Louisville/Jefferson County composite
60.3 /100
Grade A- · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Louisville/Jefferson County vs South Bend
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN and South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 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
- 55.2
- South Bend Life Score
- B
- South Bend grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Louisville/Jefferson County scores higher on 4 (wages, rent, safety, childcare) and South Bend on 3 (cost of living, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Louisville/Jefferson County vs South Bend 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 South Bend ◗
cost of living
53
55
wages
52
46
rent
54
51
safety
77
50
schools
52
57
childcare
89
0
environment
55
84
Louisville/Jefferson County and South Bend differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Louisville/Jefferson County has a cost-of-living index of 93.1 vs South Bend's 92.9 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $66,989 in Louisville/Jefferson County and $62,165 in South Bend. A 2-bedroom averages $1,272/mo vs $1,292/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Louisville/Jefferson County vs South Bend Comparison
Louisville/Jefferson County (KY) and South Bend (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 92.9 for South Bend, a 0.2-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 $1,292/mo in South Bend, a $20/mo difference that compounds to $240 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $66,989 across 667,710 jobs in Louisville/Jefferson County against $62,165 across 125,610 jobs in South Bend. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Louisville/Jefferson County carries the same local purchasing power as $99,768 in South Bend - 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 South Bend 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.
South Bend composite
55.2 /100
Grade B · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
0.2 pts
Louisville/Jefferson County vs South Bend BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$20 /mo
South Bend priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Louisville/Jefferson County
Louisville/Jefferson County composite (Grade A-)
South Bend
South Bend 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 | South Bend |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 93.1 | 92.9 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 94.2 |
| Services | 75.0 | 87.7 |
| Rents | 78.6 | 74.6 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in South Bend gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Louisville/Jefferson County?
$
Equivalent in South Bend:
$99,768
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Louisville/Jefferson County: 93.1, South Bend: 92.9, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Louisville/Jefferson County | South Bend |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $966/mo | $898/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,047/mo | $1,105/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,272/mo | $1,292/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,625/mo | $1,567/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,891/mo | $1,711/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Louisville/Jefferson County | South Bend |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $66,989 | $62,165 |
| Total Employment | 667,710 | 125,610 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Louisville/Jefferson County (KY) | South Bend (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 | South Bend |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 51.0 | 45.0 |
| Good Air Days | 47.3% | 64.8% |
| 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 South Bend? ▼
Louisville/Jefferson County has a cost of living index of 93.1 compared to South Bend's 92.9 (national average = 100). Louisville/Jefferson County is 0.2 points above South Bend on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Louisville/Jefferson County and South Bend? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,272/mo in Louisville/Jefferson County vs $1,292/mo in South Bend, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $966/mo to $898/mo.
How do salaries compare between Louisville/Jefferson County and South Bend? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $66,989 in Louisville/Jefferson County and $62,165 in South Bend, 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 $99,768 in South Bend.
Is Louisville/Jefferson County or South Bend 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 South Bend? ▼
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
South Bend 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