ZIP Code 46601 — South Bend city, IN Demographics & Data

ZIP code 46601 covers South Bend, IN in St. Joseph County with a population of about 4,933.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 39.0 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 574; U.S. House district IN-2; the SOUTH BEND - ELKHART media market.

South Bend, IN sits in a university / college context (near john patrick university of health and applied sciences (0.3 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 46601 is about $27,080 — about 64% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 40.0%; unemployment rate near 13.6%; 22.4% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 11.3 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Education, Food services, and Retail trade; about 10.7% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 4.5 points below 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 $131,600 — about 62% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $695 (about 40% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 19.8% (about 45.6 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 46601 in South Bend, IN, a household would need roughly $36,000 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 $845. That is about 33% above the local median household income ($27,080), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. 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 South Bend city, IN as Relatively Moderate (composite score 85.8), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (85.4) and hurricane (43.6). 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 South Bend city, IN show little to no average snow and around 40.9 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 227 for ZIP 46601 (South Bend city, 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.