Michigan City, Indiana

Area Profile

31,814 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Michigan City, in LaPorte County.

60out of 100
Area Score
Top 47% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 16 sources
Opportunity2,178th of 4,199 cities measured55
Schools3,131st of 4,162 cities measured30
Growth3,098th of 4,224 cities measured39
Housing affordabilityTop 28% of 4,218 cities measured74
Climate3,312th of 4,225 cities measured62
Physical resilienceTop 10% of 4,226 cities measured91
Access2,829th of 4,226 cities measured87
Economic stability3,981st of 4,226 cities measured26
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.0% and median household income $53,089, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured.

In the public schools here, 37% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.4 students for every teacher.

28 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 7% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
31,814
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$53,089
Bottom 28% nationally
Density
1,542/sq mi
20.6 sq mi of land
Median age
38.8
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Indiana
Nearest major airport
SBN
28 mi · South Bend Intl
Median home value
$143,100
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.0%, lower than in 61% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment grew 0.3% over the past year, to 13,238 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsLaPorte County, IN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$59,83326th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftLaPorte County, IN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$54,18713th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$4,3372024 ACS 5-Year$53,089Bottom 28%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,1542024 ACS 5-Year$29,810Bottom 36%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year18.9%Bottom 25%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.5 min2024 ACS 5-Year22.8 minTop 29%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year20.3%Top 50%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year79.0%56th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202613,238Bottom 9%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+0.8%Top 33%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+0.3%Top 29%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202613,7918th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year65.7%Bottom 19%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageMichigan City-La Porte, IN Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$54,410Bottom 5%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageMichigan City-La Porte, IN Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$45,540Bottom 8%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year1.1%85th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.9%Top 14%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.0%Top 39%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year8.1%52nd percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/077.93.2
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.0% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202453k47k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $53,089 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — Michigan City-La Porte, IN

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,520$28,250
Retail Salespersons1,460$29,840
Cashiers1,040$28,520
Home Health and Personal Care Aides930$35,170
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand870$37,820
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators850$41,060

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

37% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 41% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 14.4 students for every full-time teacher across 11 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
13
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
14.4
across 11 of them
Math proficiency
36.9%
Bottom 24% in Indiana
Reading proficiency
40.5%
Bottom 16% in Indiana
The 12 largest of 13 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Michigan City High SchoolMichigan City Area Schools1,50616.020%49%
Joy Elementary SchoolMichigan City Area Schools41614.355%44%
Knapp Elementary SchoolMichigan City Area Schools40715.761%49%
Pine Elementary SchoolMichigan City Area Schools39612.841%32%
Barker Middle SchoolMichigan City Area Schools39011.835%41%
Edgewood Elementary SchoolMichigan City Area Schools35015.937%32%
Lake Hills Elementary SchoolMichigan City Area Schools34514.447%32%
Martin T Krueger Middle SchoolMichigan City Area Schools32411.225%27%
Springfield Elementary SchoolMichigan City Area Schools31216.444%38%
Marsh Elementary SchoolMichigan City Area Schools29613.542%32%
Coolspring Elementary SchoolMichigan City Area Schools24913.852%37%
A K Smith Area Career CenterMichigan City Area Schools10.1——

68.9% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Indiana’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 8% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 92.0, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Michigan City-La Porte, IN Metro Area is up 55% over five years, and up 6.6% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,192 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.83% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,090, some 13% above the $967 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,090 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $43,600 a year, about 82% of the median household income here of $53,089.

The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $967 a month.

A median home at $143,100 costs 2.2 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $64,211, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Cost of living
92.0

Prices here run about 8% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Michigan City-La Porte, IN Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
29.4%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.2×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,090
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$967
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$143,100
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Michigan City’s median household income of $53,089, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Michigan City-La Porte, IN Metro Area’s figure202392.0Top 13%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Michigan City-La Porte, IN Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+6.6%96th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Michigan City-La Porte, IN Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+55.3%90th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Michigan City-La Porte, IN Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+114.1%81st percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year2.2Top 41%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year58.8%19th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±4562024 ACS 5-Year15,31296th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$900Top 14%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,370Top 11%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,090Top 13%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$342024 ACS 5-Year$967Top 50%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,7092024 ACS 5-Year$143,10035th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$542024 ACS 5-Year$1,19230th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$8,3522024 ACS 5-Year$64,211Bottom 29%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year0.83%40th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year29.4%Bottom 44%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1972024 ACS 5-Year79798th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year5.2%81st percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year9.8%63rd percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±3502024 ACS 5-Year2,30498th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

39/ 100
Ranks 3,098 of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been rising for the last 2 years of a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has fallen 2% since 2020, to 31,466 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 28 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

Federal tax returns show that people moving in from elsewhere in the US and people moving out roughly balanced across LaPorte County, which contains Michigan City, in the most recent year. Households that moved in reported an average income of $59,833, above the $54,187 of households that moved out.

At 0.9 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
28
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
0.9
Bottom 23% nationally
Year over year
−7%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202432k31k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been falling for the last 3 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.1%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
42%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$59,833
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$54,187
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Porter County, IN 791 people · 21% of arrivals
  2. Lake County, IN 418 people · 11% of arrivals
  3. St. Joseph County, IN 390 people · 10% of arrivals
  4. Cook County, IL 343 people · 8.9% of arrivals
  5. Berrien County, MI 156 people · 4.1% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Porter County, IN 744 people · 19% of departures
  2. St. Joseph County, IN 455 people · 12% of departures
  3. Lake County, IN 345 people · 8.7% of departures
  4. Cook County, IL 222 people · 5.6% of departures
  5. Berrien County, MI 162 people · 4.1% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for LaPorte County, IN. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

2020202120222023202420253625
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2020 (+7%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 85°F and January a low of 18°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 33.4 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 41, in the Good band, and about 2 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station VALPARAISO PORTER CO MUNI AP, 19.1 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND3.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year642024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals33.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals18°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals85°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year22024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year412024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals48°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
41
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
64
90th percentile index
Days above 100
2
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

91 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and tornado, with inland flooding alone responsible for 40% of it. Inland flooding and cold wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 90% of measured US cities.

TornadoModerate
HailModerate
Strong windModerate
EarthquakeModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, winter weather, inland flooding, lightning, landslide, ice storm, wildfire, coastal flooding, hurricane, drought, volcanic activity, tsunami, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
223
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
1,471
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Michigan City's police department reported 223 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,471.

LaPorte County records 9.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, higher than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 26.0 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 18.8 per 100,000 residents in LaPorte County.

Homicide
9.0
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
26.0
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
18.8
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
30.4
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Michigan City’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Michigan City (LaPorte County) rather than Michigan City itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest South Bend Intl at 28 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year86.7%Bottom 37%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle28 miBottom 30%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle5Top 45%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year9.2%Bottom 41%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
South Bend IntlSBN28 mi8,412 ft
Gary/Chicago IntlGYY29 mi8,859 ft
Chicago O'Hare IntlORD57 mi11,245 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
60
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Other cities in Michigan City-La Porte, IN

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
La PorteLaPorte County22,44967La Porte vs Michigan City

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Michigan City side by side with a similar place.

Michigan City vs St. JosephMichigan City vs Alliance

Moving to Michigan City from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Michigan City

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Michigan City with census figures of its own, largest first.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
4636043,817$59,266$167,30061