20030525 23 CSS near, 2003
Ogden Dunes’s story
Ogden Dunes in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2003.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Ogden DunesIN
A town of 1,163.
Population
1,163
2025 Census estimate · −1.4% since 2020
Typical home
$478K
+0.4% in a year
Household income
$117K
median
Median age
51.9
years
Jobs based here
45
A commuter town
Is Ogden Dunes a good place to live?
The best of Ogden Dunes’ subject grades are an A+ for incomes and an A− for health and walkability; the weakest is a C− for cost of living. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ogden Dunes, above both the Indiana town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 13 of Indiana’s 1,096 towns score higher on incomes. Ogden Dunes’ trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, against 0.2 in Indiana’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Only 1 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns score higher on the outdoors. Ogden Dunes's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 88% of U.S. towns. Ogden Dunes has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ogden Dunes stand out
Where Ogden Dunes beats most towns.
32 measures vs. Indiana
22 better6 too close to call4 worse
| Widest gap | Ogden Dunes | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.4% | 15.4% |
HealthA−
Healthier than 83% of U.S. towns
Beats IN on 22 of 32 CDC measures, trails it on 4
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 79% of U.S. towns
2% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Small town
1,163 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
PortageOgden Dunes
How Ogden Dunes grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Ogden Dunes is from typical.
Jobs & income$117K median household income; 45 jobs based hereA+Open →HealthSt. Mary Medical Center 8.6 miles awayA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 10.7 of 20; 1.2% of households have no carA−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $478K, 5.3 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household incomeC−Open →SchoolsBehind 59% of Indiana districts on tests and graduationC+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 12% conserved landA+Open →History1 place on the National Register; 1 notable person born hereBOpen →Civic life0.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 82° summer afternoons, 40″ of snow–Open →Housing market$478K typical home, up 0.4% in a year; 220 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 51.9–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 162 attractions →Soldier Field and 131 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ogden Dunes. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw23 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
in town National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaUnited CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Soldier 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
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ogden Dunes: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ogden Dunes, and how to reach them.
PowerNIPSCO22.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOgden Dunes Water1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ogden Dunes’ trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Indiana you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePorter County Board of Elections & RegistrationPorter County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2026
ZIP code4636846368 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ogden Dunes.
HousingCost of living grade C−
Compared with most of Indiana and the rest of the country, more of Ogden Dunes’ households own their home
99% of Ogden Dunes households own their home. The typical Ogden Dunes home is worth about $478,000, about the same as a year ago, 86% above the Indiana typical home.
$478KZillow home value
Typical home value
Ogden Dunes$478K
Indiana$257K
Market temperature
220
days on market
91.4%
sale-to-list price
+0.4%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthA−
Fewer of Ogden Dunes’ adults report frequent mental distress than in the typical Indiana or U.S. town
11% of adults report frequent mental distress in Ogden Dunes. No town among the 590 in Indiana we compare has a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Ogden Dunes. 14% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Ogden Dunes.
83%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Ogden Dunes | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 17% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 80% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
22 better6 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Ogden Dunes | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.4% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.4% | 14.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.6% | 8.3% |
St. Mary Medical Center
8.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Most of Ogden Dunes’ workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Ogden Dunes for work: only 5% work in town. Ogden Dunes’ average trip to work is 37 minutes. The top destinations are Portage (8%), Merrillville (7%) and Valparaiso (6%).
5%work in town
| Ogden Dunes | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $117,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 11% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ogden Dunes5%
Portage8%
Merrillville7%
Valparaiso6%
Hammond6%
15 mi
median commute distance
45
jobs based in Ogden Dunes
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Ogden Dunes has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Ogden Dunes has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 6 of the 594 Indiana towns we compare have a lower July high than Ogden Dunes.
40″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–36°
Spring39–58°
Summer62–81°
Fall45–62°
Oct 27
typical first frost
Apr 22
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsA+
Conserved land covers 11.7% of Ogden Dunes
2.0 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Indiana Dunes National Park, 142 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
11.7%conserved
11.7%
conserved · 111 of 942 acres
2.0 mi
of trails · 1.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Indiana Dunes National Park | 1.2 mi | 142 |
| 2. Hillcrest Park | — | 8 |
| 3. Suerenity Park (Horsethieves' Hollow) | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Ogden Dunes faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities.
50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ogden Dunes
19pages on Ogden Dunes
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Ogden Dunes
Indiana University-NorthwestUniversity or college · Public · Gary9 mi$8,424 in-state tuitionValparaiso UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Valparaiso13.9 mi$48,450 tuitionPurdue University NorthwestUniversity or college · Public · Hammond14.9 mi$8,675 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Ogden Dunes residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Ogden Dunes for work
Where Ogden Dunes’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
45jobs based in Ogden Dunes
5%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Ogden Dunes
Town in Indiana, United States
Ogden Dunes is a town in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan, within Indiana Dunes National Park and nearly surrounded by the city of Portage. The population was 1,168 as of the 2020 census. It is named for multi-millionaire Francis A. Ogden, who owned the land there before his death in 1914. His main interest in the land where the dunes are was the sand which could be scooped up and sold, with more sand being replenished naturally over time. Many residents of Ogden Dunes helped preserve parts of the Indiana Dunes. The town is the site of the Portage / Ogden Dunes station, which is served by South Shore Line passenger trains t…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 610 ft
- Area code
- 219
Questions about Ogden Dunes
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ogden Dunes, IN expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.