Louisville/Jefferson County composite
60.3 /100
Grade A- · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Louisville/Jefferson County vs Michigan City
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN and Michigan City-La Porte, IN side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 60.3
- Louisville/Jefferson County Life Score
- A-
- Louisville/Jefferson County grade
- 51.3
- Michigan City Life Score
- B-
- Michigan City grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Louisville/Jefferson County scores higher on 3 (wages, safety, childcare) and Michigan City on 4 (cost of living, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Louisville/Jefferson County vs Michigan City across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Louisville/Jefferson County Michigan City ◗
cost of living
53
65
wages
52
16
rent
54
73
safety
77
51
schools
52
57
childcare
89
0
environment
55
59
Louisville/Jefferson County and Michigan City differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Louisville/Jefferson County has a cost-of-living index of 93.1 vs Michigan City's 91.7 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $66,989 in Louisville/Jefferson County and $59,046 in Michigan City. A 2-bedroom averages $1,272/mo vs $1,152/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Louisville/Jefferson County vs Michigan City Comparison
Louisville/Jefferson County (KY) and Michigan City (IN) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 93.1 for Louisville/Jefferson County against 91.7 for Michigan City, a 1.4-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,272/mo in Louisville/Jefferson County and $1,152/mo in Michigan City, a $120/mo difference that compounds to $1,440 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $66,989 across 667,710 jobs in Louisville/Jefferson County against $59,046 across 34,910 jobs in Michigan City. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Louisville/Jefferson County carries the same local purchasing power as $98,504 in Michigan City - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 225.5 per 100,000 residents in KY vs 308.5 in IN, with property-crime rates of 1397.1 and 1321.0 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: KY lists 1,395 public schools at a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio, while IN lists 1,865 schools at 15.9:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Louisville/Jefferson County and Michigan City are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Michigan City composite
51.3 /100
Grade B- · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
1.4 pts
Louisville/Jefferson County vs Michigan City BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$120 /mo
Louisville/Jefferson County priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Louisville/Jefferson County
Louisville/Jefferson County composite (Grade A-)
Michigan City
Michigan City composite (Grade B-)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Louisville/Jefferson County | Michigan City |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 93.1 | 91.7 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 94.3 |
| Services | 75.0 | 86.4 |
| Rents | 78.6 | 68.5 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Michigan City gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Louisville/Jefferson County?
$
Equivalent in Michigan City:
$98,504
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Louisville/Jefferson County: 93.1, Michigan City: 91.7, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Louisville/Jefferson County | Michigan City |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $966/mo | $874/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,047/mo | $953/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,272/mo | $1,152/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,625/mo | $1,454/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,891/mo | $1,680/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Louisville/Jefferson County | Michigan City |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $66,989 | $59,046 |
| Total Employment | 667,710 | 34,910 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Louisville/Jefferson County (KY) | Michigan City (IN) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 225.5 | 308.5 |
| Property Crime | 1397.1 | 1321.0 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | KY | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 1,395 | 1,865 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 15.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.0% | 6.5% |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | KY | IN |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 489 | 1,028 |
| Water Systems | 376 | 718 |
| Superfund Sites | 20 | 53 |
| Water Violations | 1,788 | 1,467 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Louisville/Jefferson County | Michigan City |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 51.0 | 41.0 |
| Good Air Days | 47.3% | 70.2% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 13 days | 2 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | KY | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 1/100 | 5/100 |
| Total Violations | 80,482 | 352,710 |
| Health-Based Violations | 12,554 | 35,932 |
| Systems with Violations | 99.1% | 95.8% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | KY | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 687 | 362 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | KY | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 71/100 | 69/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 44.2 | 45.5 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 41.4 | 49.3 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Louisville/Jefferson County more expensive than Michigan City? ▼
Louisville/Jefferson County has a cost of living index of 93.1 compared to Michigan City's 91.7 (national average = 100). Louisville/Jefferson County is 1.4 points above Michigan City on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Louisville/Jefferson County and Michigan City? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,272/mo in Louisville/Jefferson County vs $1,152/mo in Michigan City, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $966/mo to $874/mo.
How do salaries compare between Louisville/Jefferson County and Michigan City? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $66,989 in Louisville/Jefferson County and $59,046 in Michigan City, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Louisville/Jefferson County has the same purchasing power as $98,504 in Michigan City.
Is Louisville/Jefferson County or Michigan City safer? ▼
At the state level, KY has a violent crime rate of 225.5 per 100,000 residents compared to IN's 308.5 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1397.1 vs 1321.0 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Louisville/Jefferson County and Michigan City? ▼
KY has 1,395 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.2:1, while IN has 1,865 schools at 15.9:1. Charter schools make up 0.0% of KY schools vs 6.5% in IN. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
Explore more
Louisville/Jefferson County full Life Score
All seven dimensions, ranked nationally
Michigan City full Life Score
All seven dimensions, ranked nationally
Compare a different pair
Any two metros or states, side by side
National rankings
Cheapest, safest, highest-paying and more
Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial