What percentage of people rent in Gary, IN?

Name: Renters and owners in Gary, IN, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

50.9% (±2.1 points) of the occupied homes in Gary, IN are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 13,871 renting households against 13,356 that own their home.

In Gary, the share of households that rent went from 49.4% in 2015–2019 to 50.9% in 2020–2024 (+1.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 50.9% (±2.1 points)
Renting households: 13,871 (±692)
Median renter income: $28,626 (±$2,913)

Who rents and who owns in Gary

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Gary	Lake County	Indiana	United States
Renter-occupied share	50.9% (±2.1 points)	28.3% (±0.8 points)	29.4% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	13,871 (±692)	55,274 (±1,617)	799,766 (±7,038)	45,017,354
Owning households	13,356 (±715)	139,856 (±1,530)	1,916,243 (±9,865)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.7 (±0.1)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.3 (±0.1)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$28,626 (±$2,913)	$41,002 (±$1,339)	$42,811 (±$480)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$50,944 (±$2,767)	$88,178 (±$2,255)	$87,459 (±$395)	$100,009

In Gary, the renter share is higher than in Lake County (28.3%).

It is also higher than in Indiana (29.4%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Lake County, Gary ranks 2 of 31 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 27 of 1,600.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Gary has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	49.4% (±1.8 points)	50.9% (±2.1 points)	+1.5 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$785 (±$17)	$1,012 (±$38)	+28.9%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$31,936 (±$1,295)	$38,731 (±$2,687)	+21.3%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Gary

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Gary
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Gary	—	50.9% (±2.1 points)	—
Calumet Township	1.0 mi	45.3% (±1.9 points)	Lower
Ross	4.1 mi	30.8% (±5.5 points)	Lower
New Chicago	4.5 mi	31.8% (±8.9 points)	Lower
Lake Station	5.0 mi	28.0% (±6.9 points)	Lower
Hobart Township	5.3 mi	28.1% (±3.8 points)	Lower
Griffith	5.9 mi	28.3% (±4.4 points)	Lower
Hobart	6.5 mi	30.5% (±4.2 points)	Lower
Highland	6.5 mi	21.6% (±3.3 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Calumet Township, IN (45.3%), Ross, IN (30.8%), New Chicago, IN (31.8%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Lake County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	East Chicago	57.1% (±3.9 points)
2	Gary	50.9% (±2.1 points)
3	Whiting	47.0% (±8.0 points)
4	Calumet Township	45.3% (±1.9 points)
5	Hammond	37.6% (±2.2 points)
6	North Township (Lake County)	34.4% (±1.6 points)
7	New Chicago	31.8% (±8.9 points)
8	Hobart	30.5% (±4.2 points)

Showing 8 of 31 places in Lake County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Gary

How many renters are there in Gary?

Gary has an estimated 13,871 (±692) renting households, 50.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Gary?

In Gary, the share of households that rent went from 49.4% in 2015–2019 to 50.9% in 2020–2024 (+1.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Gary?

A renting household in Gary has 2.7 people on average, against 2.3 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Gary?

The median renting household in Gary, IN has an income of $28,626 (±$2,913) a year, against $50,944 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Gary city, Indiana (place:27000, in state:18).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.