Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 39/100
D−
Median home value$211,400
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,282/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
Chicago 33%
Merrillville
Lake County36,476 residentsMerrillville Community School Corp
48
D+
Suburbgrade score
54th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.
48
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Merrillville yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 48 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 Merrillville is like to live in, by category
Bars show Merrillville against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 47/100
D
Within-state proficiency25th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio14.3
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate91%
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 86/100
A−
Housing cost index73
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate0.94%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax7.00%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 35/100
F
Mean commute32.1 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes55%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi1.6
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 57/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés53
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks5
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 30/100
F
Median household income$67,587
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment7.5%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations29%
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 Merrillville 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 Merrillville on employment & income
Merrillville's weakest grade is F. Five suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Crown Point5 mi from MerrillvilleC 61 C Schererville7 mi from MerrillvilleD+ 59 C Valparaiso14 mi from MerrillvilleD+ 66 C+ Hobart4 mi from MerrillvilleD+ 49 D+ Portage11 mi from MerrillvilleF 47 D Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Merrillville
Is Merrillville, IN a good place to live?
Merrillville scores 48 out of 100, 54th 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 Merrillville expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades A−. The median home is $211,400, 35% below the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.94%. $1,282/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Merrillville?
Schools grade D. The districts serving Merrillville sit at the 25th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 91% graduation rate and a 14.3 student–teacher ratio. Merrillville is served by Merrillville Community School Corp. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Merrillville?
The mean commute is 32.1 min, with 55% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 7.3% working from home. Transit density is 1.6 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Merrillville?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 53 restaurants and cafés and 5 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Merrillville old or new?
The median home in Merrillville was built in 1979 — newer 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. 70% 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.