Elevation of Indianapolis
730ft
above sea level · 223 m
Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana and its most populous city, with 901,116 people. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 20th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 39.77° N · 86.16° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 39° 46′ 6″ N · 86° 9′ 29″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 16S · 572,112 E · 4,402,389 N
- Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 901,116 people
- 361 sq mi of land · 2,496 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2016: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Indianapolis had 901,116 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 1.5% more than in April 2020, when it had 887,647. Its 361 sq mi of land work out to 2,496 people/sq mi; the state average is 195 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 974 places the Census counts in Indiana (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 13% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Marion County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.9 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Indianapolis sits at 730 ft (223 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Indianapolis is 368 ft below it.
Among the 91 cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 34th highest.
The highest point in Indiana is Hoosier Hill, at 1,257 ft according to the USGS: 527 ft above Indianapolis, 71 mi away in a straight line.
- 20 Indianapolis 730 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Indianapolis.
What is the elevation of Indianapolis?
Indianapolis is 730 feet (223 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Indianapolis?
Latitude 39.76838 and longitude -86.15804, in decimal degrees (39° 46′ 6″ N · 86° 9′ 29″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 572,112 E and 4,402,389 N, on NAD83.
How does Indianapolis rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 20th highest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Indianapolis in?
Marion County, Indiana.
Which is higher, Indianapolis or Cincinnati?
Indianapolis. Indianapolis sits at 730 ft and Cincinnati at 552 ft: a difference of 178 ft, 99 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know