Population

West Lafayette

44,802

Brookings

23,710

Median Income

West Lafayette

$33,497

Brookings

$61,979

Home Value

West Lafayette

$318,100

Brookings

$243,600

Rent

West Lafayette

$1,152

Brookings

$862

Crime Rate

West Lafayette

0.94

Brookings

0.89

Cost of Living

West Lafayette

92.9

Brookings

97.1

Avg Temp

West Lafayette

N/A

Brookings

N/A

Unemployment

West Lafayette

3.6%

Brookings

4.3%

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How Similar Are West Lafayette & Brookings?

Brookings is West Lafayette's #24 most similar city

3/10

3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

West Lafayette

44,802

vs

Brookings

23,710

Different · 47% difference

West Lafayette has a 47% larger population than Brookings.

Violent Crime

West Lafayette

0.94

vs

Brookings

0.89

Match · 4% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

West Lafayette

12.05

vs

Brookings

11.77

Match · 2% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.

Political Leaning

West Lafayette

49.1%

vs

Brookings

57.4%

Different · 14% difference
🗳️

West Lafayette leans Democratic while Brookings leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

West Lafayette

3.6%

vs

Brookings

4.3%

Different · 17% difference

Brookings has a 17% higher unemployment than West Lafayette.

Median Income

West Lafayette

$33,497

vs

Brookings

$61,979

Different · 46% difference
💰

Brookings has a 46% higher median income than West Lafayette.

Home Values

🏠

West Lafayette

$318,100

vs

Brookings

$243,600

Different · 23% difference

West Lafayette has a 23% higher home values than Brookings.

Education

West Lafayette

21.7%

vs

Brookings

24.3%

Different · 11% difference
🎓

Brookings has a 11% higher education than West Lafayette.

Demographics

🌍

West Lafayette

68.7%

vs

Brookings

87.1%

Different · 21% difference

Brookings has a 21% higher demographics than West Lafayette.

Cost of Living

West Lafayette

92.9

vs

Brookings

97.1

Match · 4% difference
💵

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

3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. West Lafayette and Brookings differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

West Lafayette

vsof 8

0

Brookings

Brookings leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — West Lafayette leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Brookings has a fair market rent (1br) of $781 vs $1,032 in West Lafayette (32% lower). Brookings has a fair market rent (2br) of $953 vs $1,242 in West Lafayette (30% lower). Brookings scores 109.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 139.6 in West Lafayette.

Overall Cost Index

West Lafayette92.9
Brookings97.1

Housing Index

West Lafayette139.6
Brookings109.8

Food Index

West Lafayette75.6
Brookings97.4

Transportation Index

West Lafayette51.2
Brookings66.5

Healthcare Index

West Lafayette80.5
Brookings97.9

Utilities Index

West Lafayette93.3
Brookings100.4

Living Wage (1 Adult)

West Lafayette$40,892
Brookings$42,706

Living Wage (Family of 4)

West Lafayette$96,653
Brookings$100,941

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

West Lafayette$1,032
Brookings$781

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

West Lafayette$1,242
Brookings$953

Housing Market — Brookings leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Brookings has a owner-occupied of 48.5% compared to 30.5% in West Lafayette. Brookings has a single-family homes of 54.9% compared to 34.6% in West Lafayette. Brookings has a median rent of $862 vs $1,152 in West Lafayette (34% lower).

Median Home Value

West Lafayette$318,100
Brookings$243,600

Median Rent

West Lafayette$1,152
Brookings$862

Median Property Tax

West Lafayette$2,728
Brookings$2,864

Owner-Occupied

West Lafayette30.5%
Brookings48.5%

Vacancy Rate

West Lafayette10.9%
Brookings10.3%

Single-Family Homes

West Lafayette34.6%
Brookings54.9%

Jobs & Economy — Brookings leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Brookings has a poverty rate of 16.1% compared to 37.4% in West Lafayette. West Lafayette: 20,971 vs Brookings: 13,758 for labor force. Brookings has a median household income of $61,979 vs $33,497 in West Lafayette (46% higher).

