Porter County, Indiana

Porter County is a county in Indiana, United States, on the Lake Michigan shore about 40 miles
southeast of downtown Chicago. It had a population of 173,215 at the 2020 census, an estimated
176,049 more recently, and covers 521.8 square miles (1,351 km2) centred near 40°51′N 87°07′W.

Valparaiso is the county seat; its postal code is 46383. The county holds 2 cities, 9
incorporated towns and 16 unincorporated communities across 12 townships, and it runs on Central
Time. Its FIPS code is 18127.

Towns & Villages in Porter County

Porter County has 27 named places on record: 11 incorporated cities and towns and 16
unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census
designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.

Porter and Porter Crossroads are two separate places that share the county’s own name —
Porter is an incorporated town on the South Shore Line in Westchester Township, while Porter
Crossroads is an unincorporated rural junction in Portage Township. Ogden Dunes and Dune Acres are
both lakefront towns inside Indiana Dunes National Park but sit in different townships, Portage
and Westchester respectively.

ZIP Codes

• 46383 — Valparaiso (also serves 46385, a Valparaiso University/PO box ZIP)
• 46368 — Portage (also covers Ogden Dunes)
• 46304 — Chesterton (also covers Porter, Burns Harbor and Dune Acres)
• 46341 — Hebron
• 46347 — Kouts
• 46301 — Beverly Shores
• 46360 — Town of Pines (shared with Michigan City in LaPorte County)
• 46339 — Boone Grove

Furnessville, Tassinong, Woodville, Malden, Suman, Sedley, Crocker, Hurlburt, Coburg, Babcock,
Beatrice, Aylesworth, Burdick, Clanricarde and Porter Crossroads have no ZIP code of their own;
mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.

Geography

Porter County sits in Indiana’s northwest corner, on the southern shore of Lake Michigan.
Of its 521.8 square miles, 418.2 are land and 103.6 are water — nearly 20 percent, almost
all of it Lake Michigan itself, which forms the county’s entire northern edge. Indiana Dunes
National Park runs along that shoreline through Portage, Ogden Dunes, Dune Acres, Porter,
Beverly Shores and the Town of Pines, protecting the region’s namesake sand dunes and wetland
habitat. Inland, the Little Calumet and Kankakee river systems drain the county’s southern
townships.

Lake County lies to the west, Jasper County to the south, Starke County to the southeast, and
LaPorte County to the east. Lake Michigan itself separates the county from Cook County, Illinois
to the northwest and Berrien County, Michigan to the northeast, though neither shares a land
border. Lake County, Jasper County, Starke County and LaPorte County all border Porter County
directly.

Demographics

Porter County had a population of 173,215 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 176,049 residents. Portage and Valparaiso are by far the two largest communities,
together holding more than 40 percent of the county’s population. Median household income
runs higher than Indiana’s 2023 ACS statewide figure of $69,477. Population density works
out to roughly 414 people per square mile of land, among the densest counties in the state outside
the Indianapolis area, reflecting the county’s place inside the Chicago metropolitan area.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing and steel production anchor much of the county’s economy along the Lake
Michigan shoreline. ArcelorMittal runs an integrated steel works at Burns Harbor, and the Port of
Indiana–Burns Harbor, a deep-water port opened in 1970, moves international cargo in and out
of the county. Portage grew rapidly after National Steel opened a plant on its Lake Michigan shore
in 1959, adding roughly 1,600 jobs, and Bethlehem Steel’s construction there in the 1960s
brought thousands more. Valparaiso University, founded in 1859, is the county’s largest
private employer and educational institution, and Porter Health Care System runs a 301-bed
hospital in Valparaiso. Ivy Tech Community College also has a Valparaiso campus. Chesterton’s
Wizard of Oz Festival, running since 1982, and Valparaiso’s Popcorn Festival each September,
honoring former resident and popcorn magnate Orville Redenbacher, are the county’s
best-known annual events.

History

The Indiana General Assembly authorized Porter County in 1835 and organized it in 1837, naming
it for Captain David Porter, a U.S. naval officer of the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.
Valparaiso became the county seat the same year. The county stayed largely agricultural through
the early 20th century, until postwar industrial expansion along the Lake Michigan shore, led by
National Steel in 1959 and Bethlehem Steel in the 1960s, turned Portage into the county’s
largest city.

Conservationists spent decades fighting steel-mill expansion along the dunes before Congress
established Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in 1966, splitting the shoreline between industry at
Burns Harbor and Portage and protected parkland at Beverly Shores, Dune Acres and Ogden Dunes. The
lakeshore was redesignated Indiana Dunes National Park in 2019.

Getting There

Interstates 80, 90 and 94 run together across the county’s north end as the Indiana Toll
Road. US Routes 6, 12, 20, 30 and 231 and State Roads 2, 8, 49, 130, 149, 249 and 520 also cross
the county.

• Chicago, Illinois — about 40 miles northwest
• Gary, Indiana — about 15 miles west
• Michigan City, Indiana — about 20 miles east
• South Bend, Indiana — about 55 miles southeast

Gary/Chicago International Airport, about 20 miles west, and Chicago’s O’Hare
International, about 45 miles northwest, are the nearest major commercial airports. The South
Shore Line commuter railroad runs across the county with stations at Portage/Ogden Dunes, Dune
Park and Beverly Shores, connecting to downtown Chicago.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Porter County located?
It sits in Indiana’s northwest corner on the Lake Michigan shore, about 40 miles southeast
of Chicago, bordered by Lake, Jasper, Starke and LaPorte counties.

What is the population of Porter County?
173,215 at the 2020 census, with a more recent estimate near 176,049.

How big is Porter County?
521.8 square miles (1,351 km2) total, of which 418.2 square miles are land and 103.6 square
miles are Lake Michigan water.

What is the county seat of Porter County?
Valparaiso, home to Valparaiso University, founded in 1859.

How many towns and cities are in Porter County?
Ten incorporated places — Portage, Valparaiso, Chesterton, Porter, Hebron, Burns Harbor,
Kouts, Ogden Dunes, Beverly Shores, Town of Pines and Dune Acres — plus 16 unincorporated
communities.

What ZIP codes does Porter County use?
46383 and 46385 for Valparaiso; 46368 for Portage and Ogden Dunes; 46304 for Chesterton, Porter,
Burns Harbor and Dune Acres; 46341 for Hebron; 46347 for Kouts; and 46301 for Beverly Shores.

What is Porter County known for?
Indiana Dunes National Park along Lake Michigan, ArcelorMittal’s Burns Harbor steel works,
and Valparaiso University.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.