East Chicago is a medium-sized city located in the state of Indiana. With a population of 25,830 people and ten associated neighborhoods, East Chicago is the 39th largest community in Indiana. Much of the housing stock in East Chicago was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

The population of East Chicago has a very low overall level of education: only 9.91% of people over 25 hold a 4-year college degree or higher.

The per capita income in East Chicago in 2022 was $23,164, which is low income relative to Indiana and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $92,656 for a family of four. However, East Chicago contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

East Chicago is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call East Chicago home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in East Chicago, accounting for 56.46% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of East Chicago residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in East Chicago include Polish, German, Irish, Hungarian, and English.

Foreign born people are also an important part of East Chicago's cultural character, accounting for 16.15% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in East Chicago is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.