The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Lake County is a county of Indiana with 500,379 residents. Its economy produced $31,242 million in 2024 (ranked #3 of 92 counties) and had 191,633 jobs with an average annual pay of $61,200 (#10 for pay). The unemployment rate was 4.7% in 2026M09. It is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan area (central county).
Lake County produced about $31,242 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 6.0% of the combined output of the 92 counties of Indiana that BEA reports (about 7.3% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 3rd of 92 on that measure. Per resident that is $62,437, 18% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $75,830. In current dollars output grew 3.3% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (3rd) and its output-per-resident rank (32nd) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 191,633 jobs located in Lake County on average in 2024, spread over 11,872 employer sites (about 16 jobs per site). That is 0.38 jobs for every resident, above the 0.36 of the typical county in Indiana, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $61,200, about the same as the average of all counties in the state ($61,200 against $61,598). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 1.2% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (20.6% of private jobs, $62,062 a year on average), retail trade (14.1% of private jobs, $36,314 a year on average), manufacturing (13.9% of private jobs, $107,985 a year on average). Together they hold 48.6% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is manufacturing at $107,985 a year, followed by construction ($86,002). The county is specialised in an industry: manufacturing (1.4 times the US share, 22,497 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($36,314), accommodation and food services ($24,050). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Lake County was 4.7%, 29% above the average of the state's counties (4.7% against 3.7%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 243,748. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 4.0% (2025M12) to 5.4% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $71,493 (ACS 2020–2024), about the same as the state median ($71,493 against $71,957). The guide covers 15 cities with this as the main county: Hammond, Gary, Merrillville, Crown Point, Schererville, Hobart, East Chicago, Munster. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $854 in East Chicago to $1,507 in Munster, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Lake County in output are Marion County, Hamilton County, Allen County, Elkhart County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 92 counties of Indiana ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 500,379 | 2 of 92 |
| GDP 2024 | $31,242 million | 3 of 92 |
| GDP per resident | $62,437 | 32 of 92 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 191,633 | 3 of 92 |
| Average annual pay | $61,200 | 10 of 92 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +1.2% | 36 of 92 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 4.7% | 92 of 92 |
| Median household income | $71,493 | 34 of 92 |
Federal jobs in Indiana (770) →All cities of IndianaState guide: Indiana
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Lake County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hammond | 76,768 | $55,504 | $1,134 | $159,900 | 17.4% |
| Gary | 68,113 | $38,731 | $1,012 | $94,700 | 14.8% |
| Merrillville | 36,476 | $67,587 | $1,282 | $211,400 | 26.1% |
| Crown Point | 34,393 | $101,686 | $1,485 | $294,800 | 34.6% |
| Schererville | 29,701 | $89,466 | $1,310 | $314,900 | 34.4% |
| Hobart | 29,558 | $75,160 | $1,206 | $215,200 | 21.2% |
| East Chicago | 26,022 | $42,125 | $854 | $105,400 | 10.7% |
| Munster | 23,733 | $110,187 | $1,507 | $334,300 | 49.9% |
| Highland | 23,680 | $78,062 | $1,230 | $233,300 | 29.6% |
| St. John | 22,567 | $131,467 | $989 | $406,300 | 43.7% |
| Dyer | 16,400 | $107,159 | $1,225 | $322,200 | 38.5% |
| Griffith | 16,273 | $76,636 | $1,235 | $210,100 | 27.9% |
| Cedar Lake | 15,295 | $83,381 | $1,350 | $282,000 | 27.4% |
| Lake Station | 13,185 | $59,591 | $1,124 | $137,400 | 7.4% |
| Lowell | 11,073 | $84,024 | $1,123 | $248,000 | 24.2% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 33,182 | 20.6% | $62,062 | 1.21 |
| Retail trade | 22,724 | 14.1% | $36,314 | 1.19 |
