Indianapolis Car Insurance Guide (Comprehensive)

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Rachel Bodine

Insurance Feature Writer

Rachel Bodine graduated from college with a BA in English. She has since worked as a Feature Writer in the insurance industry and gained a deep knowledge of state and countrywide insurance laws and rates. Her research and writing focus on helping readers understand their insurance coverage and how to find savings. Her expert advice on insurance has been featured on sites like PhotoEnforced, All...

Insurance Feature Writer

Eric Stauffer

Licensed Insurance Agent

Eric Stauffer is an insurance agent and banker-turned-consumer advocate. His priority is educating individuals and families about the different types of insurance coverage. He is passionate about helping consumers find the best coverage for their budgets and personal needs. Eric is the CEO of C Street Media, a full-service marketing firm and the co-founder of ProperCents.com, a financial educat...

Licensed Insurance Agent

UPDATED: Feb 28, 2024

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Indianapolis, IN StatisticsDetails
Population863,002
Density2,387 people per square mile
Average Cost of Insurance in Indianapolis$3,512.78
Cheapest Car Insurance CompanyUSAA
Road ConditionsPoor: 22%
Mediocre: 22%
Fair: 15%
Good: 42%

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Nicknamed Indy, Indianapolis is Indiana’s state capital and is the 17th most populous city in the United States with 872,680 residents.

Indianapolis is home to several Fortune 500 Companies like Anthem, Eli Lilly and Company, and Simon Property Group. It has a number of universities such as the University of Indianapolis, Butler University, Marian University, and Indiana University — Purdue University Indianapolis.

And let’s certainly not forget Indianapolis’s strong philanthropic community, which has financially supported the world’s largest children’s museum, one of the nation’s largest privately funded zoos, historic buildings and sites, and works of public art.

With a city that offers as much as Indianapolis, why shouldn’t quality car insurance be offered, too? Well, it certainly is; you just have to look in the right places.

Look, we get it: researching car insurance and other relevant information about your city isn’t the easiest task. Many times, you spend hours looking through sources, and you still can’t find what you need. Imagine if there was a way to have all this information in one spot.

Well, lucky for you, there is. In this article, we’ll provide you with all you need to know about car insurance in Indianapolis as well as all the relevant information that affects car insurance in Indy.

We’ll cover the cost of car insurance in Indianapolis, some of the factors that help car insurance companies determine these costs, information about education, homeownership (both of which affect car insurance rates in cities), and much more so that you can know all the most important facts about car insurance in the Circle City.

And make sure to easily compare car insurance rates by using our free tool above.

Table of Contents

What’s the Cost of Car Insurance in Indianapolis?

Researching the cost of car insurance can be tough. Every company is claiming that their insurance is the cheapest and best, and given the fact that there are so many factors that affect how much you pay for car insurance, it’s difficult to see which car insurance provider is actually the best for your specific needs.

We promise that we’re going to layout the information about what affects your car insurance in a way that is engaging and easy to comprehend so that you can make a well-informed decision. In this section, we’re going to look at how gender, age, and ZIP codes affect your car insurance rates.

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Do Gender and Age Affect my Car Insurance in Indianapolis?

Age and gender absolutely affect your car insurance rates in Indiana. The median age in Indianapolis is 34.3, so it’s a bit on the younger side. If you keep reading, you can see how much people in this age group pay for car insurance on average. As for gender, while some states no longer use gender to determine car insurance, Indiana still allows for this to happen.

This first table shows how age affects the car insurance rates of those who live in Indianapolis.

AgeRate
17 years$8,085.57
25 years$2,416.35
35 years$2,040.98
60 years$1,876.95

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As you can tell from this data, those who are 34 or around Indianapolis’ median age pay an average of $2,040.98, which is the second-lowest amount for insurance of these groups. The group that pays the lowest amount are 60-year-olds, as they pay an average of $1,876.95. Conversely, the group that pays the most is 17-year-olds, which makes sense, as they are still new drivers.

Now, let’s take a look at the difference between what men and women who live in Indianapolis pay.

  • Males: $3,604.96
  • Females: $3,314.27

Based on this information, you can see that males pay slightly more ($3,604.96) than females ($3,314.27). After seeing this data, let’s take a look and see how the combination of gender, age, and marital status affects one’s car insurance rates.

DemographicRate
Married 60-year old female$1,849.21
Married 60-year old male$1,904.68
Married 35-year old male$2,039.61
Married 35-year old female$2,042.35
Single 25-year old female$2,265.85
Single 25-year old male$2,566.84
Single 17-year old female$7,099.65
Single 17-year old male$9,071.49
Average$3,604.96

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According to this table, we can see that the group that pays the least amount for car insurance is married 60-year-old female drivers, as their average rate is $1,849.21. The group that spends the most is single 17-year-old boys, and they pay an average of $7,099.65 for their insurance.

The average for these groups and demographics is $3,604.96. The only demographics that pay more than this average are 17-year-old males and females.

You may wonder why car insurance companies use marriage as a factor to determine how much one pays for car insurance. Well, car insurance is cheaper if you’re married because many insurance companies see those who are married as more responsible, as a widely cited 2004 study by the National Institutes of Health showed that singles were twice more likely to get into accidents than married people.

Now that we’ve looked at how gender, age, and marital status affect your insurance rates, let’s see how where you live impacts your rates.

What are the Cheapest ZIP Codes in Indianapolis?

It makes sense that where you live has a huge effect on car insurance rates. This is because certain ZIP codes have a higher occurrence of accidents, insurance fraud, car theft, and a number of other factors. So what you pay for coverage in Indianapolis will be different from what your friend in Fort Wayne pays. In this table, we can see how much the average rate is in each ZIP code in Indianapolis.

ZIP CodeAverage Rates
46201$3,810.79
46202$3,745.72
46203$3,707.05
46204$3,698.19
46205$3,725.41
46208$3,717.08
46214$3,467.94
46216$3,521.97
46217$3,400.62
46218$3,815.46
46219$3,489.50
46220$3,435.45
46221$3,614.21
46222$3,663.91
46224$3,607.19
46225$3,817.96
46226$3,635.25
46227$3,549.21
46228$3,503.62
46229$3,472.21
46231$3,427.98
46234$3,394.96
46235$3,504.56
46236$3,431.65
46237$3,403.43
46239$3,510.03
46240$3,427.53
46241$3,458.51
46250$3,389.25
46254$3,478.81
46256$3,395.47
46259$3,326.62
46260$3,477.91
46268$3,371.41
46278$3,428.78
46280$3,098.61
46282$3,500.45
46290$3,061.03
Average$3,512.78

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From these numbers, we can see that those who live in 46225 pay the most for car insurance, as they pay an average of $3,817.96 for their rates. The cheapest ZIP code for car insurance in Indianapolis is 46290, and those who live in this ZIP code pay an average rate of $3,061.03 for car insurance.

These numbers for each respective ZIP code make sense, based on the factors that car insurance companies use to decide how much on pays for car insurance based on where they live.

The ZIP code 46225 has an average median income of $24,548 and has a rank of 80.3 for violent crime and a property crime rank of 81.9. To give you an idea of these numbers, the measurement for these rankings is based on a scale from one to 100 (with one being the lowest and 100 being the highest).

