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Cost of living, pay and housing

41.70° N · 86.86° W · GEOID 1876328

Trail Creek

LaPorte County, Indiana · part of the Michigan City, IN metro

Limited data population under 5,000

IndianaTrail Creek, INTrail CreekTrail Creek

The short answer

Trail Creek is home to 2,351 people. Median household income is $77,635 a year and median rent is $947 a month, 14.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $191,800, about 2.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$947
31% below the median place
Median household income
$77,635
3% below the median place
Median home value
$191,800
40% below the median place
Unemployment
4.8%
2% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Trail Creek

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 7.4% a year while rent rose -1.8%, so pay gained on rent more than in 97% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 131 Indiana places.
  • The population has fallen 3.5% since 2020, a steeper drop than in 89% of places its size. It is the lowest of 124 Indiana places.
  • 92% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 92% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes only 14.6% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 85% of places its size.
  • The median home is worth 2.5 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 85% of places its size.
01

Moving to Trail Creek

LaPorte County loses about 1.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in3,838
Moved out3,949
Net−111

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Cook County, IL343222+121
Starke County, IN154145+9

Within Indiana, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IndianaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$60K
Leavers$54K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of LaPorte County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.5% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into LaPorte County report $59,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $54,200, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$37,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $947 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,248 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $191,800.
Getting to work
22 minutes each way on average; 11.3% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Festus, MO matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving out8
$54,187
23% below the median place
Income of households moving in8
$59,833
15% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
7.2%
26% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureTrail CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure7.2%26% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.5%29% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-1.3117% below
Income of households moving in8County figure$59,83315% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$54,18723% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 91.6%, 38% above the median place.

Trail Creek14.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$37,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
14.6%
28% below the median place
Home price to income
2.5x
35% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$69,100
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Trail Creek, $947 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Trail Creek.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Trail Creek? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
91.6%
38% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,248
33% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,523
53% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureTrail CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$94731% below
Rent to income114.6%28% below
Property tax rate10.8%13% below
Home price to income12.5x35% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure91.79% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,24523% below
HUD area median income4County figure$89,30017% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,52353% below
Median home value1$191,80040% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure7.8%145% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure59.0%15% above
Homeownership191.6%38% above
Renters paying 30%+154.5%8% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,24833% below
Vacant homes1County figure12.8%81% above
Median year built119641% below
03

Work and pay

Poverty rate is 6.6%, 39% below the median place.

Poverty rate1
6.6%
39% below the median place
Mean commute1
22 min
11% below the median place
Income per person1
$36,751
8% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureTrail CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$77,6353% below
Income per person1$36,7518% below
Unemployment1County figure4.8%2% below
Average annual pay6County figure$54,05118% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.0%46% below
Jobs6County figure40,19673% below
Poverty rate16.6%39% below
Mean commute122 min11% below
Works from home111.3%10% below
Commutes by transit1County figure0.5%38% below
04

Who lives here

Population change since 2020 is -3.5%, below the median place (median 1.1%).

Population change since 20207
-3.5%
below the median place (median 1.1%)
Homes with broadband1
95.8%
4% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
23.4%
27% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age36.4 −7%
High school or higher94.3% +2%
Household size2.4 −3%
All 9 people measures
MeasureTrail CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,3516646th largest
Population change since 20207-3.5%below (median 1.1%)
Median age136.47% below
Bachelor's or higher123.4%27% below
High school or higher194.3%2% above
Household size12.43% below
Born abroad1County figure3.4%61% below
No health insurance1County figure5.9%8% below
Homes with broadband195.8%4% above
05

Life in Trail Creek

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents17.0 +67%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k17.0 +53%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.6 −1%
Shops34.2 +13%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.3 −20%
Doctors' offices and clinics16.4 −19%
Child care centers2.2 −4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools11
37
311% above the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9
16.4
19% below the median place
Public school students11
15,465
216% above the median place
All 15 schools and local life measures
MeasureTrail CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure37311% above
Public school students11County figure15,465216% above
Students per teacher11County figure15.40% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure20.61% below
Shops per 10k9County figure34.213% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure3.320% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure16.419% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.24% below
Parks per 10k1017.067% above
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1017.053% above
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 17°F, 33% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Trail Creek. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low12
17°F
33% below the median place
Hurricane risk13
26.9
62% below the median place
Average temperature12
50°F
9% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureTrail CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure83°F4% below
January average low12County figure17°F33% below
Average temperature12County figure50°F9% below
Annual precipitation12County figure39.7 in9% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure78.915% below
Hurricane risk13County figure26.962% below
Tornado risk13County figure92.614% above
Wildfire risk13County figure35.242% below
Heat wave risk13County figure67.625% below
Median air quality index14County figure430% above
Good air days14County figure63.0%8% below
08

Trail Creek in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 14% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 15% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$947/mo (2024)$1,170/mo$960 to $1,430/mo+3.6%
Median household income$77,635 (2024)$99,000$83,500 to $117,000+4.1%
Median home value$191,800 (2024)$272,000$198,000 to $375,000+6.0%
Population1,987 (2025)1,9601,880 to 2,050−0.2%

The median home would be worth 2.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Trail Creek

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Festus, MO$922$73,532Compare
St. Gabriel, LA$1,017$74,688Compare
Austin, MN$953$68,057Compare
Sand Springs, OK$1,002$75,645Compare
Sand Springs, OKAustin, MNSt. Gabriel, LAFestus, MOTrail Creek, INTrail CreekFestusSt. GabrielAustinSand SpringsTrail CreekFestusSt. GabrielAustinSand Springs

Common questions

Is Trail Creek a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 7.4% a year while rent rose -1.8%, so pay gained on rent more than in 97% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 131 Indiana places. The population has fallen 3.5% since 2020, a steeper drop than in 89% of places its size. It is the lowest of 124 Indiana places. On cost, space and class size it scores 97 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Trail Creek expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 14.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $191,800.

What salary do you need to live in Trail Creek?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $37,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Trail Creek?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Festus, MO, St. Gabriel, LA, Austin, MN and Sand Springs, OK.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Trail Creek with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Trail Creek itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/trail-creek-indiana

Citytistics. “Trail Creek, Indiana.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/trail-creek-indiana/

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