Porter County, Indiana

IN · FIPS 18127 Republican

Located in Indiana, Porter County has a population of 174,818 residents and a median age of 40.8 years, making it the #392 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 9.6%. The median home value is $281,500, and the median household income is $87,972, which is 17% above the national median.

174,818
Population
#392 of 3,222
$87,972
Median Income
+17.1% #350 of 3,222
40.8 years
Median Age
+4.9% #1,858 of 3,222
9.6%
Poverty Rate
-24.0% #696 of 3,222

Demographics

Porter County has a population of 174,818, making it the #392 most populous county in the US. The median age is 40.8 years, which is 4.9% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

96.0%
Native Born
4.0%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Porter County is $87,972, ranking #350 out of 3,222 counties — 17.1% above the national median. The poverty rate is 9.6% and unemployment stands at 4.7%.

Income#350
$87,972
+17.1%
vs nation
89th percentile
Per Capita#460
$44,216
+7.2%
vs nation
86th percentile
Poverty#696
9.6%
-24.0%
vs nation
78th percentile
Unemployment#1,793
4.7%
-11.6%
vs nation
44th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Porter County is $281,500 (-0.1% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,219/mo and the homeownership rate is 77.7%.

Home Value#724
$281,500
-0.1%
vs nation
78th percentile
Rent#509
$1,219
+4.8%
vs nation
84th percentile
Homeownership#1,001
77.7%
+20.7%
vs nation
69th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Porter County, 31.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 7.8% below the national average, ranking #696 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
31.1% −7.8% vs nation
Rank #696 of 3,222
78th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Porter County is 77.0 years. 16.8% of adults report poor or fair health and 6.9% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#919
77.0
+2.4%
vs nation
70th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,011
16.8%
-14.1%
vs nation
68th percentile
Diabetes#954
9.7%
-12.9%
vs nation
70th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,719
38.1%
+2.1%
vs nation
45th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#854
5.3
-6.2%
vs nation
73th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#791
4.0
-11.2%
vs nation
75th percentile
Uninsured Rate#783
6.9%
-34.0%
vs nation
75th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,421
25.4%
-3.7%
vs nation
55th percentile
Food Insecurity#899
12.3%
-14.6%
vs nation
71th percentile

Substance Use

16.6% of adults in Porter County smoke , 37.0% are obese , and 18.9% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 27.5 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,146
16.6%
-7.6%
vs nation
64th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,151
37.0%
-2.4%
vs nation
63th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,141
18.9%
-5.0%
vs nation
64th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,032
27.5
-15.0%
vs nation
51th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Porter County is 2.5 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 15.6 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 11.1 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#188
2.5
-68.6%
vs nation
88th percentile
Suicide Rate#856
15.6
-20.9%
vs nation
67th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#465
10.8
-39.5%
vs nation
81th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#473
11.1
-45.1%
vs nation
83th percentile

Families & Children

10.6% of children in Porter County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 3.9 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 9.4 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#88
3.9
-42.6%
vs nation
94th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#377
9.4
-57.0%
vs nation
88th percentile
Child Poverty#403
10.6%
-44.2%
vs nation
87th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Porter County is 66.7%. The mean commute time is 31.1 min, which is 12.7% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
66.7% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
31.1 min +12.7% vs nation
Rank #713 of 3,222
78th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Porter County voted Republican with a margin of 10.5%. The vote was 43.8% Dem / 54.3% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 4.4 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +10.5%
43.8% 54.3%
Dem 84,877 votes Rep
2020 REP +6.1%
45.9% 52%
Dem 86,509 votes Rep
2016 REP +6.8%
43.8% 50.6%
Dem 76,492 votes Rep
2012 DEM +3.8%
51% 47.2%
Dem 72,487 votes Rep
2008 DEM +7.2%
53% 45.8%
Dem 73,916 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Porter County, Indiana

Porter County, Indiana has a total population of 174,818, making it the 392nd most populous county in the United States. The median age in Porter County is 40.8 years, which is 4.9% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Porter County is $87,972, which ranks #350 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 17.1% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 9.6%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.7%.

The median home value in Porter County is $281,500, 0.1% below the national median. Renters in Porter County pay a median gross rent of $1,219 per month. The homeownership rate is 77.7%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Porter County, 31.1% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 7.8% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 95.0% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 31.1 min.

Porter County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 79.1% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (11.7%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (4.3%).

All data for Porter County, Indiana comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.