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Place dossier plate
SheetIN-PORTAGE-IN · Portage, IN 37,951 pop · income 53rd pct · 43 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Portage
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Portage on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Richmond · lowest
46,395
Richmond · lowest
46,395 median HH income
54.5% of the leader · rank #1
Melcher-Dallas · near
72,824
Melcher-Dallas · near
72,824 median HH income
85.6% of the leader · rank #2
Newington · near
72,829
Newington · near
72,829 median HH income
85.6% of the leader · rank #3
Portage · this city
72,833
Portage · this city
72,833 median HH income
85.6% of the leader · rank #4
Lincoln Beach · near
72,833
Lincoln Beach · near
72,833 median HH income
85.6% of the leader · rank #5
Terminous · near
72,838
Terminous · near
72,838 median HH income
85.6% of the leader · rank #6
Plainfield · highest
85,074
Plainfield · highest
85,074 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Portage on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 37,951.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Portage - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Portage lands in the 53rd percentile for household income and the 51st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
53rd
percentile, household income
46th
percentile, home value
27th
percentile, median rent
51st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Portage, IN
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 37,951 residents in Portage, a small city within Indiana. The typical household in Portage brings in $72,833 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 9.4%. Portage's housing stock carries a median value of $210,800, and the median resident age is 39.0 years. 16.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 58.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 117 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Stable), down 3% from five years earlier. Portage reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1343.7 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Indiana run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Indiana scores 93.3 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,096 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Indiana's average monthly utility costs around $235 (state average). Natural-hazard exposure scores 45.5 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Portage's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to within-city variation to work and mobility to population change to housing and income to schools and households to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Portage, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Portage?
Within Indiana, the closest population matches are New Albany (37,589 residents, $54,152 income); Merrillville (36,343 residents, $64,791 income); Plainfield (35,783 residents, $85,074 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Northglenn, CO (37,953 residents); Holyoke, MA (37,949 residents); Adelanto, CA (38,010 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 43 Census tracts to this city.
What does the journey to work look like in Portage?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 86.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +670 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 117 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Portage?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 9.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$72,833
Home value
$210,800
Value / income
2.9×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
The NCES join finds 10 public schools within the city match. 16.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
10
Bachelor's degree+
16.0%
Poverty estimate
9.4%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Portage?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1343.7 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 41% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1108.5
Violent rate
235.1
Total reported rate
1343.7
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Above median income · poverty 9.4% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
93.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Indiana average
D
City profile score · Portage, IN
48/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B
93.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income C-
$72,833
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime D
235 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate D
9.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
16.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Portage profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 72/100 (B) · 93.3 index
Household income: 52/100 (C-) · $72,833
Violent crime: 43/100 (D) · 235 /100k
Poverty rate: 42/100 (D) · 9.4%
Bachelor's+ share: 23/100 (F) · 16.0%
Where Portage sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Portage's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Portage highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Portage, IN (this city): home $210,800, crime 1,344/100k
Northglenn, CO : home $440,900, crime 3,010/100k
Holyoke, MA : home $255,300, crime 5,273/100k
Adelanto, CA : home $318,300, crime 1,560/100k
Lewiston, ME : home $214,200, crime 1,774/100k
Hot Springs, AR : home $156,900, crime 4,697/100k
New Albany, IN : home $169,600, crime 2,687/100k
Plainfield, IN : home $263,900, crime 1,694/100k
Valparaiso, IN : home $250,500, crime 874/100k
Goshen, IN : home $175,200, crime 2,696/100k
How does Portage compare to other US cities?
Portage measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income53% higher than other cities
Home value46% pricier than other cities
Median rent27% pricier than other cities
Safety51% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Indiana, Portage ranks #69 of 110 Indiana cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Portage against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Indiana only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Indiana-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Portage near the bottom of Indiana's cities
Among the 850 Indiana cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Portage ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Portage only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#235 of 766
69th percentile in Indiana
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 850
0th percentile in Indiana
Median Home Value
#148 of 771
81st percentile in Indiana
Poverty Rate
#314 of 849
62nd percentile in Indiana
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#396 of 850
53rd percentile in Indiana
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Indiana only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
53rd percentile nationally for median household income · 51st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Portage's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Portage's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Portage's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$210,800Among the most affordablemore affordable than 54% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. 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 U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Portage's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,087 of 15,516
More affordable than 61% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#755 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.9×, Portage sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,087 of 15,516 and #755 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$72,833Portage, IN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Portage, IN median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Portage, IN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)16.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)9.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)58.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
37,951
Median Income
$72,833
Median Home Value
$210,800
Median Age
39.0
Poverty Rate
9.4%
Labor force participation
58.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
16.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1343.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
235.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1108.5
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
10
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Portage's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
37,964 residents
2021
38,232 residents
2022
38,303 residents
2023
38,379 residents
2024
38,475 residents
2025
38,634 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
117
housing units authorized
Single-Family
117
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
121
121
0
$17.4M
2020
127
127
0
$18.8M
2021
143
143
0
$21.0M
2022
117
117
0
$17.2M
2023
106
106
0
$15.6M
2024
117
117
0
$17.2M
Permit volume decreased 3% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
86.7%
Carpool
6.3%
Public Transit
0.8%
Walk
0.3%
Work from Home
4.5%
Other
1.4%
Based on 17,428 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Indiana statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $235
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Indiana at $235 (electricity about $110 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Indiana statewide averages, not a meter reading for Portage. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Indiana's BEA cost-of-living index is 93.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Portage is $1,096/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Indiana statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 45.5 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Indiana statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Portage sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Portage compares to similar-size Indiana cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.