If you look at the country averages, the U.S. average for violent crime is 22.7, and it’s 35.4 for property crime. Therefore, 46225 has more crime, so the insurance rates are higher.

If you compare this information with the ZIP code 46290, you can see that the median income for this area is $82,612, and their rates are 6.0 for violent crime and 10.6 for property crime. So, as you can see, because 46290 is a safer ZIP code, driver’s insurance rates are lower in this area than they are in 46225.

Lastly, the average for all ZIP codes in Indianapolis is $3,512.78.

What’s the Best Car Insurance Company in Indianapolis?

Given the countless amount of information on the internet about car insurance, it’s tough to see which insurance company is best for your needs. It’s especially difficult because all the insurance companies claim to be the best. So, what are you supposed to do?

We get that it’s hard to make a decision about which car insurance type is best, but that’s why we’re going to help you out. We promise to give you accurate information about what the best car insurance companies in Indianapolis are, and we’ll present it in a way that’s easy to understand.

In this section, we’ll break down which car insurance companies are best based on how much they cost on average, how much they charge based on different commute rates, how much they charge for differing coverage levels, and much more.

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What are the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates by Company?

Based on this information, we can see that the cheapest car insurance company in Indianapolis is USAA, as their average rate for car insurance is $1,837.91.

However, because USAA is not available to everyone, we want you to what the second-cheapest car insurance company is in Indianapolis, and it’s Geico, with an average rate of $2,604.98. On the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive company for car insurance in Indianapolis is Liberty Mutual, and their average is $6,140.11.

Keep in mind, insurance costs are based on many factors, including what kind of coverage you purchase. The cheapest rates will be found with liability coverage (a combination of bodily injury liability and property damage liability). This is generally the minimum coverage required by law. As you start to add other coverage options like personal injury protection, comprehensive insurance, and roadside assistance.

What are the Best Car Insurance for Commute Rates?

Car insurance companies always factor in how long your commute is when they determine your prices, so let’s take a look at how much each major car insurance company charges for differing commute rates.

Group10 Mile Commute. 6000 Annual Mileage.25 Mile Commute. 12000 Annual Mileage.Average
Allstate$4,263.87$4,263.87$4,263.87
American Family$4,013.01$4,111.08$4,062.05
Farmers$3,295.05$3,295.05$3,295.05
Geico$2,560.76$2,649.21$2,604.99
Liberty Mutual$5,978.99$6,301.22$6,140.11
Nationwide$3,126.51$3,126.51$3,126.51
Progressive$4,316.55$4,316.55$4,316.55
State Farm$2,600.17$2,749.11$2,674.64
Travelers$3,727.96$3,727.96$3,727.96
USAA$1,813.70$1,862.12$1,837.91
Average$3,764.76$3,640.27$3,604.96

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Insurance companies typically split commutes into two sets of commute distances: 10-mile commute for a 6,000 annual mileage and 25-mile commute for a 12,000 annual mileage. In Indiana, the average miles per year that are driven are 17,806 miles. Because of this, the prices for a 25-mile commute for a 12,000 annual mileage are most relevant to Indiana drivers.

According to the data in the table, USAA is the cheapest company for both commute types, as they charge $1,813.70 for a 10-mile commute with a 6,000 annual mileage and $1,862.12 for a 25-mile commute with a 12,000 annual mileage.

The second-cheapest insurance company for both types of commutes is Geico, as they charge an average of $2,560.76 for a 10-mile commute with a 6,000 annual mileage and $2,649.21 for a 25-mile commute with a 12,000 annual mileage.

The most expensive company for each type of commute is Liberty Mutual because they charge $5,978.99 for a 10-mile commute with a 6,000 annual mileage and $6,301.22 for a 25-mile commute for a 12,000 annual mileage.

A final set of numbers worth noting are the rates for Travelers, Progressive, Nationwide, Farmers, and Allstate, as all of these companies charge the same for each commuting type.

What’s the Best Car Insurance for Coverage Level Rates?

Another way that car insurance determines your rates is by the level of coverage that you have. Car insurance companies typically divide their car insurance coverage levels into three categories: high, low, and medium. Here is a table that shows the average insurance rates for different car insurance companies based on coverage level.

GroupHighLowMediumAverage
Allstate$4,490.63$4,056.21$4,244.77$4,263.87
American Family$3,976.99$4,014.19$4,194.97$4,062.05
Farmers$3,409.48$3,185.65$3,290.01$3,295.05
Geico$2,774.06$2,442.58$2,598.31$2,604.98
Liberty Mutual$6,372.55$5,925.79$6,121.98$6,140.11
Nationwide$3,115.39$3,162.14$3,101.99$3,126.51
Progressive$4,617.15$4,081.89$4,250.61$4,316.55
State Farm$2,808.85$2,540.77$2,674.30$2,674.64
Travelers$3,765.35$3,656.18$3,762.34$3,727.96
USAA$1,909.72$1,770.60$1,833.40$1,837.91
Average$3,724.02$3,483.60$3,607.27$3,604.96

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As you can see, the car insurance company with the cheapest coverage levels for all three categories is USAA, and their average rate for car insurance coverage is $1,837.91. The next cheapest insurance company for coverage levels is Geico, and their average cost for car insurance coverage is $2,604.98.

In contrast, the car insurance company with the most expensive rates is Liberty Mutual, and their average rate is $6,140.11. After taking a look at these numbers, let’s see what other factors car insurance companies consider when they decide how much you pay.

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What’s the Best Car Insurance for Credit History Rates?

Credit history is also a massive component of how much you pay for car insurance. In car insurance companies’ eyes, credit history types, like coverage levels, fall into three categories: fair, good, and poor. In this table, we’ve listed these credit histories for each major insurance company for Indianapolis and how much these insurance companies charge for the different credit ratings.

GroupFairGoodPoorAverage
Allstate$3,935.99$3,573.75$5,281.87$4,263.87
American Family$3,605.80$3,019.57$5,560.78$4,062.05
Farmers$3,137.18$2,906.58$3,841.39$3,295.05
Geico$2,604.98$2,072.62$3,137.34$2,604.98
Liberty Mutual$5,323.59$4,924.17$8,172.56$6,140.11
Nationwide$3,004.39$2,809.68$3,565.45$3,126.51
Progressive$4,217.90$3,980.85$4,750.90$4,316.55
State Farm$2,326.40$1,806.57$3,890.95$2,674.64
Travelers$3,518.49$3,517.14$4,148.24$3,727.96
USAA$1,637.53$1,404.99$2,471.20$1,837.91

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Once again, USAA is the cheapest company for all credit histories, is USAA, and their average cost for credit histories is $1,837.91. Geico is the second-most affordable insurance company for credit history ratings, as their average cost for credit history ratings is $2,604.98. It’s also worth noting that the two best companies for those with poor credit history are USAA ($2,471.20) and Geico ($3,137.34).

Finally, the car insurance company that is the most expensive for all the credit history ratings is Liberty Mutual, and their average cost for credit histories is $6,140.11.

What’s the Best Car Insurance for Driving Record Rates?

The last factor that car insurance companies consider when they decide how much you pay for insurance is your driving record, which definitely makes sense because it gives them an idea about how responsibly you drive. In the table below, we’ve listed how much insurance companies charge for various driving records.

