the national average of 64.3%
COPD14.6% 8 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist36.4% 24.9 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability45.3% 14.6 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support34.9% 10.1 pts above the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity47.7% 30.6 pts above the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps42.3% 28 pts above the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability7.8% 1.1 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol37% 0.8 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity31.6% 17.8 pts above the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability16.8% 8.4 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport22.4% 13.2 pts above the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness36.9% 2.5 pts above the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use77.5% 1.6 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)21.3% 4.5 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability29.8% 15.8 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)21% 7.5 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability11.1% 7.1 pts above the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat29.5% 20.7 pts above the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours55% 18.6 pts above the national average of 36.4%
Stroke8.2% 4.8 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost42.7% 29.7 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability14.1% 8.5 pts above the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments143
People employed8,278
Annual payroll$798,216,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 59% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingVery Low to Relatively Moderate across the 8 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss45.4 out of 100
Community resilience64.3 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Tornado88.2Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave81Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Coastal flooding75.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake70.5Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide65.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind64.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding64.1Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail56.5Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather52.6Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire45.1Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning36.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm32.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave22.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane19.2Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Indiana and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPIndianaUnited States
Median household income$29,125$70,051$78,538
Income per person$16,812$37,178$43,289
Poverty rate44.4%12.2%12.4%
Median home value$61,200$201,600$303,400
Median gross rent$904$1,020$1,348
Homeownership37.8%70.4%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher9.8%28.8%35%
Unemployment rate17.6%4.3%5.2%
Works from home6.6%9.6%13.5%
Born outside the US1.2%5.9%13.9%
Median age34.63838.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationINDIANA DUNES NL, IN US21.1 km away
Rain in a year39 in
Snow in a year40 in

Average high and low by month

January32.1°F / 17.8°F2.21 in rain, 16 in snow
February35.5°F / 21.1°F1.97 in rain, 9.7 in snow
March45.6°F / 29.8°F2.34 in rain, 6 in snow
April57.2°F / 39.5°F3.55 in rain, 0.6 in snow
May68.4°F / 49.6°F4.27 in rain
June77.5°F / 59.5°F4.31 in rain
July81.6°F / 64.3°F3.98 in rain
August80°F / 63.1°F4.08 in rain
September74.3°F / 56.3°F3.65 in rain
October62.3°F / 44.7°F3.75 in rain
November48.7°F / 34.2°F2.76 in rain, 0.7 in snow
December37.4°F / 24.1°F2.29 in rain, 7.3 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarket26% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarket26% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket34% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

Gary Community School Corporation99.9% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability95more vulnerable than 95% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status90more vulnerable than 90% of US census tracts
Household characteristics94more vulnerable than 94% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status94more vulnerable than 94% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport75more vulnerable than 75% of US census tracts
Walkability8.4 out of 20Below average
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

46401 Gary, IN1.8 km away
46407 Gary, IN2.2 km away
46404 Gary, IN3.1 km away
46406 Gary, IN5.8 km away
46409 Gary, IN6.6 km away
46408 Gary, IN6.6 km away
46403 Gary, IN6.6 km away
46405 Lake Station, IN7.2 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Lake County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area8.44 sq mi
Water area4 sq mi
Population density668 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude41.5997, -87.3385

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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