Lake Station, IN vs Gary, IN

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

MetricLake Station, INGary, IN
Population13,18568,113
Median Household Income$59,591$38,731
Median Rent$1,124/mo$1,012/mo
Median Home Value$137,400$94,700
Cost of Living (US = 100)104104
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income43.4%48.1%
Poverty Rate15.4%33.1%
Unemployment Rate5.1% (county)8.5%
Violent Crime Rate /100k2611,393
Property Crime Rate /100k2,7363,078
Median AQI5353
Good AQI Days /yr152152
Summer Highs80°F80°F
Winter Lows21°F21°F
Snowfall40 in/yr27 in/yr
Avg Commute26.8 min25.9 min
Hospitals—1
Avg Hospital Rating—1.0 / 5
Students per Teacher1716
College Degree Rate7.4%14.8%
Foreign-Born %9.8%2.4%
Population Growth (2020–2025)-2.2%-2.6%

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