Population

Lafayette

70,650

St. Joseph

71,542

Median Income

Lafayette

$52,946

St. Joseph

$55,578

Home Value

Lafayette

$157,600

St. Joseph

$144,200

Rent

Lafayette

$1,039

St. Joseph

$884

Crime Rate

Lafayette

6.00

St. Joseph

7.29

Cost of Living

Lafayette

90.4

St. Joseph

86.7

Avg Temp

Lafayette

N/A

St. Joseph

N/A

Unemployment

Lafayette

3.3%

St. Joseph

4.7%

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How Similar Are Lafayette & St. Joseph?

St. Joseph is Lafayette's #15 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Lafayette

70,650

vs

St. Joseph

71,542

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Lafayette at 70,650 and St. Joseph at 71,542.

Violent Crime

Lafayette

6.00

vs

St. Joseph

7.29

Different · 18% difference
🚨

St. Joseph has a 18% higher violent crime than Lafayette.

Property Crime

🔒

Lafayette

20.43

vs

St. Joseph

38.51

Different · 47% difference

St. Joseph has a 47% higher property crime than Lafayette.

Political Leaning

Lafayette

49.1%

vs

St. Joseph

63.3%

Different · 22% difference
🗳️

Lafayette leans Democratic while St. Joseph leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Lafayette

3.3%

vs

St. Joseph

4.7%

Different · 29% difference

St. Joseph has a 29% higher unemployment than Lafayette.

Median Income

Lafayette

$52,946

vs

St. Joseph

$55,578

Match · 5% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Lafayette

$157,600

vs

St. Joseph

$144,200

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.

Education

Lafayette

18.4%

vs

St. Joseph

15.4%

Different · 17% difference
🎓

Lafayette has a 17% higher education than St. Joseph.

Demographics

🌍

Lafayette

76.5%

vs

St. Joseph

80.4%

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.

Cost of Living

Lafayette

90.4

vs

St. Joseph

86.7

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lafayette and St. Joseph share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Lafayette

vsof 8

0

St. Joseph

Cost of Living & Affordability — St. Joseph leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

St. Joseph has a fair market rent (1br) of $832 vs $1,032 in Lafayette (24% lower). St. Joseph has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,077 vs $1,242 in Lafayette (15% lower). St. Joseph scores 85.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 96.9 in Lafayette.

Overall Cost Index

Lafayette90.4
St. Joseph86.7

Housing Index

Lafayette96.9
St. Joseph85.8

Food Index

Lafayette90.5
St. Joseph92.5

Transportation Index

Lafayette80.9
St. Joseph75.6

Healthcare Index

Lafayette92.4
St. Joseph94.0

Utilities Index

Lafayette93.7
St. Joseph92.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Lafayette$39,761
St. Joseph$38,127

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Lafayette$93,980
St. Joseph$90,118

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Lafayette$1,032
St. Joseph$832

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Lafayette$1,242
St. Joseph$1,077

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lafayette has a vacancy rate of 5.5% compared to 13.5% in St. Joseph. St. Joseph has a owner-occupied of 61.4% compared to 47.6% in Lafayette. St. Joseph has a single-family homes of 74.0% compared to 60.6% in Lafayette.

Median Home Value

Lafayette$157,600
St. Joseph$144,200

Median Rent

Lafayette$1,039
St. Joseph$884

Median Property Tax

Lafayette$1,038
St. Joseph$1,199

Owner-Occupied

Lafayette47.6%
St. Joseph61.4%

Vacancy Rate

Lafayette5.5%
St. Joseph13.5%

Single-Family Homes

Lafayette60.6%
St. Joseph74.0%

Jobs & Economy

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lafayette has a unemployment rate of 3.3% compared to 4.7% in St. Joseph. Lafayette: 37,160 vs St. Joseph: 34,212 for labor force. Lafayette has a poverty rate of 17.1% compared to 18.7% in St. Joseph.

