What it's like to live in Lake Station
Lake Station 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 class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lake Station deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, college degree attainment below the national average, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 40" per year
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Lake Station compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lake Station
Based on Lake Station's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,248
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $44,960 a year
- 43% of Lake Station renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$27,480
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $13,740
- Homes cost 2.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 20% below US
$1,124/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,124 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $137,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $137,400 · 43% 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▼ 32% below US
261 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2736/100k · Lake Station Police Department · 2018 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.8 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.
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
Education & workforce▼ 79% below US
7% 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
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Indiana Dunes National Park (10 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lake Station's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,124/mo) equals 23% 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.
Other places near Lake Station
All Indiana guides →Moving to Portage →
4 mi away · pop. 38,082
Rent $1,231/mo · Income $76,276
Compare with Lake Station →Moving to Merrillville →
8 mi away · pop. 36,476
Rent $1,282/mo · Income $67,587
Compare with Lake Station →Not sure Lake Station is the one?
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