The records that insurance companies consider are clean records, records with a DUI, records with an accident, and records with a speeding ticket.

GroupClean recordWith 1 accidentWith 1 DUIWith 1 speeding violationAverage
Allstate$3,388.84$5,003.01$4,618.33$4,045.30$4,336.73
American Family$2,806.87$4,449.64$5,650.00$3,341.68$4,302.17
Farmers$2,946.44$3,440.92$3,540.30$3,252.54$3,309.22
Geico$1,695.34$2,691.08$3,677.64$2,355.87$2,688.02
Liberty Mutual$4,736.88$5,624.20$8,960.20$5,239.14$6,440.43
Nationwide$2,691.82$3,463.57$3,322.26$3,028.38$3,159.22
Progressive$3,226.43$5,690.95$3,854.92$4,493.89$4,257.43
State Farm$2,608.59$2,872.79$2,608.59$2,608.59$2,696.66
Travelers$3,166.27$3,914.42$4,435.41$3,395.72$3,838.70
USAA$1,383.73$1,977.95$2,272.56$1,717.39$1,878.08

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According to this table, the record that is the least expensive to have is a clean record. The companies that charge the least for this kind of record are USAA ($1,383.73) and Geico ($1,695.34). If you keep your driving record clean, you’ll pay a lot less for auto insurance coverage.

The auto insurance company that charges the most for this kind of record is Liberty Mutual ($4,736.88). The two types of records that are the most expensive are those that have had an accident and those that have had a DUI. The company that charges the most for records with a DUI is Liberty Mutual ($8,960.20), and the company that charges the most for records with an accident is Allstate ($5,003.01).

What are Some Car Insurance Factors in Indianapolis?

Now that we’ve seen the factors that seem to have an obvious effect on car insurance rates, let’s take a look at some factors that may have a less obvious effect on car insurance rates, but still have an impact, nonetheless.

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Metro Report — Growth and Prosperity

The next numbers we are going to take a look at are those of growth and prosperity from Brookings.edu.

If you’re unclear about what some of these measurements are, we’ll take some time to explain them to you here. The first definition is for productivity, which is a measurement of how productive your city is, and it’s measured in the total value of goods and services produced in a metropolitan area. Indianpolis’ productivity is:

  • Productivity: +2.1 percent (11th out of 100)
  • Standard of Living: +2.2 percent (21st out of 100)
  • Average Annual Wage: +1.7 percent (17th out of 100)

The standard of living is the level of wealth, comfort, material goods, and necessities available to a specific socioeconomic class or a particular geographic area. The average annual wage is essentially self-explanatory.

Now, let’s see what Indianapolis’ growth numbers are.

  • Jobs: +1.3 percent (54th out of 100)
  • Gross Metropolitan Product: +3.4 percent (20th out of 100)
  • Jobs at Young Firms: +3.1 percent (54th out of 100)

You may be a bit unfamiliar with these terms as well, so we’ll happily explain them to you. A city’s gross metropolitan product (GMP) is a measure of economic activity in a certain metropolitan area, and it’s a bit similar to a city’s productivity. Jobs at Young Firms are jobs at companies that have just started out.

Let’s compare these numbers with Cincinnati, a city that is proximate to Indianapolis. Cincinnati’s numbers for these categories are listed below.

Here are Cincinnati’s prosperity numbers:

  • Productivity: +0.9 percent (49th out of 100)
  • Standard of Living: +1.8 percent (37th out of 100)
  • Average Annual Wage: +.4 percent (78th out of 100)

And Cincinnati’s growth is rated as follows:

  • Jobs: +1.5 percent (48th out of 100)
  • Gross Metropolitan Product: +2.4 percent (47th out of 100)
  • Jobs at Young Firms: -0.4 (86th out of 100)

As you can see, Indianapolis beats Cincinnati in all the categories for prosperity as well as all the categories for growth, save for total jobs.

What’s the Median Household Income?

The median household income in Indianapolis in 2018 was $47,678, which shows a .959 percent growth from 2017. This number is less than the United States’ median household income of $61,937, and it’s also less than Indiana’s median household income of $55,746. Residents of Indianapolis pay an average of $3,512.78 for their car insurance, which is equivalent to 7.37 percent of the city’s median household income.

What’s the Percentage of Homeownership in Indianapolis?

As for housing in the city of Indianapolis, 52.9 percent of residents owned homes in 2018, which is slightly lower than the number of those who owned homes in 2017. This places it even lower than the national average of 63.9 percent homeownership.

You may be wondering how owning a.home affects your car insurance. Well, typically car insurance companies see those who own a home as more stable than renters, so they give homeowners discounts on insurance.

The final fact about homeownership in Indianapolis that we’re going to take a look at is the median cost of a home. In Indianapolis, the median property value is $142,700, which is up 3.71 percent from 2018.

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Does Education Affect Car Insurance Rates in Indianapolis?

Education is another major factor that car insurance companies consider when determining the cost of your car insurance. In order to give you an overall idea about the educational culture in Indianapolis, we’ll provide you with some relevant data.

And what’s a better representation of a city’s educational culture than its universities? That’s why we’re going to talk about the largest universities in the Circle City in order to give you an idea about education in Indianapolis. Before we list these universities, it’s important to let you know that the size of these universities is measured by how many degrees are awarded Ivy Tech Community College is the largest university in Indianapolis, with 21,046 degrees awarded. The second-largest university in Indianapolis is Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, with 7,789 degrees awarded followed by the American College of Education, with 1,796 degrees awarded.

Ivy Tech Community College is a statewide open-admissions community college, and it’s the second-largest post-secondary institution in all of Indiana. If you’re enrolled in this university, you can get a one-year technical degree or a two-year associate’s degree.

There are 23 campuses, affordable tuition, and 250 classes each semester in business, computer, technical, health-related, general and developmental education. Many students go on to earn four-year bachelor’s degrees.

What’s the Disparity in Wage by Race and Ethnicity in Common Jobs?

Now, let’s see the disparities in income between races and ethnicities in common jobs in Indianapolis. People who are Asian earn the most in Indianapolis, as they have an average annual salary of $54,624. The next highest-earning race is people who are white, and they have an average salary of $48,199. If you look at these numbers, you can see that Asians earn 1.13 times more than whites.

The ethnicity that earns the third most are American Indian and Alaska Native tribes that are specified, American Indian, or Alaska Native earn the third most out of all the races in Indianapolis, as their salary is $42,350. After seeing how much the three highest-earning ethnicities  earn, let’s look at the percentages of each of the highest-earning ethnicities’ salaries that go toward car insurance:

  • Asian: 6.4 percent
  • White: 7.3 percent
  • Alaska Native tribes that are specified, American Indian, or Alaska Native: 8.3 percent

In the last part of this section, we’re going to show you the average premium as a percentage of income for the ethnicities that are managers, as this is the highest-earning job in Indianapolis.

Race/EthnicityMiscellaneous ManagersPremium as % of Income
White$85,7734.10%
Asian$85,1464.13%
Black$69,5685.05%
Two or More Races$61,1675.74%
Other--

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According to this information, we can see that people who are white spend the lowest percentage of their salary on car insurance, as they only spend 4.10 percent of it on car insurance. The race of managers who spend the most on car insurance are those who are two or more races, and they spend 5.74 percent of their income on car insurance.

