Carmel () is a suburban city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, immediately north of Indianapolis. With a population of 99,757 as of the 2020 census, the city spans across Clay Township and is bordered by the White River to the east and the Boone County line to the west.
Carmel was home to one of the first electronic automated traffic signals in the country, and constructed 155 roundabouts between 1997 and 2025. The city is designed with walkability and pedestrian wellbeing in mind, with trails, parks and green spaces being common.
History In the 1820s, the government put the lands in the area on sale, leading many farmers to settle on the west bank of White River. The original settlers were predominantly Quakers.
Carmel was originally called "Bethlehem". It was platted and recorded in 1837 by Daniel Warren, Alexander Mills, John Phelps, and Seth Green, who donated their adjoining properties of equal size to create the town. The donated parcels were situated along the Indianapolis-Peru Road (now Westfield Boulevard). The Carmel Clay Historical Society also started its first activities in 1837.
The plot first established in Bethlehem, located at the intersection of Rangeline Road and Main Street, was marked by a clock tower donated by the local Rotary Club in 2002.
A post office was established as "Carmel" in 1846 because Indiana already had a post office called Bethlehem. The name Carmel is a reference to 1 Samuel 25:2 mentioning the biblical settlement Carmel. The town of Bethlehem was renamed "Carmel" and incorporated in 1874.
The Monon Railroad started operations in the city in 1883. Electricity and telephone lines arrived during the first decade of the 20th century. The city's first library was started by the local Wednesday Literary Club and schoolteacher Mahlon Luther Hains in 1904. With a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, the library was built at 40 East Main Streett in 1913. During the first half of the 20th century, the city was the host on and off of the Carmel Horse Show. The town's only bank closed in 1930.
In 1924, one of the first automatic traffic signals in the U.S. was installed at the intersection of Main Street and Rangeline Road. The signal was the invention of Leslie Haines and is currently in the old train station on the Monon Trail.
The Carmel Monon Depot, John Kinzer House, and Thornhurst Addition are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the city anticipated a demographic boom and built large new public schools, leading to the creation of the Carmel Clay School District in 1964 (and the Carmel Clay Educational Foundation in 1967). Six churches were built during the 1950s. The urban expansion was so fast that a 1958 Indianapolis Star article tagged it a "bedroom community", but one that could contribute to sustain the growth of Indianapolis. Construction of Interstate 465 started in 1967 and created the proper conditions for a rapid demographic growth. A new $330,000 library was built and opened in 1971.
The first Chamber of Commerce opened in 1960 but closed two years later. With the demographic boom of the 1970s, it reopened in 1970. Carmel Symphony Orchestra was launched by Latvian immigrant Viktors Ziedonis in 1976. That same year, Carmel was incorporated as a city. By the end of the 20th century, Carmel was one of Indiana's fastest growing cities. Suburban districts quickly replaced agricultural lands. The last farm operating within the city limits closed in 1993.
Geography Carmel occupies the southwestern part of Hamilton County, adjacent to Indianapolis and, with the annexation of Home Place in 2018, is now entirely coextensive with Clay Township. It is bordered to the north by Westfield, to the northeast by Noblesville, to the east by Fishers, to the south by Indianapolis in Marion County, and to the west by Zionsville in Boone County. The center of Carmel is north of the center of Indianapolis.
According to the 2010 census, Carmel has a total area of , of which (or 97.76%) is land and (or 2.24%) is water.
Major east–west streets in Carmel generally end in a 6 and include 96th Street (the southern border), 106th, 116th, 126th, 131st, 136th, and 146th (which marks the northern border). The numbering system is aligned to that of Marion and Hamilton counties. Main Street (131st) runs east–west through Carmel's Art & Design District; Carmel Drive runs generally east–west through the main shopping area, and City Center Drive runs east–west near Carmel's City Center project.