| Manufacturing | 22,497 | 13.9% | $107,985 | 1.43 |
| Accommodation and food services | 20,825 | 12.9% | $24,050 | 1.20 |
| Construction | 11,594 | 7.2% | $86,002 | 1.15 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 9,299 | 5.8% | $62,463 | 1.15 |
| Administrative and waste services | 8,986 | 5.6% | $52,483 | 0.80 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 8,046 | 5.0% | $44,112 | 1.39 |
| Professional and technical services | 7,851 | 4.9% | $72,349 | 0.59 |
| Finance and insurance | 4,573 | 2.8% | $78,381 | 0.59 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 3,368 | 2.1% | $32,018 | 1.05 |
| Educational services | 3,009 | 1.9% | $42,519 | 0.76 |
| Management of companies | 2,328 | 1.4% | $104,196 | 0.72 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,796 | 1.1% | $59,105 | 0.60 |
| Information | 901 | 0.6% | $75,020 | 0.25 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 260 | 0.2% | $33,996 | 0.17 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 75 | 0.0% | $98,760 | 0.10 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 243,748 |
| Employed residents | 232,337 |
| Unemployed residents | 11,411 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 191,633 |
| Employer sites | 11,872 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County | 975,809 | $135,593 million | $138,954 | 625,533 | $76,163 | 3.7% |
| Lake County | 500,379 | $31,242 million | $62,437 | 191,633 | $61,200 | 4.7% |
| Allen County | 392,378 | $29,087 million | $74,129 | 197,885 | $60,129 | 3.4% |
| Hamilton County | 365,056 | $31,641 million | $86,674 | 163,937 | $74,787 | 3.1% |
| Saint Joseph County | 273,040 | $19,493 million | $71,394 | 121,043 | $59,303 | 4.0% |
| Elkhart County | 207,132 | $20,586 million | $99,387 | 127,100 | $62,117 | 3.8% |
| Tippecanoe County | 189,071 | $13,689 million | $72,400 | 92,794 | $61,152 | 3.5% |
| Hendricks County | 183,344 | $10,412 million | $56,790 | 81,164 | $53,449 | 3.1% |
| Vanderburgh County | 180,117 | $15,629 million | $86,770 | 107,139 | $57,061 | 3.7% |
| Porter County | 174,818 | $9,875 million | $56,489 | 63,768 | $58,217 | 3.9% |
| Johnson County | 166,315 | $8,253 million | $49,621 | 65,487 | $50,444 | 3.2% |
| Monroe County | 140,965 | $9,347 million | $66,308 | 67,215 | $58,879 | 3.7% |
| Madison County | 131,900 | $5,526 million | $41,893 | 40,192 | $49,965 | 3.7% |
| Clark County | 124,354 | $8,559 million | $68,827 | 59,223 | $56,578 | 3.7% |
| Delaware County | 112,280 | $5,403 million | $48,122 | 44,772 | $51,307 | 4.2% |
| LaPorte County | 111,917 | $5,780 million | $51,641 | 40,632 | $52,978 | 3.9% |
| Vigo County | 106,109 | $6,571 million | $61,923 | 46,144 | $53,152 | 3.9% |
| Hancock County | 84,037 | $4,922 million | $58,569 | 29,049 | $56,651 | 3.2% |
| Howard County | 83,752 | $5,497 million | $65,638 | 35,758 | $62,420 | 4.6% |
| Bartholomew County | 83,536 | $9,284 million | $111,136 | 50,188 | $73,397 | 3.7% |
| Floyd County | 80,918 | $4,257 million | $52,607 | 32,405 | $55,503 | 3.6% |
| Kosciusko County | 80,442 | $7,836 million | $97,406 | 36,183 | $58,899 | 3.5% |
| Boone County | 74,718 | $6,412 million | $85,821 | 45,424 | $55,895 | 3.1% |
| Morgan County | 72,659 | $3,059 million | $42,106 | 15,502 | $49,967 | 3.4% |
| Wayne County | 66,397 | $3,815 million | $57,451 | 29,736 | $51,067 | 3.9% |
| Grant County | 66,295 | $3,220 million | $48,572 | 27,333 | $50,883 | 4.1% |
| Warrick County | 65,261 | $3,188 million | $48,857 | 18,096 | $59,237 | 3.4% |
| Dearborn County | 51,094 | $2,601 million | $50,900 | 14,586 | $50,978 | 3.4% |
| Henry County | 48,970 | $2,018 million | $41,218 | 13,759 | $48,142 | 3.6% |
| Noble County | 47,495 | $2,553 million | $53,743 | 16,814 | $50,507 | 3.6% |
| Jackson County | 46,660 | $3,591 million | $76,957 | 22,633 | $57,520 | 3.4% |
| Marshall County | 46,284 | $2,376 million | $51,327 | 19,549 | $51,442 | 3.4% |
| Shelby County | 45,265 | $2,846 million | $62,878 | 18,915 | $56,974 | 3.4% |
| Lawrence County | 45,102 | $1,784 million | $39,561 | 13,507 | $49,342 | 3.7% |
| DeKalb County | 43,807 | $3,447 million | $78,691 | 22,201 | $62,916 | 3.5% |
| Dubois County | 43,614 | $3,820 million | $87,577 | 27,983 | $53,733 | 3.4% |
| LaGrange County | 40,805 | $2,473 million | $60,612 | 14,765 | $53,284 | 3.5% |
| Harrison County | 39,859 | $1,705 million | $42,766 | 10,252 | $49,804 | 3.6% |
| Montgomery County | 38,312 | $2,228 million | $58,165 | 15,655 | $57,386 | 3.1% |
