Living in Merrillville, IN
Small city in Indiana
Merrillville is a small city in Indiana, home to about 36,000 people, with 1.5 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Merrillville a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $236k and rents for $1,610 a month
- Easy flying: MDW is 31 mi away
- Safe: violent crime is 0.4× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Mild summers: highs around 81°F
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Few dog parks: 4 within 9 mi
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Fewer graduates: 25% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Merrillville ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Merrillville: common questions
What is the cost of living in Merrillville?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $236k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,610 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 104, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Merrillville?
Indiana collects about $1,275 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.9% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Merrillville safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.4× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Merrillville?
Public schools in Merrillville test close to the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 17 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Merrillville?
Merrillville has cold winters: winter days average around 35°F and summer days around 81°F, with roughly 27″ of snow a year.
Does Merrillville get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, cold waves and tornadoes: 12 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.18 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Merrillville?
The nearest major airport is MDW, about 31 mi away.
How Merrillville scores
Each bar compares Merrillville with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Merrillville
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Indiana.
Is Merrillville right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.