Best PlacesForestdale, Hammond, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Forestdale, Hammond, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Forestdale, Hammond ranks 4,357th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. Transit pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on cheap car insurance.
The best neighborhoods in Forestdale, Hammond
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Forestdale, Hammond's strengths and weaknesses
Where Forestdale, Hammond ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$873 a month, better than 79% of neighborhoods
Where Forestdale, Hammond ranks low
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD−, better than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 20% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 27% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Forestdale, Hammond
A household needs to earn about $45,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Forestdale, Hammond home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $69,379, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Forestdale, Hammond's effective rate of 0.73%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Forestdale, Hammond
Forestdale, Hammond runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Forestdale, Hammond.
Who works in Forestdale, Hammond, and how
Work in Forestdale, Hammond centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Forestdale, Hammond
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Forestdale, Hammond.
What the weather is like in Forestdale, Hammond, month by month
Forestdale, Hammond sees roughly 68 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 28° | 22° |
| April | 60° | 50° | 41° |
| July | 83° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 65° | 56° | 47° |
Flying in and out of Forestdale, Hammond
Chicago Midway International sits about 20 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 9.4 million passengers in 2025, with 113 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Forestdale, Hammond
Schools across Forestdale, Hammond average a D−, better than 8% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Warren G Harding Elementary SchoolD− · 12% proficient
- Thomas Jefferson Elementary SchoolD− · 11% proficient
- Annie Burns-hicks Elementary SchoolF · 7% proficient
Top middle schools
- Charles N Scott Middle SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Morton Senior High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Forestdale, Hammond school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Forestdale, Hammond measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Forestdale, Hammond against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Forestdale, Hammond
Is Forestdale, Hammond a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Forestdale, Hammond ranks 4,357th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, cell coverage, and state infrastructure, and lowest on transit and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Forestdale, Hammond expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $174,182. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $69,379 median income, cost of living beats 42% of neighborhoods.
Is Forestdale, Hammond safe?
Forestdale, Hammond is safer than 29% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $522 per resident a year.
Compare Forestdale, Hammond with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Forestdale, Hammond. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Forestdale, Hammond represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Forestdale, Hammond detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Forestdale, Hammond: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Forestdale, Hammond: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Forestdale, Hammond: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Forestdale, Hammond: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Forestdale, Hammond detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.