Merrillville, IN vs Lake Station, IN

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

MetricMerrillville, INLake Station, IN
Population36,47613,185
Median Household Income$67,587$59,591
Median Rent$1,282/mo$1,124/mo
Median Home Value$211,400$137,400
Cost of Living (US = 100)104104
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income53.7%43.4%
Poverty Rate12.6%15.4%
Unemployment Rate5.7%5.1% (county)
Violent Crime Rate /100k127261
Property Crime Rate /100k1,3472,736
Median AQI5353
Good AQI Days /yr152152
Summer Highs81°F80°F
Winter Lows21°F21°F
Snowfall27 in/yr40 in/yr
Avg Commute32.1 min26.8 min
Hospitals2—
Avg Hospital Rating——
Students per Teacher15.217
College Degree Rate26.1%7.4%
Foreign-Born %6.3%9.8%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+2.6%-2.2%

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