We’ve seen how much each ethnicity earns per year and pays for car insurance, so now let’s examine each gender’s salary and how much of these salaries are spent on car insurance.

What’s the Wage Gap by Gender in Common Jobs?

As promised, here is the data for the incomes of each gender in Indianapolis. Males earn an average of $62,589 per year and females earn an average of $44,121 per year. This means that males earn 1.42 times more than females in the workforce. On average men pay 5.6 percent of their income for car insurance, women pay eight percent of their income for car insurance.

In this table, we can see what percentage of the salaries of the men and women in the Indianapolis workforce goes towards car insurance. These numbers are based on the occupations in Indianapolis with the most employees.

Job CategoryMale SalaryPremium as % of IncomeFemale SalaryPremium as % of Income
Milscellaneous Managers$96,3293.65%$70,7594.96%
Registered Nurses$58,8325.97%$59,6865.89%
Drivers/Sales Workers & Truck Drivers$51,6356.80%$30,86411.38%

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In the position with the largest salary, managers, men pay 3.65 percent of their salary for car insurance, and women pay 4.96 percent. As for the lowest-earning job on the table (Drivers/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers), men spend 6.80 percent of their salary on car insurance, and women spend much more at 11.38 percent.

Like with jobs, there is a difference between genders when it comes to poverty, too. In the following section, we’ll provide you with those statistics as well.

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What’s the Percentage of Poverty by Age and Gender?

Unfortunately, about 20 percent of Indianapolis’ population (168,000 out of 835,000) people live below the poverty line. This number is lower than the number of people living below the poverty line in the rest of the United States, which is 13.1 percent.

The group that makes up the largest portion of Indianapolis’ poverty are females aged 25-34, as they make up 9.37 percent of Indy’s poverty. The next largest group that makes up Indianapolis’ poverty are females aged 18-24 (7.81 percent, and then females aged 35-44 (6.83 percent).

What’s the Percentage of Poverty by Race and Ethnicity?

Another way to measure poverty in Indianapolis is by race and ethnicity. The ethnicity that makes up the majority of the people who live in poverty are whites, as 38.9 percent (76,510 people) of people who live in poverty are white. The race with the second-highest amount of people who live in poverty are African Americans, and 33.4 percent (65,746 people) of Indianapolis’s poverty is made up of this ethnicity.

Lastly, the race that makes up the third-largest percentage of Indianapolis’ population is Hispanics because 14.8 percent of Indianapolis’ poverty is made up of Hispanics. We’ve finished the statistics about poverty, so let’s check out some numbers about employment, shall we?

What’s the Percentage of Employment by Occupations?

According to Data USA, employment in Indianapolis grew 2.05 percent (from 414,000 to 423,000 employees). The most common jobs for those who live in Indianapolis are Office and Administrative Support Occupations, (54,576 people), Sales and Related Occupations (40,641 people), and Management Occupations (35,916 people). Conversely, the job with the smallest amount of people is Law Enforcement, as only 3,022 people work in this field.

Now that we’ve taken a look at some information about income in Indianapolis, let’s see what driving is like in the Circle City.

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What’s the Driving in Indianapolis like?

We get that navigating any city is a challenge. That’s why we’re going to tell you all you need to know about driving in Indianapolis. In this section, we’re going to take a look at Indianapolis’ major roads, major highways, popular trips and sites, road conditions, and much more.

What are the Major Roads in Indianapolis?

As promised, we’re going to look at the major roads in Indianapolis. And we’re going to look at the highways to do this, as highways are an essential part of driving in Indy.

What are the Major Highways in Indianapolis?

I-70 is one of the most active highways in Indianapolis, and it intersects from east to west. Another active route is I-65, and it goes through downtown and travels northeast to southwest. Yet another is I-69, which joins the city to the northeast, and I-465, which circles the city, connects all of these routes

These might be the active routes, but they’re not the only routes in Indianapolis. In fact, there are more than 12,000 miles of road (which includes Interstate, U.S., and State Routes) in Indiana. We’ve listed all the major highways for Indianapolis that connect to the rest of Indiana below:

InterstatesState Highways
I-65State: 9
I-69State 13
I-70State 28
I-74State 32
Metro Loop 465State 37
U.S. 31State 38
U.S. 36State 39
U.S. 40State 44
U.S. 52State 47
U.S. 136State 67
U.S. 421State 135
State 144
State 234
State 238
State 431

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In order to give you a better idea of what some of these highways are like, we’ve posted a video that records driving on I-70.

Though I-70 has a big presence in Indianapolis, it’s actually a massive highway for all of the United States, as it runs from Utah to Baltimore. Loop 465 is named the USS Indianapolis Memorial Highway, and it is almost completely within the boundaries of Marion County.

Another interesting fact about Loop 465 is that David Letterman tried to have the highway named after him, and due to signs claiming that the highway was called The David Letterman Expressway, many fans believed it.

Indianapolis only has one high-priority corridor, and this is the I-69 corridor.

Whether you’re driving on a high-priority corridor or any other highway, you may encounter some tolls, which may be the bane of your existence but are a necessary evil. In the state of Indiana, there are two toll roads, which are I-80 and I-90.

There are also some toll roads that connect other states to Indiana. However, there are a total of nine that are relevant to Indianapolis drivers because they connect Indiana to other states. We’ve listed these by state below.

  • Ohio: The Ohio Turnpike, I-76
  • Kentucky: The Abraham Interstate Bridge, I-65, The Lewis and Clark Bridge, The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
  • Illinois: The Chicago Skyway

The cost of tolls on toll roads in Indiana varies by car type and which toll you’re passing through. You can also a transponder to make paying your tolls easier. A transponder in Indiana is $15, and if you use one, it actually makes the tolls cheaper.

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What are Some of the Most Popular Road Trips/Sites?

Now that you’re an expert on Indianapolis’ relevant highways, let’s talk about the awesome places these highways can take you to. Here are some popular spots you can check out in Indy.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art

If you’re looking to get a little culture in Indianapolis, check out the Indianapolis museum of art.

It’s in the middle of Newfield’s park, and it’s located in four different pavilions: the Krannert Pavilion, the Hulman Pavilion, the Clowes Pavilion, and the Lilly Pavilion. Some of the art in these pavilions include pre-Columbian American art, Asian art, Neo-Impressionistic art, African art, and South Pacific art.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

This one is huge. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is home to the legendary Indy 500, and it’s located just seven miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis.

The circuit itself is a 2.5-mile oval, and it’s surrounded by places for spectators to watch. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has room for 250,000 people in the stands and 150,000 on the ground.

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The Indianapolis Zoo

Who doesn’t love a great zoo? When you’re in Indianapolis you have access to one.

The Indianapolis zoo opened in 1964, and today it plays a crucial role in worldwide research and conservation. It’s located in the White River State Park, and it contains an aquarium and a botanical garden in addition to the zoo.

The botanical garden is colossal, and it covers three acres of space. In the aquarium, there’s an entire coral reef ecosystem. And the zoo is divided into habitats. The favorite habitat is the plains, as it boasts giraffes, elephants, rhinos, and zebras.

Alright, after educating you about some of the best spots in Indianapolis, let’ talk about the road conditions so you can have an idea about how to get around the city while keeping your car intact.

What are the Road Conditions in Indianapolis like?

