Population

Muncie

64,739

Lafayette

70,650

Median Income

Muncie

$43,395

Lafayette

$52,946

Home Value

Muncie

$92,000

Lafayette

$157,600

Rent

Muncie

$867

Lafayette

$1,039

Crime Rate

Muncie

6.02

Lafayette

6.00

Cost of Living

Muncie

76.8

Lafayette

90.4

Avg Temp

Muncie

N/A

Lafayette

N/A

Unemployment

Muncie

8.6%

Lafayette

3.3%

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How Similar Are Muncie & Lafayette?

Lafayette is Muncie's #14 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Muncie

64,739

vs

Lafayette

70,650

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Muncie at 64,739 and Lafayette at 70,650.

Violent Crime

Muncie

6.02

vs

Lafayette

6.00

Match · 0% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 0% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Muncie

22.57

vs

Lafayette

20.43

Match · 10% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 10% difference.

Political Leaning

Muncie

57.0%

vs

Lafayette

49.1%

Different · 14% difference
🗳️

Muncie leans Republican while Lafayette leans Democratic.

Unemployment

💼

Muncie

8.6%

vs

Lafayette

3.3%

Different · 61% difference

Muncie's unemployment is significantly higher than Lafayette's — 61% difference.

Median Income

Muncie

$43,395

vs

Lafayette

$52,946

Different · 18% difference
💰

Lafayette has a 18% higher median income than Muncie.

Home Values

🏠

Muncie

$92,000

vs

Lafayette

$157,600

Different · 42% difference

Lafayette has a 42% higher home values than Muncie.

Education

Muncie

14.5%

vs

Lafayette

18.4%

Different · 21% difference
🎓

Lafayette has a 21% higher education than Muncie.

Demographics

🌍

Muncie

80.7%

vs

Lafayette

76.5%

Match · 5% difference

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

Cost of Living

Muncie

76.8

vs

Lafayette

90.4

Different · 15% difference
💵

Lafayette has a 15% higher cost of living than Muncie.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Muncie and Lafayette share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Muncie

vsof 8

0

Lafayette

Lafayette leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Muncie leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Muncie scores 74.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 96.9 in Lafayette. Muncie has a fair market rent (1br) of $845 vs $1,032 in Lafayette (18% lower). Muncie has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,043 vs $1,242 in Lafayette (16% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Muncie76.8
Lafayette90.4

Housing Index

Muncie74.4
Lafayette96.9

Food Index

Muncie83.2
Lafayette90.5

Transportation Index

Muncie74.9
Lafayette80.9

Healthcare Index

Muncie86.5
Lafayette92.4

Utilities Index

Muncie84.8
Lafayette93.7

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Muncie$33,804
Lafayette$39,761

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Muncie$79,900
Lafayette$93,980

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Muncie$845
Lafayette$1,032

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Muncie$1,043
Lafayette$1,242

Housing Market — Muncie leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lafayette has a vacancy rate of 5.5% compared to 13.6% in Muncie. Lafayette has a median home value of $157,600 vs $92,000 in Muncie (42% higher). Muncie has a median rent of $867 vs $1,039 in Lafayette (17% lower).

Median Home Value

Muncie$92,000
Lafayette$157,600

Median Rent

Muncie$867
Lafayette$1,039

Median Property Tax

Muncie$876
Lafayette$1,038

Owner-Occupied

Muncie51.5%
Lafayette47.6%

Vacancy Rate

Muncie13.6%
Lafayette5.5%

Single-Family Homes

Muncie66.3%
Lafayette60.6%

Jobs & Economy — Lafayette leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lafayette has a unemployment rate of 3.3% compared to 8.6% in Muncie. Lafayette has a poverty rate of 17.1% compared to 29.6% in Muncie. Lafayette has a work from home of 7.5% compared to 5.8% in Muncie.

Median Household Income

Muncie$43,395
Lafayette$52,946

Per Capita Income

Muncie$24,582
Lafayette$30,181

Poverty Rate

Muncie29.6%
Lafayette17.1%

Unemployment Rate

Muncie8.6%
Lafayette3.3%

Labor Force

Muncie32,530
Lafayette37,160

Mean Commute

Muncie18 min
LafayetteN/A

Work from Home

Muncie5.8%
Lafayette7.5%

Private Sector

Muncie85.3%
Lafayette94.3%

Government Sector

Muncie40.4%
Lafayette44.3%

Crime & Safety — Lafayette leads

Source: FBI UCR

Lafayette has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.53 compared to 4.33 in Muncie. Lafayette has a property crime clearance of 20.2% compared to 8.4% in Muncie. Muncie has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.07 in Lafayette.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Muncie6.02
Lafayette6.00

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Muncie22.57
Lafayette20.43

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Muncie0.05
Lafayette0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Muncie0.35
Lafayette0.45

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Muncie4.76
Lafayette4.25

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Muncie4.33
Lafayette1.53

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Muncie14.41
Lafayette16.42

Violent Crime Clearance

Muncie33.2%
Lafayette37.1%

Property Crime Clearance

Muncie8.4%
Lafayette20.2%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

MuncieN/A
LafayetteN/A

Avg Annual High

MuncieN/A
LafayetteN/A

Avg Annual Low

MuncieN/A
LafayetteN/A

Sunny Days per Year

MuncieN/A
LafayetteN/A

Annual Rainfall

MuncieN/A
LafayetteN/A

Annual Snowfall

MuncieN/A
LafayetteN/A

Avg Humidity

MuncieN/A
LafayetteN/A

Schools & Education — Lafayette leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Lafayette has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 14.5% in Muncie. Lafayette has a high school diploma or higher of 40.6% compared to 34.4% in Muncie.

Public Schools

Muncie0
Lafayette0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

MuncieN/A
LafayetteN/A

Colleges & Universities

Muncie0
Lafayette0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Muncie14.5%
Lafayette18.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

Muncie34.4%
Lafayette40.6%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lafayette has a population of 70,650, about 1.1x the size of Muncie (64,739). Muncie skews younger with a median age of 29.5 vs 33.7.

Population

Muncie64,739
Lafayette70,650

Median Age

Muncie30
Lafayette34

Avg Household Size

Muncie2.2
Lafayette2.2

Married Population

Muncie25.8%
Lafayette34.2%

Foreign Born

Muncie3.0%
Lafayette9.9%

White

Muncie80.7%
Lafayette76.5%

Black

Muncie8.3%
Lafayette9.0%

Hispanic

Muncie4.3%
Lafayette13.8%

Asian

Muncie2.5%
Lafayette2.5%

Muncie

Lafayette

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Muncie: 5 vs Lafayette: 3 for with emergency services. Lafayette: 3.5 vs Muncie: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Muncie5
Lafayette5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Muncie3.3
Lafayette3.5

With Emergency Services

Muncie5
Lafayette3

Transportation & Commute — Lafayette leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Muncie has a bicycle of 0.8% compared to 0.2% in Lafayette. Lafayette has a public transit of 2.5% compared to 1.9% in Muncie. Lafayette has a work from home of 7.5% compared to 5.8% in Muncie.

Mean Commute Time

Muncie18 min
LafayetteN/A

Drive Alone

Muncie72.4%
Lafayette79.9%

Public Transit

Muncie1.9%
Lafayette2.5%

Bicycle

Muncie0.8%
Lafayette0.2%

Work from Home

Muncie5.8%
Lafayette7.5%

Airports

Muncie0
Lafayette0

Cities Similar to Muncie, IN

Compare Muncie 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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