PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Michigan City-La Porte, IN

51.3
Life Score / 100
B-
Grade (curved)
#178
of 387 metros
54%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Michigan City ranks #178 of 387 US metros, ahead of 54% - carried by its rent (73/100) and held back most by wages (16/100).

73
strongest: Rent
65
then: Cost of Living
16
weakest: Wages
7
weighted dimensions

Where Michigan City sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

51 54th percentile higher than 54% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Michigan City Life Score

Michigan City's composite score of 51.3 out of 100, a grade of B-, places the metro at rank #178 of 387, ahead of 54% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Rent (73/100) and Cost of Living (65/100), which pull the composite upward, while Wages (16/100) and Safety (51/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 91.7 (rent-RPP 68.5). BLS median salary $59,046, 34,910 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,152/mo (studio $874).

FBI UCR (IN): 308 violent, 1321 property/100K. NCES: 15.9:1 ratio, 6.5% charter. EPA: 53 Superfund sites (IN). Ranks #175-#181 below.

Dimension detail

How Michigan City scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 65/100 (20%)
Wages 16/100 (20%)
Rent 73/100 (15%)
Safety 51/100 (15%)
Schools 57/100 (10%)
Childcare -/100 (10%)
Environment 59/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

91.7
Cost Index (RPP)
$59,046
Avg Median Salary
$1,152
2BR Fair Market Rent
308
Violent Crime/100K (IN)
15.9:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
53
Superfund Sites (IN)
34,910
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Michigan City With...

Michigan City vs Terre Haute Compare → Michigan City vs Muncie Compare → Michigan City vs Louisville/Jefferson County Compare → Michigan City vs Wildwood Compare → Michigan City vs Waterloo Compare → Michigan City vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Michigan City outranks 54% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#175 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA 51.4 B-
#176 Cheyenne, WY 51.5 B-
#177 Casper, WY 51.5 B-
#178 Michigan City-La Porte, IN 51.3 B-
#179 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 51.1 B-
#180 Columbus, OH 51.0 B-
#181 Homosassa Springs, FL 51.0 B-

IN Metro Scores

Terre Haute, IN A 63.5 Muncie, IN A- 61.0 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN A- 60.3 Kokomo, IN B+ 57.0 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI B 55.2 Evansville, IN B 53.8

Using Michigan City's Life Score

Michigan City is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is rent (73/100) and its weakest is wages (16/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Michigan City head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Michigan City lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Michigan City's biggest strengths? ▼
Michigan City's strongest dimensions are Rent (73/100), Cost of Living (65/100), Environment (59/100). Rent is top-tier nationally.
What are Michigan City's weakest areas? ▼
Michigan City's lowest-scoring dimensions are Wages (16/100), Safety (51/100), Schools (57/100). Wages weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Michigan City compared to the national average? ▼
Michigan City's Regional Price Parity is 91.7 (8.3% less than national); rent RPP 68.5.
What is the average salary in Michigan City? ▼
Michigan City median salary: $59,046, 34,910 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Michigan City's 51.3/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.