To give you an idea about what Indianapolis’ road conditions are like, here’s a table that shows you the quality of the roads in Indianapolis.

Road ConditionShare
Poor22%
Mediocre22%
Fair15%
Good42%
Vehicle Operating Cost$575

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As you can see, the majority of Indianapolis’ roads are actually in good condition. Around the same number of roads are in mediocre and poor conditions, and 15 percent of Indianapolis roads are in fair condition. However, it’s actually nothing short of amazing that a major city has these kinds of numbers for its road conditions. As for the vehicle operating cost (VOC) of cars in Indianapolis, the average amount spent on this is $575.

If you’re uncertain about what Vehicle Operating Costs are, we’ll tell you. A Vehicle Operating Cost can be defined as “costs that vary with vehicle usage, including fuel, tires, maintenance, repairs, and mileage-dependent depreciation costs”.

If you want to get a visual of what Indianapolis’ roads look like, check out the video above.

Does Indianapolis Use Speeding or Red-light Cameras?

You may think speeding or red-light cameras are bad news, but red-light running is highly dangerous. In fact, 890 people were killed in crashes that resulted from red-light running in 2017, and 132,000 people were injured. Some people may not know exactly, what red-light running is, so we’ll clear up any uncertainty. Basically, red-light running is whenever a vehicle enters an intersection any time after the signal light has turned red.

If there’s a location where you’re permitted to turn right on red, you can also be considered a red-light runner if you fail to come to a complete stop at a red light where turning right on red is permitted. You are not, however, considered a red-light runner if you’re in the lane when you’re trying to make a left turn and the light changes.

Even though red-light cameras save lives, they are not permitted in Indianapolis. Speeding cameras aren’t, either. There has been attempted legislation to have these devices because people want the number of accidents related to red-light running and speeding to be reduced, but legislators feel like having these cameras infringes on people’s privacy.

Though this video takes place in Denver, its information about how red-light cameras work is universal, and it can give you a better idea as to how they operate.

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What Type of Vehicles are in Indianapolis?

We’ve looked at the types of roads in Indianapolis, so now let’s see what kinds of vehicles drive on those roads. Keep reading to learn some interesting facts about cars in Indianapolis.

What are the Most Popular Vehicles Owned?

We looked at a list of the most popular cars in American cities, and we found out that the most popular car in Indianapolis is the Pontiac Grand Am.

Though they discontinued making the Pontiac Grand Am, it was, and still is, known to be a car that is stylish, comfortable, and capable of great amounts of horsepower. You can also fold down the seats for storage, and you can depend on their reliability. The 2005 edition of the Pontiac Grand Am has a high consumer review rating of 4.1 out of five stars, and 88 percent of people recommend this car.

As for the car’s gas mileage, the Pontiac Grand Am gets 31 miles per gallon on the highway and 22 miles per gallon in the city. Thus, the car’s gas mileage is quite good.

However, the car’s safety ratings aren’t all that great. It received a poor rating for its overall safety, and poor ratings for moderate overlap front and for head restraints and seats. It also received a marginal rating for structural integrity, and for its frontal crash test, it was concluded that this type of accident could result in a possible head injury and a potential right leg injury.

How Many Cars per household?

We know what the most popular car in Indy is, so now let’s see the number of vehicles that are typically in an Indianapolis household. On average, there are two cars in an Indianapolis household, as 41 percent of all households have this number of cars.

The national average for cars per household is also two, with 40.3 percent of U.S. homes owning this many cars. The next most popular amount of cars to own per household in Indianapolis is one car, as 27.3 percent of all Indianapolis homes only have a singular vehicle.

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How Many Households Without a Car?

Some people choose to not have a car, too. After looking at the car ownership numbers of vehicles by city, we found out that in 2015,10.5 percent of Indianapolis homes didn’t own a car, and in 2016, that number was even lower because only 8.7 percent of households didn’t own a car.

If you look at these numbers in terms of the average number of vehicles per household, you’ll see that there were 1.54 cars per household in Indianapolis in 2015 and 1.63 cars per household in 2016.

What are the Worst Cities for Speed Traps in Indianapolis?

If we look at speed traps in Indiana cities, we can see that Indianapolis is notorious for being the worst city when it comes to speed traps.

One of the worst locations for speed traps is 5400 Southeastern Avenue, Eastbound lane. Police officers pull over long lines of people for tickets, and this is likely because the traffic speeds up, as the road is going to an interstate. Another location known for having a speed trap is 465 northbound between 10th and Crawfordsville, as there are reports of as many as 14 police cars pulling people over for speeding.

Is There a Vehicle Theft in Indianapolis?

If you live in a city, there are a lot of positives, but one negative is the increased crime. Because we’re talking primarily about driving and topics related to driving, we’ll talk about crimes relating to cars, first. According to an FBI crime report, there were 4,947 vehicles stolen in Indianapolis in 2018, which is a startlingly high number.

It’s important to know about vehicle theft given the subjects we’re discussing, but we want to keep you safe in all aspects of your life, too. So we’re going to include some other crime statistics that relate to Indianapolis to help you be aware of what’s going on in your city. In fact, though they might not seem related at first, knowledge of some of these other crimes might help you protect your car, and it might help your driving, too.

The neighborhood in Indianapolis where you probably don’t have to worry about crime (a.k.a., the safest neighborhood in Indianapolis) is Promontory Rd/ Old Stone Drive. However, outside of this neighborhood, there is a risk of violent crime in Indianapolis. If you want an exact number, there are 12.94 crimes per 1,000 residents in Indianapolis.

The chances of you becoming a victim of violent crime in Indianapolis are one in 77, which is much higher than the chances in Indiana as a state, which are one in 262. As for the chances of becoming a victim of property crime, they are one in 24 in Indianapolis, which is also higher than the rest of Indiana, where the chance of becoming a victim of property crime is one in 46.

The crime in Indianapolis is pretty problematic, as it’s only safer than three percent of U.S. cities. This is equivalent to a crime index of three.

Type of CrimeNumber of CrimesCrime Rate
(per 1,000 residents)
Violent11,22012.94
Property36,79442.43
Total48,01455.37

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The table above shows some additional information about crimes committed in Indianapolis. As you can see there were 11,220 violent crimes, 36,794 property crimes, and 48,014 crimes committed last year. Finally, Indianapolis also had 130 crimes per square mile.

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How is Traffic in Indianapolis?

After taking a look at crime, let’s learn about another unpleasant part of driving: traffic. Hopefully, this section will give you an idea about what traffic is like in Indianapolis, and you’ll learn how you can do your best to avoid it.

Is There a Traffic Congestion?

INRIX’s scorecard shows us that Indianapolitans spent an average of 59 hours in traffic in 2018. Congestion for Indianapolis traffic has a morning peak of 22 percent, and an evening peak of 37 percent. Indianapolis’s overall traffic congestion is 14 percent.

The percentage of congestion on highways is 9 percent (which isn’t bad for a city), and the percentage of congestion for non-highways is twice as much at 18 percent. Traffic costs Indianapolis drivers an average of $826, and traffic adds an additional seven minutes of travel time in the mornings and 11 minutes in the evenings.

