Official Federal Data
Porter County, Indiana
FIPS 18127 · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · Population 174,818
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$87,972 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$9.9B ▲
GDP
31.1% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$87,972 ▲
Per Capita
$44,216 ▲
Mean Household
$110,512 ▲
Poverty Rate
9.6% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Porter County$87,972
Indiana$71,957
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.3%
18-34 · 20.7%
35-54 · 26.4%
55-64 · 13.2%
65+ · 18.3%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.4 pts
31.1%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 4.6 pts
11.6%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.5 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
174,818
Population
89,471
Labor Force
Employed
85,164
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4% ▼ 0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
9.5%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 10,417 workers (22.8% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $103,661.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $9.9B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Manufacturing averages $103,661 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $22,308, a 4.6x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
15,088
Cluster Employment
1.63x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Primary Metal Manufacturing
36.78x 5,467
Truck Transportation
2.54x 1,542
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.03x 1,189
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
1.83x 525
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
1.80x 1,053
Printing and Related Support Activities
1.76x 248
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
1.68x 945
1.63x 15,088
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.56x 670
Educational Services
1.50x 1,995
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.31x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
114 employed
0.31x
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
326 employed
0.34x
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
84 employed
0.37x
Couriers and Messengers
170 employed
0.39x
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
52 employed
0.41x
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers
193 employed
0.42x
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
192 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Primary Metal Manufacturing concentrates at 36.78x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$281,500 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,219 ▲
Rent/Mo
77.7% ▲
Owner-Occ
5.5% ▼
Vacancy
3.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$959/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,082/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,317/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,612/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,744/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,199/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 77.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,199/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
105,544 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
9.5%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.1%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
31.1% ▲
HS Diploma+
94% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
85,358/yr
31,118/yr
15,107/yr
13,356/yr
11,087/yr
8,172/yr
6,518/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
40.2%
Service
14.2%
Sales & Office
18.5%
Construction / Maint.
11.1%
Production / Transport
16%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 85,164 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 59,581 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Porter County shows strong potential for primary metal manufacturing attraction, with a 36.78x concentration and 5,467 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across primary metal manufacturing, truck transportation, and fabricated metal product manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Porter County, Indiana, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Porter County, Indiana?
174,818 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Porter County, Indiana?
$87,972 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Porter County, Indiana?
4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Porter County, Indiana?
$9.9B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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