East Chicago, IN

Census Place

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

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.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in East Chicago, IN

Other (Hispanic)
9.56k ± 1.12k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
9.39k ± 888
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
3.09k ± 867

57.2%

Hispanic Population

14.9k people

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.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Indiana.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
111,417 ± 8,128 people
India
37,388 ± 4,734 people
Nigeria
18,164 ± 3,304 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Indiana was Mexico, the natal country of 111,417 Indiana residents, followed by India with 37,388 and Nigeria with 18,164.

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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
247 ± 127
Gulf War (1990s)
118 ± 84
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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for East Chicago, IN is from Indiana.

0.442

2024 Wage GINI in Indiana

0.445

2023 Wage GINI in Indiana

In 2024, the income inequality in Indiana was 0.442 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.807% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Indiana was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (75.3%)
Carpooled (15.8%)
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.

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.

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.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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