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 median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is higher than in 74% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% 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 combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Lake County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 80.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202774th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.1% · 2020 to 202486th 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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- 76.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.7% · Q4 202574th percentile
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- 68.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.4% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202670th percentile
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- 42.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,228 · 202432nd percentile
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Lake County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lake County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lake County in 2024, pay from work was 61 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 25 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Lake County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 25 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Lake County, Indiana: 24.7% and 60.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 24.7% of all personal income in Lake County, Indiana (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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.
How Lake County has changed
The number of people living in Lake County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 543,707 to 502,955. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.2% in 1990 to 5.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 543,707 | 2024 502,955 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 193,594 | 2024 191,633 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $28,185 | 2024 $73,228 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.9% | 2024 24.7% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Lake County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1837
Lake County was established on February 16, 1837. Wikipedia
1989
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Rip current: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flood: $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 82 | 13.3% | 24.7% |
| Cook County, IL | 73 | 13.7% | 16.6% |
| Kankakee County, IL | 69 | 13.1% | 27.2% |
| Newton County, IN | 50 | 9.9% | 24.2% |
| Will County, IL | 43 | 7.7% | 14.1% |
| Porter County, IN | 35 | 8.5% | 18.6% |
| Jasper County, IN | 34 | 10.1% | 22.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 5th of 92 in the state.
Lake County in photographs
Places in Lake County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Old (1895) barn somewhere in Lake County, Indiana.
Lake County, Indiana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Lake County, Indiana?
13.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 19.5%.
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 5th of 92 in the state.
What is the population of Lake County, Indiana?
About 502,955 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 498,700, 91% of the county's peak of 546,253 in 1970.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lake County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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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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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- 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.