Median Household Income

Lafayette$52,946
St. Joseph$55,578

Per Capita Income

Lafayette$30,181
St. Joseph$31,499

Poverty Rate

Lafayette17.1%
St. Joseph18.7%

Unemployment Rate

Lafayette3.3%
St. Joseph4.7%

Labor Force

Lafayette37,160
St. Joseph34,212

Mean Commute

LafayetteN/A
St. Joseph15 min

Work from Home

Lafayette7.5%
St. Joseph6.9%

Private Sector

Lafayette94.3%
St. Joseph96.7%

Government Sector

Lafayette44.3%
St. Joseph45.9%

Crime & Safety — Lafayette leads

Source: FBI UCR

Lafayette has a property crime clearance of 20.2% compared to 1.4% in St. Joseph. Lafayette has a violent crime clearance of 37.1% compared to 8.2% in St. Joseph. Lafayette has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.53 compared to 5.36 in St. Joseph.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Lafayette6.00
St. Joseph7.29

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Lafayette20.43
St. Joseph38.51

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Lafayette0.07
St. Joseph0.04

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Lafayette0.45
St. Joseph0.54

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Lafayette4.25
St. Joseph4.92

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Lafayette1.53
St. Joseph5.36

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Lafayette16.42
St. Joseph27.74

Violent Crime Clearance

Lafayette37.1%
St. Joseph8.2%

Property Crime Clearance

Lafayette20.2%
St. Joseph1.4%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

LafayetteN/A
St. JosephN/A

Avg Annual High

LafayetteN/A
St. JosephN/A

Avg Annual Low

LafayetteN/A
St. JosephN/A

Sunny Days per Year

LafayetteN/A
St. JosephN/A

Annual Rainfall

LafayetteN/A
St. JosephN/A

Annual Snowfall

LafayetteN/A
St. JosephN/A

Avg Humidity

LafayetteN/A
St. JosephN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Lafayette has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 15.4% in St. Joseph. St. Joseph has a high school diploma or higher of 41.2% compared to 40.6% in Lafayette.

Public Schools

Lafayette0
St. Joseph0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

LafayetteN/A
St. JosephN/A

Colleges & Universities

Lafayette0
St. Joseph0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Lafayette18.4%
St. Joseph15.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

Lafayette40.6%
St. Joseph41.2%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

St. Joseph has a population of 71,542, about 1x the size of Lafayette (70,650). Lafayette skews younger with a median age of 33.7 vs 37.9.

Population

Lafayette70,650
St. Joseph71,542

Median Age

Lafayette34
St. Joseph38

Avg Household Size

Lafayette2.2
St. Joseph2.4

Married Population

Lafayette34.2%
St. Joseph33.5%

Foreign Born

Lafayette9.9%
St. Joseph4.2%

White

Lafayette76.5%
St. Joseph80.4%

Black

Lafayette9.0%
St. Joseph6.7%

Hispanic

Lafayette13.8%
St. Joseph7.7%

Asian

Lafayette2.5%
St. Joseph1.4%

Lafayette

St. Joseph

Healthcare — St. Joseph leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

St. Joseph: 5 vs Lafayette: 3 for with emergency services. St. Joseph: 4.0 vs Lafayette: 3.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Lafayette5
St. Joseph5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Lafayette3.5
St. Joseph4.0

With Emergency Services

Lafayette3
St. Joseph5

Transportation & Commute — Lafayette leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lafayette has a public transit of 2.5% compared to 0.3% in St. Joseph. Lafayette has a work from home of 7.5% compared to 6.9% in St. Joseph. Lafayette has a drive alone of 79.9% compared to 79.1% in St. Joseph.

Mean Commute Time

LafayetteN/A
St. Joseph15 min

Drive Alone

Lafayette79.9%
St. Joseph79.1%

Public Transit

Lafayette2.5%
St. Joseph0.3%

Bicycle

Lafayette0.2%
St. Joseph0.0%

Work from Home

Lafayette7.5%
St. Joseph6.9%

Airports

Lafayette0
St. Joseph0

Cities Similar to Lafayette, IN

Compare Lafayette 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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