Population
Gary
68,604
Chester
33,209
Median Income
Gary
$37,380
Chester
$39,809
Home Value
Gary
$85,300
Chester
$85,400
Rent
Gary
$975
Chester
$1,080
Crime Rate
Gary
8.98
Chester
5.23
Cost of Living
Gary
78.6
Chester
81.8
Avg Temp
Gary
N/A
Chester
N/A
Unemployment
Gary
13.0%
Chester
17.6%
How Similar Are Gary & Chester?
Chester is Gary's #8 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Gary
68,604
Chester
33,209
Gary (68,604) is about 2.1x larger than Chester (33,209).
Violent Crime
Gary
8.98
Chester
5.23
Gary has a 42% higher violent crime than Chester.
Property Crime
Gary
28.28
Chester
18.17
Gary has a 36% higher property crime than Chester.
Political Leaning
Gary
46.5%
Chester
37.6%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Gary has a stronger Democratic lean (19% difference).
Unemployment
Gary
13.0%
Chester
17.6%
Chester has a 26% higher unemployment than Gary.
Median Income
Gary
$37,380
Chester
$39,809
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Gary
$85,300
Chester
$85,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 0% difference.
Education
Gary
9.1%
Chester
8.2%
Gary has a 11% higher education than Chester.
Demographics
Gary
12.8%
Chester
16.4%
Chester has a 22% higher demographics than Gary.
Cost of Living
Gary
78.6
Chester
81.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Gary and Chester differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Gary
0
Chester
Chester leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Gary leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDGary has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,082 vs $1,520 in Chester (29% lower). Gary has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,317 vs $1,810 in Chester (27% lower). Chester scores 78.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 90.2 in Gary.
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 — Gary leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChester has a vacancy rate of 15.3% compared to 27.7% in Gary. Gary has a median property tax of $936 vs $1,676 in Chester (44% lower). Gary has a owner-occupied of 47.4% compared to 40.9% in Chester.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Chester leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGary: 25,950 vs Chester: 15,521 for labor force. Chester has a work from home of 8.6% compared to 5.4% in Gary. Gary has a unemployment rate of 13.0% compared to 17.6% in Chester.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Chester leads
Source: FBI UCRChester has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.48 compared to 6.63 in Gary. Chester has a property crime clearance of 17.8% compared to 2.1% in Gary. Chester has a violent crime clearance of 57.1% compared to 9.7% in Gary.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauChester has a high school diploma or higher of 38.2% compared to 32.9% in Gary. Gary has a bachelor's degree or higher of 9.1% compared to 8.2% in Chester.
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 2.1x the size of Chester (33,209). Chester skews younger with a median age of 33.3 vs 36.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Gary
Chester
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGary: 5 vs Chester: 4 for with emergency services. Chester: 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 — Chester leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChester has a public transit of 9.6% compared to 2.6% in Gary. Chester has a work from home of 8.6% compared to 5.4% in Gary. Gary has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Chester.
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.