Porter County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Porter 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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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 95% of counties in Indiana
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 91% of counties in Indiana
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 86% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Porter County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 174,798 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 335.2 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.56% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.2 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 68,559 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Porter County grew by 9.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 174,798 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Porter County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.3% of residents. That is 0.1 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 36,273 20.8% -1.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 37,254 21.3% +0.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 36,829 21.1% +1.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 31,160 17.8% +1.1 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 50.4% of the people living in Porter County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 49.6% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Porter County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Porter County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Porter County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $86,949 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.67% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Porter County is about 21% higher than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Porter County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $279,292 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,218 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.7% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Porter County is about 19.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,218 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Porter County spend about 50 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 210 hours, about 8.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Porter County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.2 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 50.5 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 210 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,518 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.5% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,428 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,665 | 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 Porter County is 25 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
Porter County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Porter County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.7% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 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
Porter County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Porter County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.7 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.5% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.9% | 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).
Porter County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Porter County, IN is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 174,798 residents against a local median of 72,575. Where Porter County, IN breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 33% above the local median of $209,550 at $279,292.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $86,949 against a local median of $70,981, 22% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 22% above the local median it puts Porter County, IN at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $121,693 on median home price, so Porter County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Porter County, IN has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porter County, IN | 174,798 | $86,949 #1/5 | $279,292 #1/5 | 25.2 min #3/5 |
| Lake County, IN | 498,291 | $71,540 | $107,473 | 23.7 min |
| LaPorte County, IN | 111,917 | $70,422 | $205,529 | 21.0 min |
| Starke County, IN | 23,365 | $63,863 | $213,571 | 25.3 min |
| Jasper County, IN | 33,234 | $77,979 | $229,166 | 26.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Porter County, Indiana.
How many people live in Porter County, Indiana?
About 174,798 people live in Porter County, Indiana, in 68,559 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Porter County, Indiana?
Averaged over its land area, Porter County, Indiana has 335 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Porter County, Indiana?
The median home costs 3.2 times the median household income ($279,292 against $86,949), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,218 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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