Hoosiers by the Numbers
EGR 1 consists of Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Porter, Pulaski and Starke counties.
Economic Growth Region 1 Analysis
EGR 1 is located in northwest Indiana, bordering Lake Michigan and Illinois.
Region 1’s “singing sand” dunes of Lake Michigan greet visitors to the state’s only National Park, Indiana Dunes. A revolutionary war site, the Battle of Le Petit Fort, and Octave Chanuet’s glider experiments also took place here. The Grand Kankakee Marsh, whose waters the explorer LaSalle plied, was where General Lew Wallace penned Ben Hur. Thousands of migrating sandhill cranes draw visitors to the Medaryville area, while geologists still debate the origins of the Kentland Dome in Newton County.
Hammond is the setting for A Christmas Story, and Toto, a small community in Starke County, was Frank Baum’s inspiration for the name of Dorothy’s dog in The Wizard of Oz. The steel mills are legendary and Indiana’s international port, Burns Harbor, is one of this region’s trans modal strengths.
In Region 1, health care and social assistance and manufacturing account for the lion’s share of jobs by industry. The largest occupations are sales and related and food preparation and serving related. The region’s educational institutions include Indiana University–Northwest, Purdue University–Northwest, Ivy Tech, Valparaiso University and Calumet College of St. Joseph.
Recent Analysis
Labor Market
Review
February 2025 
Industry Sector Snapshot
Second Quarter 2024
Occupational Employment Statistics
2023 Annual
Real-Time
Job Demand
Fourth Quarter 2024 
Unemployment Claimant Profile
Fourth Quarter 2024
Access archived publications via the Publication Lookup Tool.
Quick Stats
Click on any quick stat to view details and a comparison table.
Contact your regional analyst
Need help? Knowledgable regional analysts are available to offer assistance.Kathy Jaworski
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (219) 841-6347
Top 10 Occupation Groups by Growth
(2022-2032 long-term projections)
- Healthcare support occupations
- Legal occupations
- Computer and mathematical occupations
- Life, physical, and social science occupations
- Architecture and engineering occupations
- Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
- Community and social services occupations
- Personal care and service occupations
- Business and financial operations occupations
- Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Indiana Department of Workforce Development
Dive into the long-term occupation projections with the Employment Outlook Projections Tool.
Top 10 Industry Sectors
(Based on 2023 annual average employment)
- Health Care and Social Services
- Manufacturing
- Retail Trade
- Accommodation and Food Services
- Educational Services
- Construction
- Admin, Support, Waste Management
- Transportation & Warehousing
- Public Administration
- Other Services (Except Public Administration)
Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Access multiple data sets on the Industry topic page.
Major Employers (Based on number of employees)
Explore even more employers by location, size class or industry with the Business Lookup Tool.
EGR 1
- Cleveland Cliffs
- Franciscan Health Dyer
- Community Hospital
- Alverno Clinical Labs LLC
- Northwest Health – Porter
- Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa
- Franciscan Health Crown Point
- Methodist Hospital Southlake
- Franciscan Health Michigan City
- Northwest Health – La Porte
About the data
Note: The list of regional employers on this page was updated September 2024 to include local insights.
This database contains listings of nearly 12 million U.S. employers. Employer information is provided by Data Axle®, Omaha, NE, (866)-DATAXLE. Copyright © 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Major Educational Institutions
Name |
Type |
City |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana University Northwest | Four-year | Gary |
| Purdue University - Calumet | Four-year | Hammond |
| Purdue University - North Central | Four-year | Westville |
| Ivy Tech Community College - Northwest | Two-year | Gary |
| Calumet College of Saint Joseph | Independent | Whiting |
| College of Court Reporting, Inc | Independent | Hobart |
| Valparaiso University | Independent | Valparaiso |
Source: Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Use INTraining to search for
training and education programs
Largest Cities and Towns in Economic Growth Region 1
| Name | Population in 2023 | Percent of region | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammond | 76,193 | 8.8% | Lake |
| Gary | 67,652 | 7.8% | Lake |
| Portage | 38,513 | 4.4% | Porter |
| Merrillville | 36,347 | 4.2% | Lake |
| Crown Point | 34,884 | 4.0% | Lake |
| Valparaiso | 34,627 | 4.0% | Porter |
| Michigan City | 31,659 | 3.6% | LaPorte |
| Schererville | 29,657 | 3.4% | Lake |
| Hobart | 29,408 | 3.4% | Lake |
| East Chicago | 25,830 | 3.0% | Lake |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau annual population estimates
Helpful Tools and Resources
EGR 1 IN Depth Regional Profile
At-a-glance details about the region's population, labor force, housing and more.
County Highlights
Get a snapshot of critical population and workforce statistics for each county in the region.
INDemand Jobs
Find job postings and training for the jobs that are both high wage and high demand.
Regional Labor Mix
Discover the regional mix of occupations and/or industries to gain insight into strengths or identify gaps.
Regionizer
Build a region to view demographics, commuting patterns, industry clusters and occupation clusters, including the ability to include counties that border Indiana.
Labor Force Projections
These are the official labor force projections to 2050 released in September 2018 by the Indiana Business Research Center.
Commuting
The commuting data page provides easy access to multiple commuting data sets and visualizations.
Regional Links
View A to Z Guide for a list of external links statewide.