Lake County Demographics

A map of Lake County's Population by Race

Lake County, Indiana has an estimated population of 500,379, a less than 1% change from the 498,700 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 51.4% White, 22.7% Black, 20.9% Hispanic, 2.9% Multiracial, 1.6% Asian, and 0.5% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lake County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lake has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably more diverse than Indiana overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Lake County, that probability was 64.6% in 2020 and 64.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lake County is ranked the 2nd most populous county in Indiana, out of 92 counties. Lake County was ranked the 2nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lake County's White Population

257,039 residents of Lake County, or 51.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lake County is significantly lower than in Indiana overall, where 75.4% of the population is White. Lake County ranks 92nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.4%. White residents' share of Lake County's population has increased from 50.4% to 51.4%.

Lake County is more White than neighboring Cook County (40.1% White). Lake County is less White than neighboring Porter County (79.1% White), Newton County (85.6% White), Jasper County (86.9% White), and Kankakee County (68% White).

Lake County's Black Population

113,808 residents of Lake County, or 22.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lake County is considerably higher than in Indiana overall, where 9.1% of the population is Black. Lake County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Black population has declined by an estimated 6.0%. Black residents' share of Lake County's population has decreased from 24.3% to 22.7%.

Lake County is more Black than neighboring Porter County (4.3% Black), Cook County (21.8% Black), Newton County (1.1% Black), Jasper County (0.7% Black), and Kankakee County (14.3% Black).

Lake County's Asian Population

7,887 residents of Lake County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lake County is comparable to the share in Indiana overall, where 2.6% of the population is Asian. Lake County ranks 15th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 7.5%. Asian residents' share of Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.6%.

Lake County is more Asian than neighboring Porter County (1.4% Asian), Newton County (0.5% Asian), Jasper County (0.2% Asian), and Kankakee County (1% Asian). Lake County is less Asian than neighboring Cook County (7.9% Asian).

Lake County's Hispanic Population

104,584 residents of Lake County, or 20.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lake County is considerably higher than in Indiana overall, where 8.6% of the population is Hispanic. Lake County ranks 1st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 4.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Lake County's population has increased from 20.0% to 20.9%.

Lake County is more Hispanic than neighboring Porter County (11.7% Hispanic), Newton County (8.4% Hispanic), Jasper County (7.6% Hispanic), and Kankakee County (12.7% Hispanic). Lake County is less Hispanic than neighboring Cook County (26.8% Hispanic).

Lake County's Native American/Other Population

2,507 residents of Lake County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lake County is comparable to the share in Indiana overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Lake County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 1.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Lake County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Porter County (0.4% Native American/Other), Newton County (0.3% Native American/Other), Jasper County (0% Native American/Other), and Kankakee County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Lake County's Multiracial Population

14,554 residents of Lake County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lake County is comparable to the share in Indiana overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Lake County ranks 38th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 92 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 13.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Lake County's population has decreased from 3.4% to 2.9%.

Lake County is less Multiracial than neighboring Porter County (3.1% Multiracial), Cook County (3% Multiracial), Newton County (4% Multiracial), Jasper County (4.6% Multiracial), and Kankakee County (3.7% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.