Traffic in Indianapolis is bearable, as its traffic index is 135.31. If you’re wondering what traffic index is, it is essentially a composite of time spent in traffic due to commutes, estimation of time consumption dissatisfaction, CO2 consumption estimation while in traffic, and general inefficiencies in the traffic system.

Indianapolis’s time index, which is the average one-way time needed to go somewhere, is 29.40. Finally, the inefficiency index for Philly is 274.07.

If you don’t know what an inefficiency index is, it is an estimation of inefficiencies in the traffic. High inefficiencies are usually caused by an excess of people driving as opposed to using public transportation, or long commute times. It can also be used as a traffic component measurement in economies of scale.

Now that we’ve talked about traffic, let’s take a look at traffic in the Crossroads of America.

This video depicts driving in Indianapolis during rush hour, so it should give you a pretty good idea of what it’s like to drive in congestion in Indy.

What’s the Transportation in Indianapolis like?

Here is some information about commute times in Indianapolis. On average, the commute time in Indianapolis is 23.1 minutes, which is lower than the national average of 25.7 minutes. Additionally, 1.6 percent of Indianapolis workers have a “super commute”, which is a commute of 90 minutes or longer.

As for how Indianapolis workers get to their jobs, the vast majority (83 percent) drive to work. The second most common way Indianapolis drivers get to work is by taking public transportation, but only about 8.36 percent of workers do this.

Some workers to don’t commute at all, as 3.38 of Indianapolis workers work from home. The least come form of transportation to work is by motorcycle, but .06 percent of these workers still choose to ride in style.

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What are the Busiest Highways?

Once these commuters get out of their driveways, they’re back on the highways. We’re going to follow them, and get back on highways, too. The largest highways in Indiana are I-69, I-70, I-74, and I-80. Now, we’re going to supply you with some additional data so you can have an even more exact idea of what Indianapolis traffic is like by the numbers.

The average yearly delay for Indianapolis drivers is 50 hours, more than two whole days. This number places Indianapolis at 42nd out of all other major cities. Indianapolis’ time travel index is 1.18, and this puts them at 45th out of all major cities.

We’re going to tell you what the time travel index is in ordinary time. Let’s say that a drive normally takes you 20 minutes in free flow traffic. In congestion, because the time travel index is 1.18, it would take you about 23 and a half minutes to make the same trip.

A considerable amount of gasoline is wasted in traffic in Indianapolis, too. Though there are worse cities (Indianapolis is ranked 56th) traffic still causes auto commuters to spend an extra $813 on gas every year. It is, however, lower than Cincinnati, a nearby city, as people from Cincinnati spend an extra $1,110 on gas every year.

Lastly, the daily number of miles driven on freeways in Indianapolis was 15,336 miles. This number is so large, it’s almost inconceivable, but it is certainly true.

How Safe are Indianapolis Streets and Roads?

Now, we’re going to take a look at the safety of Indianapolis streets and roads by examining how many fatalities were on the Indianapolis roads and seeing what caused the fatalities as well as who was involved. We know that this information isn’t the happiest information, but like some of the other information in this article that isn’t the most cheerful, we’re letting you know about it so these numbers can be lower in the future.

Indianapolis is in Marion county, so here is a table showing the different types of fatalities that happened on Marion County roads in 2018. We’re going to go through it row by row to explain the data and give you a specific idea about what you can avoid to make Indianapolis’/Marion County’s roads safer.

Reason2018
Fatalities in Crashes Involving an Alcohol-Impaired Driver33
Single Vehicle Crash Fatalities62
Fatalities in Crashes Involving Speeding23
Involving Roadway Departure53
Fatalities in Crashes Involving an Intersection28
Passenger Car Occupant Fatalities42
Pedestrian Fatalities27
Pedalcyclist Fatalities4
Total109

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We can see that the total number of crashes in Marion County in 2018 was 109. This number seems high, but let’s compare it with the counties that are connected to Marion County.

In 2018, Hamilton County (north) had 19 fatalities, Hancock County (east) had six fatalities, Shelby County (southeast) had 10, Johnson County (south) had 13, Morgan County (southwest) had eight, Hendricks County had 11 fatalities, and Boone County (northwest) had nine fatalities.

So, based on these counties, Marion County, indeed, has a much higher fatality rate than its surrounding counties.

Of these 109 crashes, 33 of them involved drunk driving, which is unfortunate because those fatalities are avoidable. Accidents that involved a single vehicle made up 62 of these fatalities and crashes that involved speeding, which is another tragic but avoidable cause of fatalities, resulted in 23 fatalities. There were also 53 fatalities due to roadway departure.

A roadway departure crash is a crash that occurs after a vehicle crosses an edge line or center line, or otherwise leaves the traveled way.

We’ve all seen gruesome intersection crashes, which should remind us to always use caution at these points of the road. In Marion County, there were 28 fatalities from intersection crashes. You should also be extra cautious when you’re driving with a passenger in the front seat, as 42 passenger seat occupants died in Marion County in 2018.

In addition to those who were in the car who died in accidents, there were also people who were killed that were outside of the vehicles. There were 27 pedestrian fatalities in Marion County, and there were four pedalcyclist fatalities. Though four seems like a low number, any number of fatalities is a high number.

You must also be aware of the dangerous roads in Marion County/Indianapolis. The deadliest highway in Indiana is I-70, and we’ve made a table to illustrate what the most dangerous types of roads are in Marion County/Indianapolis.

Road TypeFatal Crashes
Rural Interstate48
Urban Interstate28
Freeway/Expressway13
Other240
Minor Arterial188
Collector Arterial186
Other131
Unknown2
Total836

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Based on this data, the most dangerous road type is other, as 240 people have died on this type of road. The least dangerous type of road is unknown, as two died on that road.

Drivers in your area should also be aware of railways, as they can be especially dangerous. Below, we’ve presented some information about railway dangers in Marion County.

Highway User SpeedCalendar YearCountyHighwayHighway User TypeRail Equipment TypeNon-Suicide FatalityNon-Suicide Injury
02012MARIONRURAL STAutomobileFreight Train02
02012MARIONSHERMAN DRAutomobileFreight Train00
202012MARIONLYNNHURST DRVanFreight Train03
302012MARION79TH STAutomobileYard/Switch00
02012MARIONCOUNTY LINE ROADAutomobileFreight Train00
152013MARIONRITTER AVEAutomobileFreight Train01
52013MARIONDEARBORN STAutomobileFreight Train04
02013MARIONNEW YORK STAutomobileFreight Train00
52013MARIONINDIANAPOLIS HAWTTruck-trailerYard/Switch00
02014MARIONRURAL STTruck-trailerFreight Train00
02014MARIONDEARBORN STTruck-trailerFreight Train00
02014MARIONALLISON AVEAutomobileYard/Switch00
02014MARIONRURAL STTruck-trailerFreight Train00
102014MARIONZIONSVILLE RDPick-up truckFreight Train00
32015MARIONCOMMERCE AVEAutomobileFreight Train01
12015MARIONCOMMERCE AVEAutomobileFreight Train02
352015MARIONSTOP 11 RDAutomobileFreight Train00
502015MARIONEPLER AVENUEAutomobileFreight Train03
402015MARIONSOUTHPORT ROADAutomobileFreight Train00
102015MARIONHANNAH STREETTruck-trailerFreight Train00
02015MARIONSHERMANAutomobileFreight Train01
202016MARIONMINNESOTA STREETAutomobileLight Loco(s)00
02016MARIONRURAL STTruck-trailerFreight Train00
402016MARIONRITTER AVEAutomobilePsgr Train03

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Based on this data, we can see that the trains at Dearborn Street and Lynnhurst Drive are the most dangerous, as there were four injuries at Dearborn Street and three injuries at Lynnhurst Drive, all of which were caused by freight trains.

