Population
Gary
68,604
Bessemer
25,655
Median Income
Gary
$37,380
Bessemer
$37,844
Home Value
Gary
$85,300
Bessemer
$129,800
Rent
Gary
$975
Bessemer
$922
Crime Rate
Gary
8.98
Bessemer
17.44
Cost of Living
Gary
78.6
Bessemer
79.5
Avg Temp
Gary
N/A
Bessemer
N/A
Unemployment
Gary
13.0%
Bessemer
8.8%
How Similar Are Gary & Bessemer?
Bessemer is Gary's #17 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Gary
68,604
Bessemer
25,655
Gary (68,604) is about 2.7x larger than Bessemer (25,655).
Violent Crime
Gary
8.98
Bessemer
17.44
Bessemer has a 48% higher violent crime than Gary.
Property Crime
Gary
28.28
Bessemer
71.24
Bessemer's property crime is significantly higher than Gary's — 60% difference.
Political Leaning
Gary
46.5%
Bessemer
44.2%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 5% difference.
Unemployment
Gary
13.0%
Bessemer
8.8%
Gary has a 32% higher unemployment than Bessemer.
Median Income
Gary
$37,380
Bessemer
$37,844
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Gary
$85,300
Bessemer
$129,800
Bessemer has a 34% higher home values than Gary.
Education
Gary
9.1%
Bessemer
10.1%
Both cities have similar education — just a 10% difference.
Demographics
Gary
12.8%
Bessemer
19.8%
Bessemer has a 36% higher demographics than Gary.
Cost of Living
Gary
78.6
Bessemer
79.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Gary and Bessemer share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Gary
0
Bessemer
Bessemer leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Gary leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDGary has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,082 vs $1,155 in Bessemer (6% lower). Bessemer scores 85.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 90.2 in Gary. Gary scores 80.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 84.1 in Bessemer.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Bessemer leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBessemer has a vacancy rate of 16.0% compared to 27.7% in Gary. Bessemer has a median home value of $129,800 vs $85,300 in Gary (34% higher). Bessemer has a owner-occupied of 55.1% compared to 47.4% in Gary.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Bessemer leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGary: 25,950 vs Bessemer: 10,375 for labor force. Bessemer has a unemployment rate of 8.8% compared to 13.0% in Gary. Bessemer has a work from home of 9.6% compared to 5.4% in Gary.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Gary leads
Source: FBI UCRBessemer has a property crime clearance of 13.6% compared to 2.1% in Gary. Gary has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 14.62 compared to 50.65 in Bessemer. Gary has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 28.28 compared to 71.24 in Bessemer.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Bessemer leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBessemer has a high school diploma or higher of 38.2% compared to 32.9% in Gary. Bessemer has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.1% compared to 9.1% in Gary.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGary has a population of 68,604, about 2.7x the size of Bessemer (25,655). Gary skews younger with a median age of 36.4 vs 42.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Gary
Bessemer
Healthcare — Bessemer leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBessemer: 2.8 vs Gary: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGary has a public transit of 2.6% compared to 1.3% in Bessemer. Bessemer has a work from home of 9.6% compared to 5.4% in Gary. Bessemer: 23 min vs Gary: 25 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Gary, IN
Compare Gary 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.