Population

South Bend

102,866

Lafayette

70,650

Median Income

South Bend

$52,512

Lafayette

$52,946

Home Value

South Bend

$124,500

Lafayette

$157,600

Rent

South Bend

$1,000

Lafayette

$1,039

Crime Rate

South Bend

9.65

Lafayette

6.00

Cost of Living

South Bend

87.5

Lafayette

90.4

Avg Temp

South Bend

N/A

Lafayette

N/A

Unemployment

South Bend

6.0%

Lafayette

3.3%

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How Similar Are South Bend & Lafayette?

Lafayette is South Bend's #9 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

South Bend

102,866

vs

Lafayette

70,650

Different · 31% difference

South Bend has a 31% larger population than Lafayette.

Violent Crime

South Bend

9.65

vs

Lafayette

6.00

Different · 38% difference
🚨

South Bend has a 38% higher violent crime than Lafayette.

Property Crime

🔒

South Bend

20.44

vs

Lafayette

20.43

Match · 0% difference

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

Political Leaning

South Bend

48.5%

vs

Lafayette

49.1%

Match · 1% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.

Unemployment

💼

South Bend

6.0%

vs

Lafayette

3.3%

Different · 45% difference

South Bend has a 45% higher unemployment than Lafayette.

Median Income

South Bend

$52,512

vs

Lafayette

$52,946

Match · 1% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.

Home Values

🏠

South Bend

$124,500

vs

Lafayette

$157,600

Different · 21% difference

Lafayette has a 21% higher home values than South Bend.

Education

South Bend

18.9%

vs

Lafayette

18.4%

Match · 2% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.

Demographics

🌍

South Bend

54.1%

vs

Lafayette

76.5%

Different · 29% difference

Lafayette has a 29% higher demographics than South Bend.

Cost of Living

South Bend

87.5

vs

Lafayette

90.4

Match · 3% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. South Bend and Lafayette share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

South Bend

vsof 8

0

Lafayette

Lafayette leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — South Bend leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

South Bend scores 90.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 96.9 in Lafayette. Lafayette has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,032 vs $1,105 in South Bend (7% lower). Lafayette has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,242 vs $1,292 in South Bend.

Overall Cost Index

South Bend87.5
Lafayette90.4

Housing Index

South Bend90.0
Lafayette96.9

Food Index

South Bend90.1
Lafayette90.5

Transportation Index

South Bend80.3
Lafayette80.9

Healthcare Index

South Bend92.1
Lafayette92.4

Utilities Index

South Bend92.1
Lafayette93.7

Living Wage (1 Adult)

South Bend$38,515
Lafayette$39,761

Living Wage (Family of 4)

South Bend$91,036
Lafayette$93,980

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

South Bend$1,105
Lafayette$1,032

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

South Bend$1,292
Lafayette$1,242

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lafayette has a vacancy rate of 5.5% compared to 13.5% in South Bend. South Bend has a single-family homes of 75.0% compared to 60.6% in Lafayette. South Bend has a owner-occupied of 58.8% compared to 47.6% in Lafayette.

Median Home Value

South Bend$124,500
Lafayette$157,600

Median Rent

South Bend$1,000
Lafayette$1,039

Median Property Tax

South Bend$1,235
Lafayette$1,038

Owner-Occupied

South Bend58.8%
Lafayette47.6%

Vacancy Rate

South Bend13.5%
Lafayette5.5%

Single-Family Homes

South Bend75.0%
Lafayette60.6%

Jobs & Economy — Lafayette leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lafayette has a unemployment rate of 3.3% compared to 6.0% in South Bend. South Bend: 49,983 vs Lafayette: 37,160 for labor force. South Bend has a work from home of 10.0% compared to 7.5% in Lafayette.

Median Household Income

South Bend$52,512
Lafayette$52,946

Per Capita Income

South Bend$29,511
Lafayette$30,181

Poverty Rate

South Bend22.6%
Lafayette17.1%

Unemployment Rate

South Bend6.0%
Lafayette3.3%

Labor Force

South Bend49,983
Lafayette37,160

Mean Commute

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Work from Home

South Bend10.0%
Lafayette7.5%

Private Sector

South Bend86.7%
Lafayette94.3%

Government Sector

South Bend43.6%
Lafayette44.3%

Crime & Safety — Lafayette leads

Source: FBI UCR

Lafayette has a assault rate (per 1k) of 4.25 compared to 8.37 in South Bend. Lafayette has a property crime clearance of 20.2% compared to 4.4% in South Bend. Lafayette has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 6.00 compared to 9.65 in South Bend.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

South Bend9.65
Lafayette6.00

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

South Bend20.44
Lafayette20.43

Murder Rate (per 1K)

South Bend0.03
Lafayette0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

South Bend0.68
Lafayette0.45

Assault Rate (per 1K)

South Bend8.37
Lafayette4.25

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

South Bend2.30
Lafayette1.53

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

South Bend13.80
Lafayette16.42

Violent Crime Clearance

South Bend23.2%
Lafayette37.1%

Property Crime Clearance

South Bend4.4%
Lafayette20.2%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Avg Annual High

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Avg Annual Low

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Sunny Days per Year

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Annual Rainfall

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Annual Snowfall

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Avg Humidity

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Lafayette has a high school diploma or higher of 40.6% compared to 37.9% in South Bend. South Bend has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.9% compared to 18.4% in Lafayette.

Public Schools

South Bend0
Lafayette0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Colleges & Universities

South Bend0
Lafayette0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

South Bend18.9%
Lafayette18.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

South Bend37.9%
Lafayette40.6%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

South Bend has a population of 102,866, about 1.5x the size of Lafayette (70,650).

Population

South Bend102,866
Lafayette70,650

Median Age

South Bend34
Lafayette34

Avg Household Size

South Bend2.4
Lafayette2.2

Married Population

South Bend29.4%
Lafayette34.2%

Foreign Born

South Bend8.9%
Lafayette9.9%

White

South Bend54.1%
Lafayette76.5%

Black

South Bend24.4%
Lafayette9.0%

Hispanic

South Bend17.3%
Lafayette13.8%

Asian

South Bend1.7%
Lafayette2.5%

South Bend

Lafayette

Healthcare — Lafayette leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Lafayette: 3.5 vs South Bend: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

South Bend5
Lafayette5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

South Bend3.0
Lafayette3.5

With Emergency Services

South Bend3
Lafayette3

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

South Bend has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.2% in Lafayette. South Bend has a work from home of 10.0% compared to 7.5% in Lafayette. Lafayette has a public transit of 2.5% compared to 1.7% in South Bend.

Mean Commute Time

South BendN/A
LafayetteN/A

Drive Alone

South Bend71.4%
Lafayette79.9%

Public Transit

South Bend1.7%
Lafayette2.5%

Bicycle

South Bend1.1%
Lafayette0.2%

Work from Home

South Bend10.0%
Lafayette7.5%

Airports

South Bend0
Lafayette0

Cities Similar to South Bend, IN

Compare South Bend 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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