We get it: this wasn’t the most pleasant section to read. But please understand that it’s necessary because we want you and your fellow drivers to create better, safer roads in Indianapolis. We’ve covered all we need to cover in this section, so we’re going to move on to some more neutral topics.

Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report

Allstate releases a drivers’ report that details what the best cities for driving are based on their drivers. We’re going to share some of the relevant information on this report with you. According to Allstate, there were 9.52 years between accidents in the city. The likelihood of a claim happening in Indianapolis compared to the rest of the United States is 0.111, and the hard braking events per 1,000 miles were 21.04.

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How Does Ridesharing in Indianapolis Work?

Ridesharing is a huge part of our lives now, so we’ll tell you about ridesharing in Indy. In order to give you an idea about how much rates cost, we typed in a route on Ride Guru’s search engine from Indianapolis International Airport to Old City Hall. Here are what the rates are:

  • Lyft: $24
  • Uber: $24
  • Taxi: $37
  • Carmel: $58

You can see that rideshare services like Lyft and Uber cost the same amount and that a traditional taxi costs $37 more. Carmel, a luxury car service, costs the most.

How to Get Auto Repairs at E-Star® Repair Shops

If you need to get some auto repairs, E-Star® repair shops are a great place to get your car fixed. After you file a claim and set up an inspection with an expert at an E-Star® at a facility of your choice, you can have full access to the perks that the E-Star® direct repair program offers. These include:

  • Seeing daily photos of your repairs in progress
  • Following the 10-step repair process in detail
  • Getting repair status updates every step of the way
  • Contacting the shop directly

We’ve compiled a list of the E-Star® repair shops closest to you. Look below to see them.

Name of FacilityAddressContact Information
Blossom Chevrolet Inc. Cf1850 N Shadeland Ave
Indianapolis IN 46219
email: [email protected]
P: (317) 357-1121
F: (317) 375-3510
Caliber - Avon55 Vista Parkway
Avon IN 46123
email: [email protected]
P: (317) 272-2048
F: (317) 272-2818
Caliber - Greenwood - Melody Ave155 Melody Ave
Greenwood IN 46142
email: [email protected]
P: (317) 882-8280
F: (317) 885-4280
Caliber - Indianapolis - Beech Grove4002 S. Arlington Avenue
Indianapolis IN 46203
email: [email protected]
P: (317) 787-8366
F: (317) 782-2491
Caliber - Indianapolis - Downtown135 W Mccarty St
Indianapolis IN 46225
email: [email protected]
P: (317) 262-5159
F: (317) 262-1064
Caliber - Indianapolis - Lawrence10520 Pendleton Pike
Indianapolis IN 46236
email: [email protected]
P: (317) 823-9154
F: (317) 823-1026
Caliber - Indianapolis - Northwest8818 Robbins Road
Indianapolis IN 46268
P: (317) 875-9325
F: (317) 875-9333
Caliber - Indianapolis - Shadeland751 North Shadeland
Indianapolis IN 46219
email: [email protected]
P: (317) 454-7400
F: (317) 454-7393
Caliber - Indianapolis - West3855 Rockville Road
Indianapolis IN 46222
email: [email protected]
P: (317) 244-9571
F: (317) 244-2106
Caliber - Zionsville4806 Northwestern Dr
Zionsville IN 46077
email: [email protected]
P: (317) 875-8434
F: (317) 876-7702

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Given all these locations, there has to be a store close to you. Get your repair there to get your car fixed as painlessly as possible.

What is the Weather like in Indianapolis?

After examining a lot of aspects of driving in Indianapolis, let’s break up some of the driving information with some knowledge about Indy’s weather. Here are some tables with all the necessary information about Indy’s climate.

First, we have the temperature.

Temperature FactsDetails
Annual High62.4°F
Annual Low43.8°F
Average Temperature53.1°F

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As you can see, the annual average high for Indianapolis’ temperature is 62.4°F, and the annual average low is 43.8°F. Next, we have sunshine and precipitation.

Weather FactsDetails
Average Sunshine186
Average Annual Rainfall42.2 inches
Snowfall27 inches

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In Indianapolis, there are 186 days of sunshine, 42.2 inches of rain, and 27 inches of snow. These numbers are pretty standard for a midwestern city.

There are natural disasters in Indianapolis, too. On average, there are 15 natural disasters in Marion County, which is near the United States’ average of 13. These natural disasters include:

  • Floods — Eight
  • Storms — Eight
  • Tornadoes — Six
  • Winter Storms — Three
  • Snows — Two
  • Blizzard — One
  • Hurricane — One
  • Snowstorm — One

Need protection against these natural disasters that affect Indianapolis? It’s probably a good idea to have it because the disasters in Indianapolis are on the higher side. You can cover yourself from natural disasters and all other possible damages that aren’t collision-related if you purchase comprehensive insurance.

Many insurers allow you to buy protection from individual disasters; however, it can cost just as much to get comprehensive coverage for all possible damages, so you might as well just get comprehensive insurance.

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Is Public Transit Available in Indianapolis?

You have some great options regarding Indianapolis public transportation. It’s run by the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation, and it offers rides to Indianapolis residents and their guests. There’s even a new IndyGo red line rapid transit bus system that covers 13 miles and features 28 stations. Indianapolis’ public transportation is primarily buses. Here are the prices for Indianapolis public transportation.

Pass TypeCost
2-Hour Transfer Ticket$1.75
One Day$4.00
10 Trips$17.50
7 Days$20.00
31 Days$60.00
Summer Youth Pass$30.00
College S-Pass$30.00
Veterans Pass$2.00 for initial, $5.00 for replacement

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As you can see, public transportation in Indianapolis is highly affordable, as a month’s pass is only $60.

Is other Alternate Transportation Available in Indianapolis?

If you want to get around Indianapolis in a less traditional, more fun manner, you can use Pacer’s Bike Rentals, which is a program sponsored by Indiana Pacers. You can have access to these bikes year-round, and it costs a dollar to access them and 15 cents for each minute of your trip. You can also have unlimited access to them for 60-minute trips if you pay $125

Bird and Lime scooters in Indianapolis. Unfamiliar with these names? They’re electric scooters open to the public. They’re good for the environment, and they’re easy to use. Though Bird and Lime’s rates have gone up, they’re still very cheap to ride, as it costs a dollar to start and 27 cents per minute after that.

Is Parking Easy in Indianapolis?

As for parking in Indianapolis, you can park downtown between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m on Monday through Saturday, and it’ll cost you $1.50 per hour. You can park downtown Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and that will cost a dollar per hour. You can pay at these meters using coins, credit or debit cards, or via an app such as Park Mobile or Pay by Phone Parking.

There are 57 electric charging stations in Indianapolis if you have an electric car, and it costs 2.3 cents per kilowatt for overnight EV (electric vehicle) charging. If you want to park in a parking garage in Indianapolis, it’ll cost you $4-$6 per hour, but you can also get early bird and evening discounts, too. Want to park in the core of downtown? It’s much cheaper, as it can cost as little as $3 a day.