North–south streets are not numbered and include (west to east) Michigan, Shelborne, Towne, Ditch, Spring Mill, Meridian, Guilford, Rangeline, Keystone, Carey, Gray, Hazel Dell, and River. Some of these roads are continuations of corresponding streets in Indianapolis. Towne Road replaces the name Township Line Road at 96th Street, while Westfield Boulevard becomes Rangeline north of 116th Street. Meridian Street (US 31) and Keystone Parkway (formerly Keystone Avenue/SR 431) are the major thoroughfares, extending from 96th Street in the south and merging just south of 146th Street. The City of Carmel is noted for having well over 100 roundabouts within its borders.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Carmel, Indiana – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)34,46766,29575,53491.34%83.72%75.72%Black or African American alone (NH)5502,2993,2561.46%2.90%3.26%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)45104650.12%0.13%0.07%Asian alone (NH)1,6456,98811,9664.36%8.82%12.00%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1217200.03%0.02%0.02%Other race alone (NH)481694510.13%0.21%0.45%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)3171,3103,9440.84%1.65%3.95%Hispanic or Latino (any race)6492,0094,5211.72%2.54%4.53%Total37,73379,19199,757100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Carmel had a population of 99,757. The median age was 40.1 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.8 males age 18 and over.
99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 37,821 households in Carmel, of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 62.3% were married-couple households, 12.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 39,927 housing units, of which 5.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 76,344 76.5% Black or African American 3,330 3.3% American Indian and Alaska Native 119 0.1% Asian 12,009 12.0% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 23 0.0% Some other race 1,403 1.4% Two or more races 6,529 6.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 4,521 4.5%
Income and housing According to a 2024 estimate, the median household income in the city was $134,602.
The median home price between 2019 and 2023 was $455,500.
2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 79,191 people, 28,997 households, and 21,855 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 30,738 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.4% White, 3.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 8.9% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.5% of the population.
There were 28,997 households, of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no partner present, 2.4% had a male householder with no partner present, and 24.6% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.18.
The median age in the city was 39.2 years. 29.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.7% were from 45 to 64; and 10.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.
Economy The Meridian Corridor serves as a large concentration of corporate office space within the city. It is home to more than 40 corporate headquarters and many more regional offices. Several large companies reside in Carmel, and it serves as the national headquarters for OPENLANE (formerly KAR Global), Allegion, CNO Financial Group, MISO, and Delta Faucet. Carmel also serves as the global headquarters for several fraternities and sororities.
Clay Terrace is one of the largest retail centers in Carmel and sits adjacent to Village Park Plaza, another retail hub lying just across the municipal border with Westfield. Other shopping areas include Carmel City Center, Mohawk Trails Plaza, and Merchants' Square. The Carmel Arts & Design District has a number of retail establishments along Main Street, Range Line Road, 3rd Avenue, and 2nd Street.
Founded in 2017, Carmel Christkindlmarkt is an open air Christmas market known for its Glühwein Pyramid, a structure lit with 3000 bulbs. The market is one of Indiana's top tourist attractions hosting over 400,000 visitors annually.
Top employers , the city's 10 largest employers were:
# Employer # of employees1CNO Financial Group1,6002GEICO1,2503RCI1,1254Capital Group Companies9755Liberty Mutual9006KAR Auction Services (Adesa)8927IU Health North8008Midcontinent ISO7009NextGear Capital69410Allegion595
Arts and culture
Festivals
CarmelFest is the city's annual 4th of July celebration that has occurred since 1988. Since at least 2001, the festival has taken place over two days: July 3 and 4. CarmelFest includes a parade on July 4 that starts on AAA Way, heads west on E Carmel Drive, north on Rangeline Rd, east on Main St, and ends at the intersection of Main St and 4th Ave. The festival itself consists of live music and booths at both Carter Green and around the Carmel Fountain, connected by the Monon Trail. Petting zoos and carnival rides are set up in the parking lot behind City Hall. Fireworks are launched for 30 minutes and livestreamed. CarmelFest is organized by the Carmel Rotary Club and financially supported by local businesses including Republic Airways and Allied Solutions.
Carmel Pride is an annual Pride festival that takes place on Carter Green during the month of June, featuring performances, activities, and booths for food and merchandise vendors, and organizations. The festival was first organized by a group of Carmel High School students in 2021 and again in 2022. Later, the festival transitioned to having both adult and student organizers. In 2025, organizers stated it was the second-largest Pride festival in the state after Indy Pride with over 3000 attendees. Carmel Pride has featured an evening drag show since its inception.
The Chinese Mooncake Festival has been held annually between August and October since 2013. It is a celebration of the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival and features a dragon parade and free mooncakes and tea. Initially, the festival took place at the green space bordering the Monon trail and Main St, but moved to the parking lot at 200 Rangeline Rd in 2016 after that space was developed. Since 2022, the festival has taken place at Midtown Plaza.