Median Household Income

West Lafayette$33,497
Brookings$61,979

Per Capita Income

West Lafayette$23,738
Brookings$31,799

Poverty Rate

West Lafayette37.4%
Brookings16.1%

Unemployment Rate

West Lafayette3.6%
Brookings4.3%

Labor Force

West Lafayette20,971
Brookings13,758

Mean Commute

West LafayetteN/A
Brookings11 min

Work from Home

West Lafayette12.5%
Brookings10.1%

Private Sector

West Lafayette87.1%
Brookings87.5%

Government Sector

West Lafayette35.1%
Brookings38.0%

Crime & Safety — Brookings leads

Source: FBI UCR

Brookings has a violent crime clearance of 90.9% compared to 54.8% in West Lafayette. Brookings has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.45 compared to 0.62 in West Lafayette. Brookings has a property crime clearance of 45.5% compared to 27.7% in West Lafayette.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

West Lafayette0.94
Brookings0.89

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

West Lafayette12.05
Brookings11.77

Murder Rate (per 1K)

West Lafayette0.00
Brookings0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

West Lafayette0.04
Brookings0.00

Assault Rate (per 1K)

West Lafayette0.82
Brookings0.69

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

West Lafayette0.62
Brookings0.45

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

West Lafayette10.87
Brookings10.59

Violent Crime Clearance

West Lafayette54.8%
Brookings90.9%

Property Crime Clearance

West Lafayette27.7%
Brookings45.5%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

West LafayetteN/A
BrookingsN/A

Avg Annual High

West LafayetteN/A
BrookingsN/A

Avg Annual Low

West LafayetteN/A
BrookingsN/A

Sunny Days per Year

West LafayetteN/A
BrookingsN/A

Annual Rainfall

West LafayetteN/A
BrookingsN/A

Annual Snowfall

West LafayetteN/A
BrookingsN/A

Avg Humidity

West LafayetteN/A
BrookingsN/A

Schools & Education — Brookings leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Brookings has a high school diploma or higher of 33.6% compared to 24.8% in West Lafayette. Brookings has a bachelor's degree or higher of 24.3% compared to 21.7% in West Lafayette.

Public Schools

West Lafayette0
Brookings0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

West LafayetteN/A
BrookingsN/A

Colleges & Universities

West Lafayette0
Brookings0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

West Lafayette21.7%
Brookings24.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

West Lafayette24.8%
Brookings33.6%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

West Lafayette has a population of 44,802, about 1.9x the size of Brookings (23,710). West Lafayette skews younger with a median age of 21.4 vs 24.7.

Population

West Lafayette44,802
Brookings23,710

Median Age

West Lafayette21
Brookings25

Avg Household Size

West Lafayette2.1
Brookings2.3

Married Population

West Lafayette19.1%
Brookings28.5%

Foreign Born

West Lafayette21.1%
Brookings6.8%

White

West Lafayette68.7%
Brookings87.1%

Black

West Lafayette3.9%
Brookings1.5%

Hispanic

West Lafayette5.6%
Brookings4.0%

Asian

West Lafayette20.3%
Brookings4.8%

West Lafayette

Brookings

Healthcare — Brookings leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

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

Nearby Hospitals

West Lafayette5
Brookings5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

West Lafayette3.5
Brookings4.0

With Emergency Services

West Lafayette3
Brookings5

Transportation & Commute — West Lafayette leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

West Lafayette has a public transit of 5.6% compared to 0.6% in Brookings. West Lafayette has a bicycle of 3.4% compared to 1.0% in Brookings. Brookings has a drive alone of 74.6% compared to 49.0% in West Lafayette.

Mean Commute Time

West LafayetteN/A
Brookings11 min

Drive Alone

West Lafayette49.0%
Brookings74.6%

Public Transit

West Lafayette5.6%
Brookings0.6%

Bicycle

West Lafayette3.4%
Brookings1.0%

Work from Home

West Lafayette12.5%
Brookings10.1%

Airports

West Lafayette0
Brookings0

Cities Similar to West Lafayette, IN

Compare West 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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