Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 13/100
F
Median home value$94,700
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,012/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households43%
Chicago 33%
Gary
Lake County68,113 residents2 school districts
37
F
Suburbgrade score
59th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.
37
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Gary yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 37 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Gary is like to live in, by category
Bars show Gary against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 21/100
F
Within-state proficiency3rd pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio16.9
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate70%
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 78/100
B+
Housing cost index62
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate0.83%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax7.00%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 53/100
C−
Mean commute25.9 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes63%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi3.2
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 68/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés32
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks83
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 3/100
F
Median household income$38,731
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment11%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations25%
Chicago 45%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Gary yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Gary on employment & income
Gary's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Crown Point13 mi from GaryC 61 C Tinley Park24 mi from GaryC− 55 C− Schererville9 mi from GaryD+ 59 C Valparaiso17 mi from GaryD+ 66 C+ Hobart6 mi from GaryD+ 49 D+ Oak Lawn23 mi from GaryD+ 55 C− Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Gary
Is Gary, IN a good place to live?
Gary scores 37 out of 100, 59th of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Gary expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $94,700, 71% below the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.83%. $1,012/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Gary?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Gary sit at the 3rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 70% graduation rate and a 16.9 student–teacher ratio. Gary is served by Gary Community School Corp and Lake Ridge Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Gary?
The mean commute is 25.9 min, with 63% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 6.6% working from home. Transit density is 3.2 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Gary?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 32 restaurants and cafés and 83 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Gary old or new?
The median home in Gary was built in 1957 — older than the Chicago median of 1971. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 77% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.