Valparaiso, IN vs Lake Station, IN

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

MetricValparaiso, INLake Station, IN
Population34,73313,185
Median Household Income$69,872$59,591
Median Rent$1,224/mo$1,124/mo
Median Home Value$267,300$137,400
Cost of Living (US = 100)104104
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income49.7%43.4%
Poverty Rate14.9%15.4%
Unemployment Rate3.6%5.1% (county)
Violent Crime Rate /100k128261
Property Crime Rate /100k8302,736
Median AQI4453
Good AQI Days /yr226152
Summer Highs81°F80°F
Winter Lows21°F21°F
Snowfall40 in/yr40 in/yr
Avg Commute24.8 min26.8 min
Hospitals1—
Avg Hospital Rating——
Students per Teacher16.217
College Degree Rate40.6%7.4%
Foreign-Born %5.5%9.8%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+3.1%-2.2%

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