Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
East Chicago grades D overall, 580th among Indiana's 585 graded towns, mostly because of health and schools. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its public schools trail 90% of Indiana towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: homes are within reach, about $130K for a typical one, or 1.4 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in East Chicago, above both the Indiana town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 6 of Indiana’s 95 towns score lower on safety. East Chicago's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns.
Where East Chicago beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Marktown Historic District| Widest gap | East Chicago | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 39.5% | 14.7% |
29,698 counted in 2010 and 26,370 in 2020; an estimated 25,610 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far East Chicago is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 88% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 2%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,255 in 1890, a peak of 57,669 in 1960, 26,370 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1894 and 5 maps from 1900 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Chicago. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw12 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw18 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearSoldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in East Chicago, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in East Chicago.
East Chicago draws workers from Hammond and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has poverty well above the Indiana rate.
11 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. East Chicago’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is DuPont Natural Area, at 186 acres.
| East Chicago | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Washington Park | 1 mi | 18 |
| 2. Tod Park | 0.9 mi | 14 |
| 3. Kościuszko Park | 0.8 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
36% of adults say their health is fair or poor in East Chicago. Among 589 Indiana towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than East Chicago. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in East Chicago.
| East Chicago | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 21% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 26% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | East Chicago | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.9% | 8.3% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 19% | 25.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 39.5% | 14.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
13,495 jobs are based in East Chicago, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 22% of working residents cross a state line to work, Chicago among the top destinations.
The median household income in East Chicago is $42,000. Jobs based in East Chicago fell to 13,495 in 2023, 5,576 fewer than in 2013. The average trip to work in East Chicago is 21 minutes.
| East Chicago | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 4.6% | 7.8% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 785 to 466 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Among 107 Indiana towns, just 6 have a higher violent crime rate than East Chicago.
| East Chicago | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.5 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 1.4 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $130K) costs less against local pay than in 99% of Indiana towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Values fell 3.7% in the past year while the Indiana typical home rose 3%.
43% of East Chicago households own their home. The typical East Chicago home is worth about $130,000, 50% below the Indiana typical home.
| East Chicago | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $854 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
East Chicago has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 19° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in East Chicago.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
16 within 15 miles of the center of East Chicago
About 4 of every 100 East Chicago residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Where East Chicago’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in East Chicago on the National Register of Historic Places.
41 notable people were born in East Chicago.
City in Indiana, United States
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 26,370 at the 2020 census. Centered around heavy industry, the city is home to the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, an artificial freshwater harbor characterized by industrial and manufacturing activity. Situated along Lake Michigan, East Chicago is about 18 miles (29 km) from downtown Chicago and is just west of Gary, Indiana.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with East Chicago.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Chicago | #580 | D | A | D | D | D− |
| North Township | #504 | C | A− | — | C− | D |
| Hammond | #575 | D | A− | D | C− | D |
| Whiting | #455 | C+ | A− | C− | B | D |
| Gary | #585 | D− | A− | D− | D− | D− |
| Calumet Township | #573 | D | A− | — | D− | D− |
North Township and Calumet Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare East Chicago with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
East Chicago grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #580 of 585 in Indiana. It grades D− for health, D for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
41 notable people were born here, including Gregg Popovich and Betsy Palmer.
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