ZIP Code 46304 — Chesterton town, IN Demographics & Data

ZIP code 46304 covers Chesterton, IN in Porter County with a population of about 27,402.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 39.9 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 219; U.S. House district IN-1; the CHICAGO media market.

Median household income in ZIP 46304 is about $88,551 — about 18% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 9.3%; unemployment rate near 6.1%; 35.1% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 1.4 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Retail trade; about 15.4% of workers reporting work-from-home (roughly in line with the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $278,300 — about 20% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $965 (about 17% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 76.3% (about 10.9 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 46304 in Chesterton, IN, a household would need roughly $77,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,788. That sits below the local median household income ($88,551), suggesting the typical household income is closer to a workable buy-in level under these assumptions. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Chesterton town, IN as Relatively Moderate (composite score 81.4), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (80.0) and wildfire (60.5). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Chesterton town, IN show little to no average snow and around 39.2 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,260 for ZIP 46304 (Chesterton town, IN) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.