Population

East Chicago

26,158

Gary

68,604

Median Income

East Chicago

$41,071

Gary

$37,380

Home Value

East Chicago

$92,400

Gary

$85,300

Rent

East Chicago

$820

Gary

$975

Crime Rate

East Chicago

8.26

Gary

8.98

Cost of Living

East Chicago

73.1

Gary

78.6

Avg Temp

East Chicago

N/A

Gary

N/A

Unemployment

East Chicago

7.9%

Gary

13.0%

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How Similar Are East Chicago & Gary?

Gary is East Chicago's #3 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

East Chicago

26,158

vs

Gary

68,604

Different · 62% difference

Gary (68,604) is about 2.6x larger than East Chicago (26,158).

Violent Crime

East Chicago

8.26

vs

Gary

8.98

Match · 8% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 8% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

East Chicago

15.90

vs

Gary

28.28

Different · 44% difference

Gary has a 44% higher property crime than East Chicago.

Political Leaning

East Chicago

46.5%

vs

Gary

46.5%

Match · 0% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.

Unemployment

💼

East Chicago

7.9%

vs

Gary

13.0%

Different · 39% difference

Gary has a 39% higher unemployment than East Chicago.

Median Income

East Chicago

$41,071

vs

Gary

$37,380

Match · 9% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.

Home Values

🏠

East Chicago

$92,400

vs

Gary

$85,300

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.

Education

East Chicago

6.5%

vs

Gary

9.1%

Different · 29% difference
🎓

Gary has a 29% higher education than East Chicago.

Demographics

🌍

East Chicago

16.1%

vs

Gary

12.8%

Different · 21% difference

East Chicago has a 21% higher demographics than Gary.

Cost of Living

East Chicago

73.1

vs

Gary

78.6

Match · 7% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. East Chicago and Gary share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

East Chicago

vsof 8

0

Gary

Cost of Living & Affordability — East Chicago leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

East Chicago scores 62.8 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 90.2 in Gary. East Chicago scores 72.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 80.4 in Gary. East Chicago has a living wage (family of 4) of $76,041 vs $81,766 in Gary (7% lower).

Overall Cost Index

East Chicago73.1
Gary78.6

Housing Index

East Chicago72.1
Gary80.4

Food Index

East Chicago81.4
Gary78.6

Transportation Index

East Chicago62.8
Gary90.2

Healthcare Index

East Chicago85.1
Gary82.9

Utilities Index

East Chicago83.3
Gary83.2

Living Wage (1 Adult)

East Chicago$32,171
Gary$34,593

Living Wage (Family of 4)

East Chicago$76,041
Gary$81,766

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

East Chicago$1,082
Gary$1,082

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

East Chicago$1,317
Gary$1,317

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gary has a single-family homes of 77.8% compared to 50.2% in East Chicago. East Chicago has a vacancy rate of 19.6% compared to 27.7% in Gary. East Chicago has a median rent of $820 vs $975 in Gary (16% lower).

Median Home Value

East Chicago$92,400
Gary$85,300

Median Rent

East Chicago$820
Gary$975

Median Property Tax

East Chicago$989
Gary$936

Owner-Occupied

East Chicago44.1%
Gary47.4%

Vacancy Rate

East Chicago19.6%
Gary27.7%

Single-Family Homes

East Chicago50.2%
Gary77.8%

Jobs & Economy — East Chicago leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gary: 25,950 vs East Chicago: 11,431 for labor force. East Chicago has a unemployment rate of 7.9% compared to 13.0% in Gary. Gary has a work from home of 5.4% compared to 3.9% in East Chicago.

Median Household Income

East Chicago$41,071
Gary$37,380

Per Capita Income

East Chicago$23,164
Gary$22,700

Poverty Rate

East Chicago27.0%
Gary32.9%

Unemployment Rate

East Chicago7.9%
Gary13.0%

Labor Force

East Chicago11,431
Gary25,950

Mean Commute

East ChicagoN/A
Gary25 min

Work from Home

East Chicago3.9%
Gary5.4%

Private Sector

East Chicago98.1%
Gary79.9%

Government Sector

East Chicago46.3%
Gary37.8%

Crime & Safety — East Chicago leads

Source: FBI UCR

East Chicago has a property crime clearance of 7.6% compared to 2.1% in Gary. East Chicago has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.12 compared to 0.70 in Gary. East Chicago has a violent crime clearance of 17.0% compared to 9.7% in Gary.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago8.26
Gary8.98

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago15.90
Gary28.28

Murder Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago0.12
Gary0.70

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago0.82
Gary1.10

Assault Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago6.59
Gary6.63

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago1.44
Gary5.54

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago9.20
Gary14.62

Violent Crime Clearance

East Chicago17.0%
Gary9.7%

Property Crime Clearance

East Chicago7.6%
Gary2.1%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

East ChicagoN/A
GaryN/A

Avg Annual High

East ChicagoN/A
GaryN/A

Avg Annual Low

East ChicagoN/A
GaryN/A

Sunny Days per Year

East ChicagoN/A
GaryN/A

Annual Rainfall

East ChicagoN/A
GaryN/A

Annual Snowfall

East ChicagoN/A
GaryN/A

Avg Humidity

East ChicagoN/A
GaryN/A

Schools & Education — Gary leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Gary has a bachelor's degree or higher of 9.1% compared to 6.5% in East Chicago. Gary has a high school diploma or higher of 32.9% compared to 32.2% in East Chicago.

Public Schools

East Chicago0
Gary0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

East ChicagoN/A
GaryN/A

Colleges & Universities

East Chicago0
Gary0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

East Chicago6.5%
Gary9.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

East Chicago32.2%
Gary32.9%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gary has a population of 68,604, about 2.6x the size of East Chicago (26,158).

Population

East Chicago26,158
Gary68,604

Median Age

East Chicago37
Gary36

Avg Household Size

East Chicago2.6
Gary2.5

Married Population

East Chicago25.5%
Gary21.8%

Foreign Born

East Chicago16.1%
Gary2.4%

White

East Chicago16.1%
Gary12.8%

Black

East Chicago37.4%
Gary76.5%

Hispanic

East Chicago56.5%
Gary9.8%

Asian

East Chicago0.1%
Gary0.3%

East Chicago

Gary

Healthcare — Gary leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Gary: 2.5 vs East Chicago: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

East Chicago5
Gary5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

East Chicago2.0
Gary2.5

With Emergency Services

East Chicago5
Gary5

Transportation & Commute — Gary leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

East Chicago has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.2% in Gary. Gary has a public transit of 2.6% compared to 0.8% in East Chicago. Gary has a work from home of 5.4% compared to 3.9% in East Chicago.

Mean Commute Time

East ChicagoN/A
Gary25 min

Drive Alone

East Chicago75.7%
Gary76.2%

Public Transit

East Chicago0.8%
Gary2.6%

Bicycle

East Chicago0.6%
Gary0.2%

Work from Home

East Chicago3.9%
Gary5.4%

Airports

East Chicago0
Gary0

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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