Population

Gary

68,604

Jackson

31,206

Median Income

Gary

$37,380

Jackson

$42,848

Home Value

Gary

$85,300

Jackson

$94,700

Rent

Gary

$975

Jackson

$874

Crime Rate

Gary

8.98

Jackson

10.75

Cost of Living

Gary

78.6

Jackson

77.3

Avg Temp

Gary

N/A

Jackson

N/A

Unemployment

Gary

13.0%

Jackson

10.8%

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How Similar Are Gary & Jackson?

Jackson is Gary's #25 most similar city

3/10

3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Gary

68,604

vs

Jackson

31,206

Different · 55% difference

Gary (68,604) is about 2.2x larger than Jackson (31,206).

Violent Crime

Gary

8.98

vs

Jackson

10.75

Different · 16% difference
🚨

Jackson has a 16% higher violent crime than Gary.

Property Crime

🔒

Gary

28.28

vs

Jackson

37.36

Different · 24% difference

Jackson has a 24% higher property crime than Gary.

Political Leaning

Gary

46.5%

vs

Jackson

59.9%

Different · 22% difference
🗳️

Gary leans Democratic while Jackson leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Gary

13.0%

vs

Jackson

10.8%

Different · 17% difference

Gary has a 17% higher unemployment than Jackson.

Median Income

Gary

$37,380

vs

Jackson

$42,848

Different · 13% difference
💰

Jackson has a 13% higher median income than Gary.

Home Values

🏠

Gary

$85,300

vs

Jackson

$94,700

Match · 10% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 10% difference.

Education

Gary

9.1%

vs

Jackson

10.0%

Match · 9% difference
🎓

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

Demographics

🌍

Gary

12.8%

vs

Jackson

65.7%

Different · 81% difference

Jackson's demographics is significantly higher than Gary's — 81% difference.

Cost of Living

Gary

78.6

vs

Jackson

77.3

Match · 2% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.

3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Gary and Jackson differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Gary

vsof 8

0

Jackson

Jackson leads in 7 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Jackson leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Jackson scores 67.8 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 90.2 in Gary. Jackson has a fair market rent (1br) of $946 vs $1,082 in Gary (14% lower). Jackson has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,165 vs $1,317 in Gary (13% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Gary78.6
Jackson77.3

Housing Index

Gary80.4
Jackson79.1

Food Index

Gary78.6
Jackson82.7

Transportation Index

Gary90.2
Jackson67.8

Healthcare Index

Gary82.9
Jackson86.2

Utilities Index

Gary83.2
Jackson85.5

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Gary$34,593
Jackson$34,004

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Gary$81,766
Jackson$80,372

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Gary$1,082
Jackson$946

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Gary$1,317
Jackson$1,165

Housing Market — Jackson leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Jackson has a vacancy rate of 11.4% compared to 27.7% in Gary. Gary has a median property tax of $936 vs $1,597 in Jackson (41% lower). Gary has a single-family homes of 77.8% compared to 68.2% in Jackson.

Median Home Value

Gary$85,300
Jackson$94,700

Median Rent

Gary$975
Jackson$874

Median Property Tax

Gary$936
Jackson$1,597

Owner-Occupied

Gary47.4%
Jackson53.9%

Vacancy Rate

Gary27.7%
Jackson11.4%

Single-Family Homes

Gary77.8%
Jackson68.2%

Jobs & Economy — Jackson leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gary: 25,950 vs Jackson: 14,804 for labor force. Jackson: 15 min vs Gary: 25 min for mean commute. Jackson has a poverty rate of 25.5% compared to 32.9% in Gary.

Median Household Income

Gary$37,380
Jackson$42,848

Per Capita Income

Gary$22,700
Jackson$23,984

Poverty Rate

Gary32.9%
Jackson25.5%

Unemployment Rate

Gary13.0%
Jackson10.8%

Labor Force

Gary25,950
Jackson14,804

Mean Commute

Gary25 min
Jackson15 min

Work from Home

Gary5.4%
Jackson6.9%

Private Sector

Gary79.9%
Jackson85.9%

Government Sector

Gary37.8%
Jackson41.4%

Crime & Safety — Jackson leads

Source: FBI UCR

Jackson has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.10 compared to 0.70 in Gary. Jackson has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.68 compared to 1.10 in Gary. Jackson has a violent crime clearance of 24.5% compared to 9.7% in Gary.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Gary8.98
Jackson10.75

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Gary28.28
Jackson37.36

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Gary0.70
Jackson0.10

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Gary1.10
Jackson0.68

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Gary6.63
Jackson8.24

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Gary5.54
Jackson4.92

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Gary14.62
Jackson29.02

Violent Crime Clearance

Gary9.7%
Jackson24.5%

Property Crime Clearance

Gary2.1%
Jackson5.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

GaryN/A
JacksonN/A

Avg Annual High

GaryN/A
JacksonN/A

Avg Annual Low

GaryN/A
JacksonN/A

Sunny Days per Year

GaryN/A
JacksonN/A

Annual Rainfall

GaryN/A
JacksonN/A

Annual Snowfall

GaryN/A
JacksonN/A

Avg Humidity

GaryN/A
JacksonN/A

Schools & Education — Jackson leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Jackson has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.0% compared to 9.1% in Gary. Jackson has a high school diploma or higher of 35.4% compared to 32.9% in Gary.

Public Schools

Gary0
Jackson0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

GaryN/A
JacksonN/A

Colleges & Universities

Gary0
Jackson0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Gary9.1%
Jackson10.0%

High School Diploma or Higher

Gary32.9%
Jackson35.4%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gary has a population of 68,604, about 2.2x the size of Jackson (31,206). Jackson skews younger with a median age of 34.9 vs 36.4.

Population

Gary68,604
Jackson31,206

Median Age

Gary36
Jackson35

Avg Household Size

Gary2.5
Jackson2.3

Married Population

Gary21.8%
Jackson27.2%

Foreign Born

Gary2.4%
Jackson2.0%

White

Gary12.8%
Jackson65.7%

Black

Gary76.5%
Jackson21.0%

Hispanic

Gary9.8%
Jackson6.3%

Asian

Gary0.3%
Jackson0.5%

Gary

Jackson

Healthcare — Jackson leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Jackson: 3.0 vs Gary: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Gary5
Jackson5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Gary2.5
Jackson3.0

With Emergency Services

Gary5
Jackson5

Transportation & Commute — Jackson leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gary has a public transit of 2.6% compared to 1.4% in Jackson. Jackson: 15 min vs Gary: 25 min for mean commute time. Jackson has a bicycle of 0.5% compared to 0.2% in Gary.

Mean Commute Time

Gary25 min
Jackson15 min

Drive Alone

Gary76.2%
Jackson76.5%

Public Transit

Gary2.6%
Jackson1.4%

Bicycle

Gary0.2%
Jackson0.5%

Work from Home

Gary5.4%
Jackson6.9%

Airports

Gary0
Jackson0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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