City limitsPlace boundary

Curated city comparison

West LafayetteTerre Haute

Indiana employment and education centers with materially different acquisition cost, gross-yield screen, renter pressure, housing form and demand evidence.

West Lafayette, IN city briefTerre Haute, IN city brief

Decision memo

The trade-off before property underwriting

The interpretation uses direct city records only. County and metro averages are not substituted into this comparison.

West Lafayette is the higher-rent, renter-dense but costlier screen. Its Zillow city rent index is $1,840.61 per month and its Zillow city home-value index is $374,551.70, versus Terre Haute's $995.11 and $163,505.31. West Lafayette's 5.9% Zillow gross yield trails Terre Haute's 7.3%, so Terre Haute deserves the first cash-flow and entry-price review. Gross yield is annual Zillow rent divided by Zillow value before vacancy, management, repairs, taxes, insurance, utilities, financing, and capital work.

Renter pressure remains conditional. West Lafayette has a 70.6% renter share and 73.1% rent-burden share, above Terre Haute's 47.8% and 61.2%. But West Lafayette's poverty rate is 37.3%, versus 24.7%, while median household income is $34,891 rather than $43,126. That is a counter-signal to tenant-affordability framing: verify lease-up, collection history, concessions, guarantor use and achievable rents property by property. Renter density can support demand yet does not establish household payment resilience.

For form and demand, West Lafayette's housing profile is newer and more multifamily-oriented, whereas Terre Haute's is more single-family-oriented; strategy should decide which form matters more. Population change across overlapping ACS vintages was -7.0% in West Lafayette and -3.7% in Terre Haute, not annualized, while unemployment was 4.5% and 6.9%. Zillow indexes and ACS survey measures answer different questions: do not blend ACS median rent or value with Zillow indexes or treat ACS medians as a competing appraisal.

Direct city matrix

The same definition on both sides

“n/a” remains missing. Zillow indexes and ACS survey measures stay visibly separate.

Decision evidence	West Lafayette, IN	Terre Haute, IN
Typical home valueZillow ZHVI · city	$374,552	$163,505
Observed market rentZillow ZORI · city	$1,841	$995
Gross yieldZORI × 12 ÷ ZHVI · before costs	5.9%	7.3%
Price to household incomeZillow value ÷ ACS income	10.73x	3.79x
Annual rent to incomeZillow rent × 12 ÷ ACS income	63.3%	27.7%
Rent burdenACS renter households paying 30%+	73.1%	61.2%
Renter shareACS occupied housing	70.6%	47.8%
Vacancy rateACS all housing units	10.5%	12.0%
Population changebetween ACS vintages · not annualized	▼ 7.0%	▼ 3.7%
UnemploymentACS civilian labor force	4.5%	6.9%

Entry and income screen

Price, rent and yield do not tell the same story

Bars begin at zero within each measure. Gross yield remains a before-cost screen.

Zillow city ZHVI and ZORI · 2026-06 / 2026-06

Price and rent history

Two city paths, each rebased to 100

Each panel keeps price and rent in its own city; no level is borrowed across geographies.

Five-year path

Price and rent, rebased to 100

ZHVI +29.2%ZORI +45.2%

Each series starts at 100 so their direction can be compared without pretending that a home value and a monthly rent share the same unit.

Five-year path

Price and rent, rebased to 100

ZHVI +31.2%ZORI +34.6%

Each series starts at 100 so their direction can be compared without pretending that a home value and a monthly rent share the same unit.

Fit by objective

There is no universal city winner

Five city questions remain separate so a yield lead cannot erase affordability or demand risk.

Cash-flow screenTerre Haute

Terre Haute fits cash flow better: its 7.3% Zillow-based gross yield exceeds West Lafayette's 5.9%, and its $163,505.31 city home-value index is below West Lafayette's $374,551.70. The screen is only a gross yield, however, not net operating income. In Terre Haute, obtain address-level rent, vacancy history, tax bill, insurance, repair scope, utility responsibility and management quote before treating the yield gap as investable cash flow.

Entry affordabilityTerre Haute

Terre Haute fits entry affordability better. Its Zillow value index is $163,505.31 and price-to-income measure is 3.79, compared with $374,551.70 and 10.73 in West Lafayette. The lower entry screen can widen the set of feasible properties, but it is not an appraisal and does not establish replacement cost or condition. In Terre Haute, inspect age, deferred capital needs, taxes and insurance at the target address.

Renter pressureDepends on the property

Renter pressure depends on the operating thesis. West Lafayette has a 70.6% renter share and a 73.1% rent-burden share, versus 47.8% and 61.2% in Terre Haute. But West Lafayette's 37.3% poverty rate and $34,891 median household income, against Terre Haute's 24.7% and $43,126, demand rent-roll, collections and guarantor checks. Its renter concentration does not by itself establish payment resilience.

Housing stockDepends on the property

Fit depends: West Lafayette better suits an investor seeking newer, multifamily-oriented stock, with a 1992 median year built and 29.7% large-multifamily share. Terre Haute better suits a single-family strategy, with 69.2% single-family share and a 1957 median year built. Neither city-level profile replaces an address inspection. In West Lafayette and Terre Haute, verify systems, unit configuration, local code exposure and the specific property's vacancy history.

Local demand riskTerre Haute

Terre Haute fits the relative population-retention element of local demand: its population change was -3.7% across overlapping ACS vintages, compared with -7.0% for West Lafayette. Yet West Lafayette's unemployment rate is 4.5%, below Terre Haute's 6.9%, so neither signal alone proves durable demand. For both cities, check the property's employer or campus exposure, lease renewal history and prospective supply; the ACS population comparison is not annualized.

Household pressure

Acquisition and renter affordability

Zillow city indexes divided by direct ACS city household measures.

Housing system

Tenure, vacancy and structure

ACS citywide housing characteristics; not rentable inventory or lease-up speed.

Underwriting boundary

What this city comparison cannot decide

City evidence narrows a search; it does not appraise, inspect or finance a property.

01
Zillow city indexes are broad market indicators, not a valuation or achievable rent for a particular property; confirm asking rents, signed leases, concessions and comparable sales at the address level.
02
ACS values are survey measures of households and housing stock, with periods that can lag current conditions; they should not be averaged with Zillow indexes or used as an alternate appraisal.
03
Population change is between overlapping ACS vintages rather than an annual growth rate. Validate block-level demand, vacancy, delinquency, property condition and regulatory costs before underwriting either city.

Figure-level provenance

The direct sources behind both records

Release period and retrieval date remain separate. Open either city brief for its complete geography ledger.

Census ACS 5-year — city population, households and housingACS 2024 5-yearPulled 2026-07-29 Census ACS 5-year — cities and communitiesACS 2024 5-yearPulled 2026-07-30 Zillow ZHVI — city home valueszillow_zhvi_city.csvPulled 2026-07-29 Zillow ZORI — city market rentszillow_zori_city.csvPulled 2026-07-29

West Lafayette, INOpen the complete city brief45,159 residents in the current ACS record Terre Haute, INOpen the complete city brief58,427 residents in the current ACS record Property testStress-test the same assumptionsReplace city averages with an actual deal