Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 39/100
D−
Median home value$215,200
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,206/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households32%
Chicago 33%
Hobart
Lake County29,558 residents2 school districts
49
D+
Suburbgrade score
53rd of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by amenities.
49
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Hobart yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 49 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 Hobart is like to live in, by category
Bars show Hobart against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 49/100
D+
Within-state proficiency44th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio18.6
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate89%
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 78/100
B+
Housing cost index72
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate1.05%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax7.00%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 44/100
D
Mean commute26.5 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes60%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi0.1
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 36/100
F
Restaurants & cafés8
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries0
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks24
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 48/100
D+
Median household income$75,160
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment4.3%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations31%
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 Hobart 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 Hobart on amenities
Hobart's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Valparaiso12 mi from HobartB+ 66 C+ Gary6 mi from HobartB− 37 F Calumet City15 mi from HobartC+ 37 F Hammond13 mi from HobartC 45 D Merrillville4 mi from HobartC− 48 D+ Crown Point8 mi from HobartC− 61 C Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Hobart
Is Hobart, IN a good place to live?
Hobart scores 49 out of 100, 53rd of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Hobart expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $215,200, 33% below the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.05%. $1,206/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Hobart?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Hobart sit at the 44th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 89% graduation rate and a 18.6 student–teacher ratio. Hobart is served by School City of Hobart and Merrillville Community School Corp. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Hobart?
The mean commute is 26.5 min, with 60% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 3.9% working from home. Transit density is 0.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Hobart?
Within two miles there are 0 groceries, 8 restaurants and cafés and 24 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Hobart old or new?
The median home in Hobart was built in 1971 — close to 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. 78% 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.