Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Highland gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $267K for a typical one, or 2.9 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. It grades A− overall, 155th among Indiana's 585 graded towns. On the plus side, it has 8 miles of trail. Highland’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, above both the Indiana town median (0.2) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 67 of Indiana’s 1,097 towns score higher on walkability. Ibach House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Highland beats most towns.
11.8% of the town is conserved land, across 24 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Highland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 304 in 1910, 23,984 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1836 and 5 maps from 1900 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Highland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw18 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
in town National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaUnited CenterSoldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Highland, 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 Highland.
Highland sends many workers across the state line to Chicago, is one of Indiana’s best towns for the outdoors and looks healthier within Indiana than nationally.
Its A for the outdoors ranks #4 of 593 in Indiana.
8.2 miles of trail in 24 parks and preserves. Wicker Memorial Park, at 216 acres with 6.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wicker Memorial Park | 6.4 mi | 216 |
| 2. Carlson Oxbow Park | 0.5 mi | 18 |
| 3. Homestead Park | 0.3 mi | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Highland has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
30% of working residents cross a state line to work, Chicago among the top destinations. Highland has about as many jobs (9,298) as working residents, but only 1,131 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Highland for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Highland grew to 9,298 in 2023, 1,004 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Hammond (9%), Chicago (9%) and Munster (7%).
| Highland | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.5% | 7.8% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 19% of residents (23% statewide). At 44.6 years, Highland’s median age is against 39.4 years in Indiana’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. Highland has lost 2.4% of its people since 2020, down to 23,409 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Highland | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 44.6 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 22% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.6 points). Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 45.3, men 43.7.
| Highland | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.2% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.1% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.5% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.4% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.8% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 23% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.6% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.2% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
638 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 26 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 638 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Highland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Indiana it is healthier than 79% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures.
21% of Highland adults have been diagnosed with depression. Highland beats the Indiana average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 36% of Highland adults have obesity.
| Highland | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 26% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Highland | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.9% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 20.9% | 25.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Highland home is worth about $267,000, up 2% in a year, close to the Indiana typical home. The median rent in Highland is $1,230 a month.
| Highland | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,230 a month | $946 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Highland
About 4 of every 100 Highland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
3 notable people were born in Highland.
Town in Indiana, United States
Highland is a town in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 23,984 at the 2020 census. The town was incorporated on April 4, 1910. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and North Township, and is surrounded by Hammond to the north, Munster to the west, Schererville to the south and Griffith to the east.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Highland.
Munster next door grades higher for schools (A+ to Highland’s B+) and lower for cost of living (C+ to B+).
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland | #155 | A− | B+ | B− | B+ | B |
| Hammond | #575 | D | A− | D | C− | D |
| Calumet Township | #573 | D | A− | — | D− | D− |
| North Township | #504 | C | A− | — | C− | D |
| Griffith | #60 | A | A− | B | A− | B− |
| Munster | #44 | A | C+ | B+ | A+ | A− |
| Gary | #585 | D− | A− | D− | D− | D− |
Calumet Township and North Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Highland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Highland grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #155 of 585 in Indiana. It grades B for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools.
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 B+.
3 notable people were born here, including Georgette Mosbacher and Debbie Patton.
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