The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Lake County, IN
Lake County, the second-most populous county in Indiana, is home to 500,400 residents and includes Hammond and Gary · Updated November 2026
Is Lake County, IN safe?
Crime in Lake County is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 72% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Lake County. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A- against B-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Lake County run from A+ to F, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.
B
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 665 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
28% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Lake County as a whole, and 72% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Lake County scores 665.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Lake County, IN at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Lake County, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Lake County
Robbery is a strength. Lake County grades B- for violent crime, but robbery grades A.
Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Lake County, 45% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.
Murder runs high. Lake County has about 61 murders a year, a rate more than double the national one.
The safest and most dangerous places in Lake County
Crime varies widely across Lake County: 70% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 21% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Lake County run from A+ to F; 57% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
70%21%
A or B 70%C 9%D or F 21%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Cities and towns in Lake County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.
Across the county, the Dyer and St. John areas have the least crime and the Gary, Hobart, and Lake Station areas the most.
Crime rates and types in Lake County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Lake County has about 35 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the US as a whole and close to Indiana.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Assault makes up about 36% of crime reported in Lake County. Murder is less common but costs more, because each one does far more harm.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Lake County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Lake County, 2022 to 2024.
In Lake County, 73% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (73%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (50%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (45%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Homes (44%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (38%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (57%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Lake County compares with nearby counties
Of the 10 counties closest to Lake County, 9 have less crime. Newton County and Pulaski County have the least.
One thing sets Lake County apart: it has 9.9% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary and arson, and arson runs high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.9.9% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 86% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.9.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 67% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 77% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (19 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 61% of Americans
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.38 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 66% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Lake County: F (1 of 100).under 1 trip an hourUS: noneLower than for 65% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.94% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 64% of Americans
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Lake County
Crime costs Lake County about $1,435 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 19% more than the US figure of $1,205. The total is about $280 million a year.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost rises to about $1.18 billion a year, or $2,362 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$113 million
$226
Rape
$9.6 million
$19
Robbery
$5.9 million
$12
Assault
$75 million
$150
Burglary
$7.3 million
$15
Theft
$32 million
$64
Vehicle theft
$18 million
$35
Arson
$840,000
$2
Vandalism
$19 million
$38
Total
$280 million
$560
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Lake County means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Lake County, IN average a SchoolGrade of C-: 35% of students test proficient, against 31% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Lake County on SchoolGrade
