Porter County, Indiana
Population 174,818 · Portage, Valparaiso, Chesterton
- Overall cost of living: +3.6% vs the US average, higher than 95% of US counties.
- Disaster damage per $100k: $79/yr, lower than 92% of US counties.
- Broadband coverage: 93%, higher than 91% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+3.6% | higher than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $281,500 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,219 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $186/mo | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | N/A | |
| Property tax rate | 0.83% | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 7% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| State income tax | 3.15% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,326 | higher than 72% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $87,972 | higher than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +3.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 321.8 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈197 days | lower than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 83°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| January low | 17°F | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 40 in | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 9 days | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 124 days | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 3.7% of weeks | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.7°F | lower than 53% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 39.8 in | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $79/yr | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $60/yr | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.01/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $2.1/yr | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $14/yr | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.22/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8 µg/m³ | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 7 mi | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈249.8 ft | lower than 79% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 94% | higher than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 31.1% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 11.6% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 10 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 17.1:1 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 93.8% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 9.3 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 9.01 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.51 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.7 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 55/100k | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 15 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.7★ | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 77.6 yrs | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 6.1% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 250/100k | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 63/100k | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 6.6/100k | higher than 82% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 79.4% | higher than 75% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 61 min | higher than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 61 min | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 28 min | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 93% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.6% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 9.5% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 60 min | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 47 per sq mi | higher than 76% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1 per 1k | lower than 79% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 5.6 per 1k | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Population | 174,818 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Median age | 40.8 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +3.9 per 1k/yr | higher than 58% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 43.8% Dem | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 54.3% Rep | lower than 80% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.8% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % White | 79.1% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 11.7% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % Black | 4.3% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.4% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.1% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 650 parks | higher than 91% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 16.4 | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.8 | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 174 min | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 19.9% | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 48 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 86 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 278 km | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 36 km | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 89 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 151 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 13 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 131 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 9 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 164 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 132 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data