Population

Gary

68,604

Pontiac

61,914

Median Income

Gary

$37,380

Pontiac

$42,791

Home Value

Gary

$85,300

Pontiac

$110,600

Rent

Gary

$975

Pontiac

$1,007

Crime Rate

Gary

8.98

Pontiac

N/A

Cost of Living

Gary

78.6

Pontiac

82.9

Avg Temp

Gary

N/A

Pontiac

N/A

Unemployment

Gary

13.0%

Pontiac

10.6%

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How Similar Are Gary & Pontiac?

Pontiac is Gary's #22 most similar city

3/8

3 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Gary

68,604

vs

Pontiac

61,914

Match · 10% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Gary at 68,604 and Pontiac at 61,914.

Political Leaning

Gary

46.5%

vs

Pontiac

43.8%

Match · 6% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 6% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Gary

13.0%

vs

Pontiac

10.6%

Different · 18% difference

Gary has a 18% higher unemployment than Pontiac.

Median Income

Gary

$37,380

vs

Pontiac

$42,791

Different · 13% difference
💰

Pontiac has a 13% higher median income than Gary.

Home Values

🏠

Gary

$85,300

vs

Pontiac

$110,600

Different · 23% difference

Pontiac has a 23% higher home values than Gary.

Education

Gary

9.1%

vs

Pontiac

10.7%

Different · 15% difference
🎓

Pontiac has a 15% higher education than Gary.

Demographics

🌍

Gary

12.8%

vs

Pontiac

27.1%

Different · 53% difference

Pontiac's demographics is significantly higher than Gary's — 53% difference.

Cost of Living

Gary

78.6

vs

Pontiac

82.9

Match · 5% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.

3 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Gary and Pontiac differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Gary

vsof 8

0

Pontiac

Gary leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Gary leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Pontiac scores 82.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 90.2 in Gary. Gary scores 80.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 88.4 in Pontiac. Gary has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,317 vs $1,411 in Pontiac (7% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Gary78.6
Pontiac82.9

Housing Index

Gary80.4
Pontiac88.4

Food Index

Gary78.6
Pontiac82.7

Transportation Index

Gary90.2
Pontiac82.7

Healthcare Index

Gary82.9
Pontiac86.2

Utilities Index

Gary83.2
Pontiac87.3

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Gary$34,593
Pontiac$36,474

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Gary$81,766
Pontiac$86,211

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Gary$1,082
Pontiac$1,122

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Gary$1,317
Pontiac$1,411

Housing Market — Gary leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Pontiac has a vacancy rate of 9.4% compared to 27.7% in Gary. Gary has a median property tax of $936 vs $1,272 in Pontiac (26% lower). Pontiac has a median home value of $110,600 vs $85,300 in Gary (23% higher).

Median Home Value

Gary$85,300
Pontiac$110,600

Median Rent

Gary$975
Pontiac$1,007

Median Property Tax

Gary$936
Pontiac$1,272

Owner-Occupied

Gary47.4%
Pontiac44.3%

Vacancy Rate

Gary27.7%
Pontiac9.4%

Single-Family Homes

Gary77.8%
Pontiac65.7%

Jobs & Economy — Pontiac leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gary has a work from home of 5.4% compared to 4.1% in Pontiac. Pontiac has a poverty rate of 25.6% compared to 32.9% in Gary. Pontiac has a unemployment rate of 10.6% compared to 13.0% in Gary.

Median Household Income

Gary$37,380
Pontiac$42,791

Per Capita Income

Gary$22,700
Pontiac$24,702

Poverty Rate

Gary32.9%
Pontiac25.6%

Unemployment Rate

Gary13.0%
Pontiac10.6%

Labor Force

Gary25,950
Pontiac30,178

Mean Commute

Gary25 min
Pontiac21 min

Work from Home

Gary5.4%
Pontiac4.1%

Private Sector

Gary79.9%
Pontiac91.7%

Government Sector

Gary37.8%
Pontiac44.3%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Gary8.98
PontiacN/A

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Gary28.28
PontiacN/A

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Gary0.70
PontiacN/A

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Gary1.10
PontiacN/A

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Gary6.63
PontiacN/A

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Gary5.54
PontiacN/A

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Gary14.62
PontiacN/A

Violent Crime Clearance

Gary9.7%
PontiacN/A

Property Crime Clearance

Gary2.1%
PontiacN/A

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

GaryN/A
PontiacN/A

Avg Annual High

GaryN/A
PontiacN/A

Avg Annual Low

GaryN/A
PontiacN/A

Sunny Days per Year

GaryN/A
PontiacN/A

Annual Rainfall

GaryN/A
PontiacN/A

Annual Snowfall

GaryN/A
PontiacN/A

Avg Humidity

GaryN/A
PontiacN/A

Schools & Education — Pontiac leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Pontiac has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.7% compared to 9.1% in Gary. Pontiac has a high school diploma or higher of 34.0% compared to 32.9% in Gary.

Public Schools

Gary0
Pontiac0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

GaryN/A
PontiacN/A

Colleges & Universities

Gary0
Pontiac0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Gary9.1%
Pontiac10.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

Gary32.9%
Pontiac34.0%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gary has a population of 68,604, about 1.1x the size of Pontiac (61,914).

Population

Gary68,604
Pontiac61,914

Median Age

Gary36
Pontiac36

Avg Household Size

Gary2.5
Pontiac2.4

Married Population

Gary21.8%
Pontiac22.4%

Foreign Born

Gary2.4%
Pontiac10.3%

White

Gary12.8%
Pontiac27.1%

Black

Gary76.5%
Pontiac47.1%

Hispanic

Gary9.8%
Pontiac21.7%

Asian

Gary0.3%
Pontiac3.8%

Gary

Pontiac

Healthcare — Gary leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Gary: 5 vs Pontiac: 3 for with emergency services. Gary: 2.5 vs Pontiac: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Gary5
Pontiac5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Gary2.5
Pontiac2.0

With Emergency Services

Gary5
Pontiac3

Transportation & Commute — Gary leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gary has a public transit of 2.6% compared to 1.1% in Pontiac. Pontiac has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.2% in Gary. Gary has a work from home of 5.4% compared to 4.1% in Pontiac.

Mean Commute Time

Gary25 min
Pontiac21 min

Drive Alone

Gary76.2%
Pontiac73.2%

Public Transit

Gary2.6%
Pontiac1.1%

Bicycle

Gary0.2%
Pontiac0.4%

Work from Home

Gary5.4%
Pontiac4.1%

Airports

Gary0
Pontiac0

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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