Portage, Indiana has 4 accredited schools offering industrial design programs. Portage has a population of about 37,951. Median household income is $72,833 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $163,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Portage
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Portage, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Portage city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Portage.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$72,424
Avg net price
$14,600/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 92%
- Programs offered: 198
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Indiana schools on the Indiana industrial design page.
Industrial Design Wages Near Portage
Portage is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Indiana statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Commercial and Industrial Designers |
$112,950 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$109,025 |
| Industrial Engineers |
$101,760 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$98,224 |
| Graphic Designers |
$66,490 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$64,180 |
| Mechanical Drafters |
$72,540 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$70,019 |
| Interior Designers |
$76,570 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$73,909 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers |
$163,430 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$157,751 |
| Set and Exhibit Designers |
$72,200 |
IN statewide |
$69,691 |
| Mechanical Engineers |
$102,070 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$98,523 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Portage at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
37,951 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$72,833 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
16.0% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
103.6 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Portage-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
- Hobart, IN – 7.0 mi away (28,248 pop)
- Gary, IN – 8.7 mi away (76,424 pop)
- Valparaiso, IN – 10.0 mi away (35,065 pop)
- Merrillville, IN – 10.7 mi away (34,994 pop)
- Highland, IN – 14.7 mi away (22,737 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited industrial design schools are near Portage, IN?
Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Portage. The closest is DePaul University in Chicago, IL (30.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Western Michigan University (93.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Portage?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Portage are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($163,430), Commercial and Industrial Designers ($112,950), Mechanical Engineers ($102,070). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Indiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Hobart instead of Portage?
Hobart, IN is 7.0 miles from Portage and has its own set of local industrial design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Portage an affordable place to study industrial design?
Portage’s median household income of $72,833 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Portage while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Indiana public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Industrial Design Programs
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Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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