What it's like to live in Gary
Gary is a smaller city in Indiana with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Gary deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
How Gary compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Gary
Based on Gary's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,024
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $40,480 a year
- 48% of Gary renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$18,940
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $9,470
- Homes cost 2.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 28% below US
$1,012/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,012 a month. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $94,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $94,700 · 48% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 98% above US
8.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 8.5%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 323% above US
1393 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is a real factor here, with violent rates significantly above the national average. That doesn't make the whole city a write-off, but it does mean specific neighborhoods deserve real research before signing a lease.
Property crime 3078/100k · Gary Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 21°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 1.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 59% below US
15% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
19 public schools inside the boundary
There are 19 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Indiana Dunes National Park (13 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Gary's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,012/mo) equals 31% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Gary
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