Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 42/100
D−
Median home value$224,200
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,231/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households30%
Chicago 33%
Portage
Porter County38,082 residentsPortage Township Schools
47
D
Suburbgrade score
56th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.
47
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Portage yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 47 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 Portage is like to live in, by category
Bars show Portage against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 49/100
D+
Within-state proficiency33rd pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio16.2
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate91%
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 79/100
B+
Housing cost index74
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate0.78%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax7.00%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 40/100
D−
Mean commute27.3 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes54%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi0.1
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 36/100
F
Restaurants & cafés19
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries1
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks12
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 36/100
F
Median household income$76,276
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment7.4%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations33%
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 Portage 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 Portage on employment & income
Portage's weakest grade is F. Four suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Crown Point15 mi from PortageC 61 C Schererville15 mi from PortageD+ 59 C Valparaiso10 mi from PortageD+ 66 C+ Hobart7 mi from PortageD+ 49 D+ Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Portage
Is Portage, IN a good place to live?
Portage scores 47 out of 100, 56th 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 Portage expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $224,200, 31% below the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.78%. $1,231/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Portage?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Portage sit at the 33rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 91% graduation rate and a 16.2 student–teacher ratio. Portage is served by Portage Township Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Portage?
The mean commute is 27.3 min, with 54% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 5.5% working from home. Transit density is 0.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Portage?
Within two miles there are 1 groceries, 19 restaurants and cafés and 12 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Portage old or new?
The median home in Portage was built in 1981 — 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. 75% 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.