Chesterton, IN vs Gary, IN

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricChesterton, INGary, IN
Population14,44668,113
Median Household Income$91,060$38,731
Median Rent$1,274/mo$1,012/mo
Median Home Value$300,900$94,700
Cost of Living (US = 100)104104
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income48.8%48.1%
Poverty Rate9.3%33.1%
Unemployment Rate4% (county)8.5%
Violent Crime Rate /100k881,393
Property Crime Rate /100k4953,078
Median AQI4453
Good AQI Days /yr226152
Summer Highs80°F80°F
Winter Lows21°F21°F
Snowfall40 in/yr27 in/yr
Avg Commute25.6 min25.9 min
Hospitals—1
Avg Hospital Rating—1.0 / 5
Students per Teacher16.716
College Degree Rate42.5%14.8%
Foreign-Born %4.3%2.4%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+2.9%-2.6%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.