Lake County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lake County, IN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Indiana
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C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 78% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lake County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 498,291 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 795.8 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.17% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.5 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 194,581 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lake County grew by 1.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 498,291 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lake County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 20.8% of residents. That is 0.4 points below Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 102,639 20.6% -1.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 103,732 20.8% -0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 102,901 20.7% +1.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 87,297 17.5% +0.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Indiana, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.4% of the people living in Lake County and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 48.6% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lake County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lake County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Lake County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $71,540 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.35% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lake County is about 1% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Lake County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $107,473 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,132 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.7% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lake County is about 7.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,132 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lake County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 198 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lake County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.7 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.4 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 198 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,126 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,180 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,722 | 1,308 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Indiana:
Knox County (15.8 min), Howard County (15.9 min), Daviess County (16.3 min).
Slowest:
Crawford County (33.6 min), Brown County (32.6 min), Franklin County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Lake County is 24 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Indiana.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Lake County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Lake County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.7% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.53 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.4), Boone County (0.4), Monroe County (0.3).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.1), Crawford County (0.2), Switzerland County (0.2).
Health
Lake County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Lake County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.6% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.8% | 22.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.8), Monroe County (0.8), Boone County (0.8).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.8), Daviess County (0.8), Switzerland County (0.8).
Lake County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Lake County, IN is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 498,291 residents against a local median of 140,716. Where Lake County, IN breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 55% below the local median of $238,990 at $107,473.
The counties themselves spread $143,165 on median home price, so Lake County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lake County, IN has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, IN | 498,291 | $71,540 #5/5 | $107,473 #5/5 | 23.7 min #2/5 |
| Porter County, IN | 174,798 | $86,949 | $279,292 | 25.2 min |
| Cook County, IL | 5,180,889 | $84,208 | $248,814 | 30.6 min |
| Jasper County, IN | 33,234 | $77,979 | $229,166 | 26.2 min |
| Kankakee County, IL | 106,635 | $72,136 | $136,128 | 20.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lake County, Indiana.
What is the population of Lake County, Indiana?
About 498,291 people live in Lake County, Indiana, in 194,581 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 38.5, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Lake County, Indiana urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Lake County, Indiana has 796 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 9.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Lake County, Indiana?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($107,473 against $71,540), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,132 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Lake County, Indiana?
22.7% of adults in Lake County, Indiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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