South Bend, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
South Bend, 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 average
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | South Bend | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 100,340 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2370.7 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.24% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.5 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 39,724 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in South Bend grew by 0.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 100,340 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in South Bend is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.4% of residents. That is 2.2 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 24,472 24.4% +2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 21,900 21.8% +0.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 17,915 17.9% -1.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 14,057 14.0% -2.7 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 52.1% of the people living in South Bend and men 47.9%.
- Women 52.1% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 47.9% Indiana 49.6%
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100% of everyone living in South Bend
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Economy
South Bend has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | South Bend | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,382 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.48% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in South Bend is about 22% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | South Bend | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $83,429 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,045 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 61.4% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in South Bend is about 6.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,045 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in South Bend spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 146 hours, about 6.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | South Bend | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.5 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.0 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 146 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,522 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.2% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,664 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,254 | 1,308 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in South Bend is 18 minutes, shorter 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
South Bend has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | South Bend | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26.5% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Health
South Bend has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | South Bend | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.6 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.6% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.7% | 22.4% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about South Bend, Indiana.
What is the population of South Bend, Indiana?
About 100,340 people live in South Bend, Indiana, in 39,724 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 33.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is South Bend, Indiana urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, South Bend, Indiana has 2,371 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 27 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in South Bend, Indiana?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($83,429 against $56,382), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,045 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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