City safety & data profile

PortageIN

Portage, IN is a 37K-resident city in Porter County with a median household income of $76,276.

Porter County, Indiana. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Portage, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Portage has a population larger than 71% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $224,200.

Data updated 2026-07-20

37K
Population
Top 29%
By size
$76,276
Median income
$224,200
Median home
11.6%
Poverty rate

The read on Portage

Portage posts a median household income higher than 45% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 55%
by median income, US cities

Where Portage income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$76,276 Bottom 45% higher than 45% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. IN $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. 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, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Portage, IN beyond the headline numbers

Portage sits inside Porter County, Indiana, at roughly 41.58°N, -87.18°W. Population 36,738, $76,276 median household income. Median home value $224,200, median rent $1,231. Poverty rate 11.6%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Portage's highest-prevalence health measure is obesity at 42.6%, then short sleep duration at 39.9%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Portage from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
36,738
Portage
Median Income
$76,276
+12% vs avg
Median Home Value
$224,200
Near average
Median Age
39.8
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Porter County) - Portage's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
175K+6%
Median Income
$87,972+40%
Median Home Value
$281,500+70%
Poverty Rate
9.6%-8%
Unemployment
4.7%-46%

Economics

Economics indicators for Portage, IN
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,231/mo
Poverty Rate
11.6% -18% vs avg
Unemployment 7.4%
Bachelor's Degree+ 18.4%
Work From Home 5.5%
Public Transit 1%

Population

White 73.1%
African American 10%
Asian 1.2%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Obesity
42.6%
Short Sleep Duration
39.9%
High Blood Pressure
39.5%
Physical Inactivity
29.6%
Frequent Mental Distress
18.3%
Current Smoking
17.1%
Binge Drinking
15.3%
Frequent Physical Distress
14.9%
Diabetes
13.8%
Current Asthma
11.6%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 58.7%
Annual Checkup 79.1%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
10.8%
Coronary Heart Disease
6.8%
Stroke
3.6%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Portage, IN? ▼
Portage, IN has a population of 36,738 people, located in Porter County, Indiana.
What is the median household income in Portage? ▼
The median household income in Portage, IN is $76,276 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 11.6%.
What is the median home value in Portage? ▼
The median home value in Portage, IN is $224,200. Median rent is $1,231/month.
What are the top health concerns in Portage? ▼
The top health indicators in Portage include Obesity (42.6%), Short Sleep Duration (39.9%), High Blood Pressure (39.5%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Portage? ▼
The median age in Portage, IN is 39.8 years. 18.4% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Portage, IN is located in Porter County, Indiana. With a population of 37K and a $76,276 median household income, the community faces health challenges including obesity and short sleep duration. Safety alerts for the Portage area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Indiana

Real-time AQI for every monitored Indiana location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Lake Station, IN 12K Hobart, IN 28K Chesterton, IN 13K Valparaiso, IN 33K Gary, IN 77K Merrillville, IN 35K Crown Point, IN 29K Griffith, IN 16K
All cities in Indiana → Compare Portage vs Lake Station → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Portage's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Portage area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Portage against Indiana peers on any ranking lens. Explore Indiana

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Porter County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.