Parking at the Indianapolis airport is a bit more expensive than parking downtown. It costs $9 a day for economy, $14 a day for park and walk, $18 a day for daily terminal, and $25 a day for valet.

Overall, parking in Indianapolis isn’t too difficult. There are more than 73,000 spaces to park in Indianapolis, so it’s easy to find a space that’s proximate to where you need to be.

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How is the Air Quality in Indianapolis?

Like in any major city, it’s important to know about air quality, as the air quality in places with more people can be worse because more individuals are driving. We’ve created a table to show you what the air quality in Indianapolis is like.

YearDays with AQIGood DaysModerate DaysUnhealthy Days
for Sensitive
Groups
Unhealthy Days
201636619715712-
20173651971599-
2018365187162151

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According to these numbers, the air quality in Indy was decent but could have been better. In 2018, there were 187 good days, 162 moderate days, 15 days for unhealthy days for sensitive groups, and one day that was unhealthy for everyone.

However, these numbers are worse than the year before, as there were 197 good days, 159 moderate days, nine days that were unhealthy for sensitive groups, and no unhealthy days. Hopefully, these numbers will improve next year.

Are There Military/Veterans Services in Indianapolis?

We get that the men and women in the military gave a great sacrifice for our freedom and that it’s just as hard for them to get information about car insurance as anyone else.

That’s why we promise that we will provide special information about car insurance for veterans, and keep them aware of the discounts that they get because of their service. In this section, we’ll give a summary of the wars Indianapolis veterans served in, information about military bases, and much more.

Most of the military veterans in Indianapolis served in Vietnam, as there are 14,050 Vietnam Veterans in Indianapolis. The next-highest amount of veterans served in the Gulf War from 2001 onward (7,102 veterans), and after that, the third most veterans in Indianapolis served in the Gulf War in the 1990s (5,441).

While there are no military bases in Indianapolis, the closest is the Grissom Air Reserve Base, which is located about an hour north of Indianapolis. But even though there aren’t any military bases in Indy, there are certainly military discounts. Here’s a list of all the insurance companies that provide military discounts to veterans.

  • Allstate
  • Esurance
  • Farmers Insurance
  • The General
  • Geico
  • Liberty Mutual
  • Metlife
  • State Farm
  • USAA

One of the best car insurance companies for military veterans is USAA. Here’s a table that shows the comparison between USAA and all the other car insurance companies in Indianapolis.

CarrierAverage Annual Premium% Higher/Lower than
State Average
State Average$3,414.97--
Allstate$3978.8116.51%
American Family$3679.687.75%
Farmers Insurance$3437.550.66%
Geico$2261.07-33.79%
Liberty Mutual$5781.3569.29%
Progressive$3898.0014.14%
StateFarm$2408.94-29.46%
Travelers$3393.75-0.62%
USAA$1630.86-52.24%

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As you can see, USAA’s average premium is considerably lower than the average premium in Indianapolis, as their military discount is -52.24 percent lower than this number. The company that costs the most for military veterans is Liberty Mutual, as its cost is 69.29 more than the national average.

What are Some Unique Indianapolis Laws?

We agree: it’s tough to know all the driving laws that are you to your city due to the fact that the laws change so drastically from town to town. Because of this, we’re going to fill you in on all of the laws that are unique to Indianapolis that matter for when your driving and for car insurance. In this section, we’re going to take a look at hands-free laws, laws about food trucks and tiny homes, and parking laws.

In Indiana, you can talk on the phone while driving unless you are under 21. However, even if you’re 21, you’re always allowed to use your phone to call 9-1-1. You can never text or email while driving, though. These laws are the exact same in Indianapolis as they are in the rest of Indiana.

Food trucks are an awesome and delicious part of any thriving city’s food culture, but there are certain laws in place that food trucks must adhere to (which is probably a good thing). If you wish to be a food vendor in Indianapolis, you need to get a local license, which means you can only serve food in the county in which you get the license. In this case, it’d be Marion County.

Additionally, there are some regulations that you must follow if you want to legally operate a food truck. here is a list of them.

  • You need someone in charge of food safety. They must be trained in those skills.
  • Food must be obtained from an approved source and kept at a safe temperature.
  • Your truck must be kept free of rats, mice, or insects.
  • If you need food refrigerated or kept hot, you must have the appropriate equipment on the truck. You must have accurate thermometers.
  • All equipment must be installed properly.
  • You must have adequate water and sewage systems and sinks for hand washing, equipment washing, and mop washing.
  • Floors, walls, and ceilings must be easily cleanable.

You also need a professional in your truck while food is being prepared, and you need to undergo food safety training. If you have any more questions regarding this, you can ask the Marion County Public Health Department.

Tiny homes in Indianapolis must be built correctly, have permits, be hooked up to the proper utilities, and the property on which they are must be owned. The last one on this list is the biggest rule for Indianapolis tiny homeowners.

Due to zoning regulations, you can’t build near or on someone else’s property. If it has wheels, you can have it in a mobile home park, but if it has a foundation, it must be on your property. Additionally, it has to be subjected to an inspection and pass.

In the entire State of Indiana as well as Indianapolis, parking in the wrong direction is illegal. Finally, it is absolutely legal to reserve a parking spot in Indianapolis. You can do so by using a parking app such as Parking Panda.

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Indianapolis Car Insurance FAQs

We know that we’ve given you a lot of information in this article, but we also understand that we may not have covered everything you wanted to know about Indianapolis, driving in Indianapolis, and car insurance in Indianapolis.

That’s why we’re going to give you the answers to some frequently asked questions about Indianapolis and its relevant topics. Among the topics in this section, we’re going to cover the cost of living in Indianapolis, some additional facts about Indianapolis’s safety, and other important things you need to know about.

How much does it cost to live in Indianapolis?

On average, a four-person family’s monthly costs are 2,993.59$ without rent, and single-person monthly costs are $845.70. As for rent costs, a standard one bedroom’s average cost in Indianapolis is $848.

Is Indianapolis a good place to live?

Yes, absolutely. It’s got a lively downtown that is easily walkable, and so many things to do, Indianapolis allows its residents to experience big-city living without too much effort.

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Is Indianapolis a safe city?

Overall, Indy is safe, but there are some areas and situations you should avoid when you’re there, like in any city. Downtown doesn’t pose a huge threat when it comes to being in physical danger, but your possessions might be stolen if you aren’t careful.

What are the bad areas in Indianapolis?

Below, we’ve listed the seven most dangerous places in Indianapolis after dark. Please read it so you can avoid them at all costs.

  • Haughville
  • West 29th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street
  • Tuxedo Park
  • Mass Ave and East 34th Street
  • West 30th to Fall Creek Boulevard
  • East 34 St. and Sutherland Ave
  • East 42nd and Post Road

Does Indianapolis get tornadoes?

Yes, Indianapolis gets tornadoes. Based on NOAA data, between 1961 and 2011 there were 522 tornadoes within approximately 50 miles of Indianapolis, which caused 97 deaths and 2,251 injuries.

Did we miss anything? What part was most helpful to you? Please let us know. And make sure to compare car insurance rates by using our free tool below.

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