| Cass County | 37,680 | $1,960 million | $52,004 | 14,589 | $48,462 | 3.7% |
| Putnam County | 37,280 | $1,459 million | $39,126 | 12,342 | $50,684 | 3.6% |
| Huntington County | 36,798 | $2,057 million | $55,909 | 13,632 | $49,294 | 3.1% |
| Adams County | 36,227 | $2,318 million | $63,976 | 12,932 | $49,465 | 3.4% |
| Knox County | 36,007 | $2,502 million | $69,484 | 17,077 | $50,982 | 3.5% |
| Miami County | 35,712 | $1,291 million | $36,157 | 9,077 | $49,711 | 3.7% |
| Steuben County | 34,726 | $1,959 million | $56,413 | 16,256 | $49,004 | 3.5% |
| Whitley County | 34,618 | $2,226 million | $64,304 | 13,958 | $58,376 | 3.2% |
| Daviess County | 33,658 | $2,274 million | $67,554 | 13,253 | $49,660 | 3.1% |
| Jasper County | 33,234 | $1,968 million | $59,204 | 11,682 | $49,292 | 3.7% |
| Gibson County | 33,000 | $4,453 million | $134,932 | 21,424 | $67,856 | 3.3% |
| Jefferson County | 32,998 | $2,066 million | $62,619 | 12,853 | $50,879 | 3.7% |
| Clinton County | 32,944 | $2,022 million | $61,392 | 11,551 | $52,965 | 3.2% |
| Greene County | 31,021 | $904 million | $29,138 | 6,380 | $45,645 | 3.8% |
| Wabash County | 30,844 | $1,715 million | $55,593 | 12,395 | $50,288 | 3.6% |
| Ripley County | 29,095 | $1,408 million | $48,376 | 11,325 | $54,394 | 3.3% |
| Wells County | 28,420 | $1,577 million | $55,494 | 11,293 | $50,048 | 2.9% |
| Washington County | 28,212 | $1,000 million | $35,432 | 5,753 | $43,972 | 3.6% |
| Jennings County | 27,562 | $960 million | $34,819 | 8,132 | $49,033 | 3.2% |
| Decatur County | 26,422 | $1,895 million | $71,732 | 13,840 | $58,092 | 3.4% |
| Clay County | 26,409 | $1,042 million | $39,442 | 8,172 | $45,786 | 3.6% |
| Posey County | 25,116 | $5,935 million | $236,320 | 8,961 | $68,064 | 3.5% |
| White County | 24,717 | $1,514 million | $61,267 | 8,815 | $48,614 | 3.6% |
| Scott County | 24,526 | $949 million | $38,687 | 8,042 | $46,317 | 4.1% |
| Randolph County | 24,387 | $1,259 million | $51,623 | 7,093 | $51,830 | 3.6% |
| Starke County | 23,365 | $690 million | $29,548 | 4,134 | $44,150 | 4.5% |
| Fayette County | 23,334 | $698 million | $29,923 | 6,008 | $44,247 | 4.3% |
| Franklin County | 23,020 | $773 million | $33,592 | 4,084 | $44,624 | 3.2% |
| Owen County | 21,604 | $760 million | $35,190 | 5,316 | $57,602 | 3.7% |
| Sullivan County | 20,780 | $1,163 million | $55,953 | 5,720 | $51,807 | 3.6% |
| Carroll County | 20,535 | $952 million | $46,336 | 5,562 | $49,734 | 3.3% |
| Fulton County | 20,312 | $905 million | $44,558 | 6,326 | $48,502 | 3.7% |
| Jay County | 20,229 | $1,546 million | $76,429 | 7,027 | $48,103 | 3.4% |
| Spencer County | 19,955 | $1,298 million | $65,028 | 6,990 | $48,388 | 3.4% |
| Orange County | 19,767 | $992 million | $50,162 | 7,372 | $45,076 | 3.5% |
| Perry County | 19,270 | $1,002 million | $51,994 | 6,441 | $51,166 | 3.6% |
| Rush County | 16,739 | $764 million | $45,648 | 4,901 | $49,977 | 3.5% |
| Fountain County | 16,617 | $638 million | $38,367 | 4,952 | $46,309 | 3.7% |
| Parke County | 16,406 | $534 million | $32,534 | 3,575 | $42,489 | 4.0% |
| Brown County | 15,606 | $443 million | $28,358 | 3,261 | $37,453 | 3.5% |
| Vermillion County | 15,421 | $1,134 million | $73,565 | 4,289 | $58,444 | 4.1% |
| Tipton County | 15,346 | $736 million | $47,955 | 4,454 | $57,768 | 3.3% |
| Newton County | 13,922 | $504 million | $36,211 | 3,237 | $48,666 | 3.7% |
| Pulaski County | 12,441 | $992 million | $79,769 | 5,387 | $55,220 | 2.8% |
| Pike County | 12,154 | $694 million | $57,099 | 2,609 | $60,232 | 3.7% |
| Blackford County | 11,950 | $428 million | $35,821 | 2,840 | $46,641 | 4.0% |
| Crawford County | 10,499 | $239 million | $22,721 | 1,899 | $43,299 | 4.0% |
| Switzerland County | 9,909 | $329 million | $33,172 | 1,662 | $41,058 | 4.1% |
| Martin County | 9,830 | $1,635 million | $166,364 | 8,189 | $84,342 | 3.4% |
| Benton County | 8,735 | $623 million | $71,359 | 2,106 | $51,419 | 3.0% |
| Warren County | 8,464 | $371 million | $43,838 | 1,962 | $52,582 | 3.2% |
| Union County | 6,985 | $216 million | $30,971 | 1,633 | $43,917 | 3.0% |
| Ohio County | 5,999 | $130 million | $21,626 | 1,107 | $38,639 | 3.5% |
500,379 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$31,242 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
4.7% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
191,633 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $61,200 (BLS QCEW).