| | Gary, IN | Melrose Park, IL | United States |
| Population | 69,739 | 25,417 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 54.2% | 47.8% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 45.8% | 52.2% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 37.1 | 33.9 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 80,159 | 25,429 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 102,746 | 23,171 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 116,646 | 20,859 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -27.3% | 5.3% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | -36.0% | 17.0% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,402.7 | 5,997.4 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 49.7 | 4.2 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 7.5 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Gary, IN | Melrose Park, IL | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 7.1% | 6.7% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 7.8% | 6.7% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 7.8% | 7.8% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 4.5% | 4.9% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 3.9% | 3.8% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 4.4% | 6.2% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 15.6% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 11.7% | 14.0% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12.9% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 6.1% | 6.0% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 6.3% | 5.5% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 11.5% | 5.5% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 4.9% | 2.9% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 2.2% | 1.3% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Gary, IN | Melrose Park, IL | United States |
| White | 9.9% | 17.3% | 59.4% |
| Black | 77.9% | 4.1% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.3% | 0.4% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 2.8% | 0.3% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 8.6% | 78.0% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Gary, IN | Melrose Park, IL | United States |
| Married Population | 29.6% | 43.6% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 26.0% | 41.4% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 3.5% | 2.2% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 70.4% | 56.4% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 46.7% | 44.6% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 15.0% | 6.8% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 8.7% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.49 | 3.18 | 2.60 |
| Households | 27,773 | 7,949 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 16,519 | 5,617 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 10.4% | 34.4% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 26.8% | 28.4% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 11,254 | 2,332 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 41.2% | 24.2% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 21.6% | 13.1% | 10.8% |