Population

East Chicago

26,158

Alton

19,205

Median Income

East Chicago

$41,071

Alton

$48,777

Home Value

East Chicago

$92,400

Alton

$126,600

Rent

East Chicago

$820

Alton

$981

Crime Rate

East Chicago

8.26

Alton

8.36

Cost of Living

East Chicago

73.1

Alton

86.6

Avg Temp

East Chicago

N/A

Alton

N/A

Unemployment

East Chicago

7.9%

Alton

8.6%

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How Similar Are East Chicago & Alton?

Alton is East Chicago's #11 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

East Chicago

26,158

vs

Alton

19,205

Different · 27% difference

East Chicago has a 27% larger population than Alton.

Violent Crime

East Chicago

8.26

vs

Alton

8.36

Match · 1% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

East Chicago

15.90

vs

Alton

10.89

Different · 32% difference

East Chicago has a 32% higher property crime than Alton.

Political Leaning

East Chicago

46.5%

vs

Alton

51.0%

Match · 9% difference
🗳️

East Chicago leans Democratic while Alton leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

East Chicago

7.9%

vs

Alton

8.6%

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.

Median Income

East Chicago

$41,071

vs

Alton

$48,777

Different · 16% difference
💰

Alton has a 16% higher median income than East Chicago.

Home Values

🏠

East Chicago

$92,400

vs

Alton

$126,600

Different · 27% difference

Alton has a 27% higher home values than East Chicago.

Education

East Chicago

6.5%

vs

Alton

6.7%

Match · 4% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.

Demographics

🌍

East Chicago

16.1%

vs

Alton

25.0%

Different · 36% difference

Alton has a 36% higher demographics than East Chicago.

Cost of Living

East Chicago

73.1

vs

Alton

86.6

Different · 16% difference
💵

Alton has a 16% higher cost of living than East Chicago.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. East Chicago and Alton share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

East Chicago

vsof 8

0

Alton

Alton leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — East Chicago leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Alton has a fair market rent (1br) of $847 vs $1,082 in East Chicago (28% lower). Alton has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,060 vs $1,317 in East Chicago (24% lower). East Chicago scores 72.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 94.3 in Alton.

Overall Cost Index

East Chicago73.1
Alton86.6

Housing Index

East Chicago72.1
Alton94.3

Food Index

East Chicago81.4
Alton87.3

Transportation Index

East Chicago62.8
Alton74.6

Healthcare Index

East Chicago85.1
Alton89.8

Utilities Index

East Chicago83.3
Alton91.2

Living Wage (1 Adult)

East Chicago$32,171
Alton$38,090

Living Wage (Family of 4)

East Chicago$76,041
Alton$90,030

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

East Chicago$1,082
Alton$847

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

East Chicago$1,317
Alton$1,060

Housing Market — Alton leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Alton has a vacancy rate of 7.3% compared to 19.6% in East Chicago. East Chicago has a median property tax of $989 vs $2,182 in Alton (55% lower). Alton has a owner-occupied of 61.2% compared to 44.1% in East Chicago.

Median Home Value

East Chicago$92,400
Alton$126,600

Median Rent

East Chicago$820
Alton$981

Median Property Tax

East Chicago$989
Alton$2,182

Owner-Occupied

East Chicago44.1%
Alton61.2%

Vacancy Rate

East Chicago19.6%
Alton7.3%

Single-Family Homes

East Chicago50.2%
Alton65.4%

Jobs & Economy — East Chicago leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Alton has a work from home of 9.2% compared to 3.9% in East Chicago. East Chicago: 11,431 vs Alton: 8,059 for labor force. East Chicago has a per capita income of $23,164 vs $17,861 in Alton (30% higher).

Median Household Income

East Chicago$41,071
Alton$48,777

Per Capita Income

East Chicago$23,164
Alton$17,861

Poverty Rate

East Chicago27.0%
Alton28.1%

Unemployment Rate

East Chicago7.9%
Alton8.6%

Labor Force

East Chicago11,431
Alton8,059

Mean Commute

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Work from Home

East Chicago3.9%
Alton9.2%

Private Sector

East Chicago98.1%
Alton94.3%

Government Sector

East Chicago46.3%
Alton41.0%

Crime & Safety — Alton leads

Source: FBI UCR

Alton has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.18 compared to 0.82 in East Chicago. Alton has a violent crime clearance of 45.9% compared to 17.0% in East Chicago. Alton has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 10.89 compared to 15.90 in East Chicago.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago8.26
Alton8.36

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago15.90
Alton10.89

Murder Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago0.12
Alton0.14

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago0.82
Alton0.18

Assault Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago6.59
Alton7.81

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago1.44
Alton1.76

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago9.20
Alton7.99

Violent Crime Clearance

East Chicago17.0%
Alton45.9%

Property Crime Clearance

East Chicago7.6%
Alton10.8%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Avg Annual High

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Avg Annual Low

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Sunny Days per Year

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Annual Rainfall

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Annual Snowfall

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Avg Humidity

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

East Chicago has a high school diploma or higher of 32.2% compared to 20.3% in Alton. Alton has a bachelor's degree or higher of 6.7% compared to 6.5% in East Chicago.

Public Schools

East Chicago0
Alton0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Colleges & Universities

East Chicago0
Alton0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

East Chicago6.5%
Alton6.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

East Chicago32.2%
Alton20.3%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

East Chicago has a population of 26,158, about 1.4x the size of Alton (19,205). Alton skews younger with a median age of 26.7 vs 36.5.

Population

East Chicago26,158
Alton19,205

Median Age

East Chicago37
Alton27

Avg Household Size

East Chicago2.6
Alton3.7

Married Population

East Chicago25.5%
Alton36.2%

Foreign Born

East Chicago16.1%
Alton27.2%

White

East Chicago16.1%
Alton25.0%

Black

East Chicago37.4%
Alton0.2%

Hispanic

East Chicago56.5%
Alton98.7%

Asian

East Chicago0.1%
Alton0.1%

East Chicago

Alton

Healthcare — Alton leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Alton: 3.3 vs East Chicago: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

East Chicago5
Alton5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

East Chicago2.0
Alton3.3

With Emergency Services

East Chicago5
Alton5

Transportation & Commute — Alton leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Alton has a work from home of 9.2% compared to 3.9% in East Chicago. Alton has a public transit of 0.9% compared to 0.8% in East Chicago. Alton has a drive alone of 78.4% compared to 75.7% in East Chicago.

Mean Commute Time

East ChicagoN/A
AltonN/A

Drive Alone

East Chicago75.7%
Alton78.4%

Public Transit

East Chicago0.8%
Alton0.9%

Bicycle

East Chicago0.6%
Alton0.0%

Work from Home

East Chicago3.9%
Alton9.2%

Airports

East Chicago0
Alton0

Cities Similar to East Chicago, IN

Compare East Chicago against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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