Durham, NC vs Merrillville, IN

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Merrillville

72.6

#860 nationally

Durham leads in walk score (33 vs 23). Durham leads in average commute (22.8 min vs 31.7 min). Merrillville leads in cost of living index (94 vs 102).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Merrillville, IN
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	72.6 (#860)
Population	283,506	36,347
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$246,742
Median Household Income	$67,432	$62,221
Average Commute	22.8 min	31.7 min
Walk Score	33	23
Crime Level	Moderate	7.8
School Rating	6.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	102	94
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+5.6