What it's like to live in Griffith
Griffith is a small city in Indiana with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Griffith deals with commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Griffith compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Griffith
Based on Griffith's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,470
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $49,400 a year
- 36% of Griffith renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$42,020
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,010
- Homes cost 2.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 13% below US
$1,235/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,235 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $210,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $210,100 · 36% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lake County is 5.1%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Lake County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 53% below US
155 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 819/100k · Griffith Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.3 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; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 18°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 23% below US
28% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 28%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below 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 Pullman National Historical Park (15 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Griffith's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,235/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Griffith
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