East Chicago, IN

Census Place

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2024 Population
26,022
US Senator
Todd Young
Republican Party
US Senator
Jim Banks
Republican Party
2024 Poverty Rate
26.3%
2.72% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$42,125
2.57% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$105,400
14.1% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
10,737
2.36% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in East Chicago, IN reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

89.3% of the residents in East Chicago, IN are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in East Chicago, IN was $105,400, and the homeownership rate was 42.9%.

Most people in East Chicago, IN drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.8 minutes. The average car ownership in East Chicago, IN was 2 cars per household.

United StatesIndianaLake County, INChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WILake County (Northwest)--Hammond & East Chicago Cities PUMA, INLake County (Northeast)--Gary City & Griffith Town PUMA, IN

Population & Diversity

East Chicago, IN is home to a population of 26k people, from which 89.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 16.4% of East Chicago, IN residents were born outside of the country (4.27k people).

In 2024, there were 1.02 times more Other (Hispanic) residents (9.56k people) in East Chicago, IN than any other race or ethnicity. There were 9.39k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.09k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.3%
2024 Citizenship
89.2%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.3% of East Chicago, IN residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in East Chicago, IN was 89.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in East Chicago, IN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in East Chicago, IN
  1. Other (Hispanic)
    9.56k ± 1.12k
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    9.39k ± 888
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    3.09k ± 867
57.2%
Hispanic Population
14.9k people

In 2024, there were 1.02 times more Other (Hispanic) residents (9.56k people) in East Chicago, IN than any other race or ethnicity. There were 9.39k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.09k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

57.2% of the people in East Chicago, IN are hispanic (14.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in East Chicago, IN as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Indiana.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    108,287 ± 8,015 people
  2. India
    34,966 ± 4,579 people
  3. China
    17,771 ± 3,269 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Indiana was Mexico, the natal country of 108,287 Indiana residents, followed by India with 34,966 and China with 17,771.

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Foreign-Born Population

16.4%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
4.27k people
16.2%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
4.23k people

As of 2024, 16.4% of East Chicago, IN residents (4.27k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in East Chicago, IN was 16.2%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in East Chicago, IN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    247 ± 127
  2. Gulf War (1990s)
    118 ± 84
  3. Korea
    72 ± 91

East Chicago, IN has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.09 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in East Chicago, IN.

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Economy

The economy of East Chicago, IN employs 10.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in East Chicago, IN were Manufacturing (1,856 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,416 people), and Retail Trade (1,328 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($69,554), Utilities ($55,000), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($54,038).

Employment

Occupations

10.7k
2024 Value
± 863
2.36%
1 Year growth
± 11%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in East Chicago, IN grew at a rate of 2.36%, from 10.5k employees to 10.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in East Chicago, IN, are Production Occupations (1,443 people), Material Moving Occupations (1,192 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,174 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of East Chicago, IN.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Indiana.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Indiana (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

10.7k
2024 Value
± 863
2.36%
1 Year growth
± 11%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in East Chicago, IN grew at a rate of 2.36%, from 10.5k employees to 10.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in East Chicago, IN, are Manufacturing (1,856 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,416 people), and Retail Trade (1,328 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of East Chicago, IN, though some of these residents may live in East Chicago, IN and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$40,969
Median earning men ± $1,633
$32,860
Median earning women ± $2,210

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($83,144), Wholesale Trade ($76,429), and Manufacturing ($56,271).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($50,443), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($40,063), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($35,536).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Indiana.
Y-Axis
2.48%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 3.21M people employed in Indiana. This represents a 2.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 15.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Indiana.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Indiana went to Donald J. Trump with 58.8% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (39.8%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1%).

Todd Young and Jim Banks are the senators currently representing the state of Indiana. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Indiana is currently represented by 9 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for East Chicago, IN. Showing the available data for Indiana.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (58.8%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (39.8%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Indiana went to Donald J. Trump with 58.8% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (39.8%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Indiana for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Indiana

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Indiana.
Todd Young
Senator from Indiana3
Assumed office on January 3, 2017
Jim Banks
Senator from Indiana1
Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Todd Young and Jim Banks are the senators currently representing Indiana.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Indiana over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in East Chicago, IN was $105,400 in 2024, which is 0.317 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $92,400 to $105,400, a 14.1% increase. The homeownership rate in East Chicago, IN is 42.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in East Chicago, IN have an average commute time of 20.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in East Chicago, IN is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$105,400
Median Property Value 2024
±$9,759
$4,269
Median Property Taxes
±$489

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In East Chicago, IN the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in East Chicago, IN compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

42.9%
Homeownership
2024
61.7%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 42.9% of the housing units in East Chicago, IN were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 44.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in East Chicago, IN compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$42,125
Median Household Income
± $2,976
9.94k
Number of Households
± 834

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.94k households in East Chicago, IN grew to $42,125 from the previous year's value of $41,071.

The following chart displays the households in East Chicago, IN distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for East Chicago, IN is from Indiana.
0.445
2023 Wage GINI in Indiana
0.448
2022 Wage GINI in Indiana

In 2023, the income inequality in Indiana was 0.445 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.529% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Indiana was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Indiana in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Indiana across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (75.3%)
  2. Carpooled (15.8%)
  3. Worked At Home (4.58%)

In 2024, 75.3% of workers in East Chicago, IN drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (15.8%) and those who worked at home (4.58%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

20.8 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in East Chicago, IN have a shorter commute time (20.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.361% of the workforce in East Chicago, IN have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in East Chicago, IN compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in East Chicago, IN distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in East Chicago, IN have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

26.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in East Chicago, IN (6.8k out of 25.9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 45 - 54 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in East Chicago, IN is Hispanic, followed by Black and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

88.1% of the population of East Chicago, IN has health coverage, with 28.5% on employee plans, 38.8% on Medicaid, 9.96% on Medicare, 9.5% on non-group plans, and 1.27% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Indiana see 1,524 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,524 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1681 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 474 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.9% under 18 years, 20.9% between 18 and 34 years, 38.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

11.9%
Uninsured
28.5%
Employer Coverage
38.8%
Medicaid
9.96%
Medicare
9.5%
Non-Group
1.27%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in East Chicago, IN grew by 7.3% from 11.1% to 11.9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in East Chicago, IN changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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