In Lake County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Lake County, 23.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 74% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lake County's score
In Lake County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.6. About one in four renters (25.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 79.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lake County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Lake County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.6%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($73,228, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.1% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202774th percentile
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- 79.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.7% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people419.3 · 202596th percentile
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- 72.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.3% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 68.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202670th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.4% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 42.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,228 · 202432nd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Lake County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Lake County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lake County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lake County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 24.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Lake County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 24.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.0% in 2011 to 15.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 12.4% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lake County, Indiana.
How Lake County has changed
Lake County's population fell 7% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 544,179 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lake County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Lake County had its largest rise in the last span, from 176,399 in 2020 to 191,579 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Lake County fell 9% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 199,240 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lake County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,185 | 2024 $73,228 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Lake County's history
1837
Lake County was established on February 16, 1837. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 546,253. The 2020 Census counted 498,700, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
1989
A thunderstorm in August 1989 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A rip current in August 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in September 2008 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in September 2008 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Steel industry employment declined from 60,000 to 18,000. Wikipedia
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Since 1977
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lake County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lake County beside its neighbors
Lake County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Indiana and Illinois. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lake County ranks 2nd of the seven; Kankakee County is highest, at 27.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, IN | 81 | 13.3% | 24.7% |
| Cook County, IL | 72 | 13.7% | 16.6% |
| Kankakee County, IL | 69 | 13.1% | 27.2% |
| Newton County, IN | 51 | 9.9% | 24.2% |
| Will County, IL | 41 | 7.7% | 14.1% |
| Porter County, IN | 33 | 8.5% | 18.6% |
| Jasper County, IN | 32 | 10.1% | 22.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Lake County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Lake County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 27th highest of 92 in Indiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Delaware County, at 20.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Lake County ranks 6th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lake County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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City of Gary Department of Community Development
HUD-approved housing counselor
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HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES, INC dba CoACTION
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Northwest Indiana Reinvestment Alliance
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Indiana Legal Services (ILS)
Legal aid
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Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Lake County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.