Town · Marion County, Indiana

Meridian Hills, Indiana

Meridian Hills is a town in Marion County, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metro area. It has 1,767 residents. Meridian Hills, Indiana has a quality-of-life score of 62 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,900 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Indiana it ranks #55 of 353 cities and towns. It ranks best on food insecurity (low), lack of reliable transportation (low) and physical inactivity (low). It ranks worst on homicide rate (high), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high) and income inequality (Gini index) (high).

62High

Quality-of-life score: #5,900 of 15,651 cities and towns
Indiana: #55 of 353 in IN
Population: 1,767 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,196.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 1848456

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety3#15,148/15,637
Economy87#1,957/15,631
Housing—
Health61#6,131/15,609
Healthcare81#2,996/15,650
Environment17#12,888/15,453
Education53#7,345/15,649
Infrastructure99#160/15,650
Community55#7,053/15,651
Leisure & amenities60#6,259/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Meridian Hills, Indiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Marion County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Food insecurity · low4.7%
100/100Indiana 15.3%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Lack of reliable transportation · low3.4%
100/100Indiana 8.1%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Physical inactivity · low11.5%
100/100Indiana 25.6%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Poor or fair health · low9.3%
99/100Indiana 20.7%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Poverty rate · low0.8%
99/100Indiana 12.1%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Bachelor's degree or higher · high80.0%
99/100Indiana 29.5%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Homicide rate · high14.6 /100k
3/100Indiana 5.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMarion County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.9 µg/m³
3/100Indiana 8.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMarion County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.529
3/100Indiana 0.452United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Drug overdose deaths · high32.2 /100k
7/100Indiana 18.5 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMarion County value
Injury deaths · high137 /100k
7/100Indiana 96 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Median Air Quality Index · high54
7/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMarion County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
45.5% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−45 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
93.1% (2015-2019) → 99.1% (2020-2024)
+6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.8× (2015-2019) → 3.1× (2020-2024)
+13%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$186,750 (2015-2019) → $211,528 (2020-2024)
+13%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeImproving
22.7 min (2015-2019) → 20.4 min (2020-2024)
−10%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.491 (2015-2019) → 0.529 (2020-2024)
+7.8%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Meridian Hills, Indiana improved on 1 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 6 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+6 points93.1% → 99.1%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of Meridian Hills, Indiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.7 min2015-2019	20.4 min2020-2024	−2.3 min	Within the margin of error	74%
Bachelor's degree or higher	80.8%2015-2019	80.0%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Broadband subscriptions	93.1%2015-2019	99.1%2020-2024	+6 points	Improved	38%
Effective property tax rate	0.88%2015-2019	1.13%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Little change	2%
High school diploma or higher	100.0%2015-2019	99.5%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	57%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4912015-2019	0.5292020-2024	+0.038	Within the margin of error	22%
Median household income	$186,7502015-2019	$211,5282020-2024	+13%	Within the margin of error	21%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Meridian Hills, Indiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Meridian Hills, Indiana in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Meridian Hills, Indiana itself moved −1.1 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,767 residents (±166)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

681 households (±60)

Meridian Hills, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $25k1.3%†9
$25k–50k9.5%†65
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

681 households (±60)

Meridian Hills, Indiana
Indiana share

Own97%662
Rent2.8%†19

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

748 workers (±90)

Meridian Hills, Indiana
Indiana share

Drive alone75%563
Carpool1.7%†13
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Marion County, the county holding most of Meridian Hills's residents.

Marion County has 24,248 employer establishments, 247 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248; 1.09× Indiana's), with 544,147 paid employees at an average annual pay of $69,754. The Census Bureau also counts 86,661 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 24,248; 86,661 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 247; US 248 · Indiana 226
Paid employees: 544,147
Average annual pay: $69,754; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Marion County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,950	19.9	0.95×About typical	38,081	$86,438	3,555
Restaurants and other eating places	1,868	19.1	1.04×About typical	38,551	$22,704	552
Lessors of real estate	1,343	13.7	1.11×About typical	10,338	$85,249	6,889
Specialty trade contractors	1,281	13.1	0.84×About typical	20,762	$78,129	5,562
Limited-service restaurants	895	9.1	1.14×About typical	17,190	$19,561	223
Full-service restaurants	775	7.9	1.03×About typical	18,825	$25,827	231
Religious organizations	652	6.7	1.20×About typical	7,568	$31,330	—
Management, scientific and technical consulting	607	6.2	0.92×About typical	10,204	$82,135	2,502
Services to buildings and dwellings	594	6.1	0.90×About typical	6,834	$36,457	5,287
Truck transportation	561	5.7	1.13×About typical	10,979	$66,492	4,077
Construction of buildings	559	5.7	0.75×Fewer than typical	8,012	$93,048	2,494
Individual and family services	558	5.7	2.03×More than typical	10,494	$35,974	737

Rank places for an industry Open Marion County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 980,327 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $3.8M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Meridian Hills, Indiana: $2,146 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $3.8M; −22% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2,146; US $2,007
Sole-source: 36%; US 30%
Single offer: 5.8%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Acquisition Service$1.8M47%
Department of the Navy$992.4K26%
Department of Veterans Affairs$352.8K9.3%
Corporation for National and Community Service$323.2K8.5%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$241.1K6.4%
Department of the Air Force$134.2K3.5%
Defense Health Agency$34.1K0.9%
Defense Logistics Agency$10.1K0.3%

Top recipients

MODEL 1 COMMERCIAL VEHICLES, INC.$1.7M44%
RAYTHEON COMPANY$990.4K26%
FIRST DATABANK INC$378.9K10.0%
VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA OF INDIANA, INC.$241.1K6.4%
INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GROUP INC$214.4K5.7%

Spending by fiscal year

1.7MFY2017
1MFY2018
951KFY2019
979.6KFY2020
615.2KFY2021
651.4KFY2022
1.9MFY2023
3.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Automobile dealers · 4411$1.7M44%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$1.1M30%
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers · 5111$334.7K8.8%
Other residential care facilities · 6239$241.1K6.4%
Insurance agencies, brokerages, and related activities · 5242$214.4K5.7%
Cutlery and handtool manufacturing · 3322

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Meridian Hills, Indiana, so they do not add up across cities.

Meridian Hills, Indiana's figures are part of those of Marion County, IN ($1.9B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Meridian Hills is mostly in Marion County.

See federal money in Marion County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Meridian Hills, Indiana is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Marion County41100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN68

Other cities and towns in Marion County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1848456

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends