Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHouseholds in Anderson earn less than those in 91% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Anderson are C− for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. 21.0% of residents are in poverty, against 12.3% across Indiana. About one in four stay in Anderson for work; outside it, Indianapolis is the main destination (18%, 32 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Anderson at work: what stands out
Anderson’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Anderson is Indianapolis, 32 miles away as the crow flies. 18% of working residents (3,876) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Anderson trades workers with the towns around it
Anderson has about as many jobs (22,376) as working residents (22,087), but they are mostly different people: 15,974 residents leave for work each day while 16,263 people come in. Only 27% of the jobs in Anderson are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Anderson’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Anderson is better than 17% of U.S. towns, #545 of 593 in Indiana. Job access by car holds Anderson’s grade up (ahead of 69% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($46,909, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Anderson could be anywhere from D to C−.
The commute from Anderson, by distance
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Who works in Anderson, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 15,974 residents head out to work, 6,113 work right here, and 16,263 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.01 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Out of Anderson to work: where people go
Where Anderson clocks in
18% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What the 22,376 jobs in Anderson are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Anderson, 2013 → 2023: 21,640 → 22,376. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Anderson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 25 minutes in Anderson
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Anderson workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 21,186 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Indiana: 85% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The commute in Anderson is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Anderson is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns, #100 of 593 in Indiana. Both inputs place Anderson near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 23,432 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 9.0% of Anderson households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Anderson’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Anderson compares with U.S. towns of 39,000 to 76,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Fall Creek Township IN | 75,188 | $146K | 3.2% | 2.4% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Perry Township IN | 39,325 | $112K | 3.4% | 1.3% | 16% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Westfield IN | 66,258 | $123K | 3.6% | 2.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 761 | Camden NJ | 71,430 | $41K | 30.2% | 14.5% | 17% | C− |
| 762 | Harrisburg PA | 50,522 | $48K | 30.5% | 11.4% | 20% | C− |
| 763 | Anderson IN | 56,153 | $47K | 21.0% | 7.3% | 28% | C− |
| 764 | Jackson TN | 69,339 | $53K | 22.2% | 8.1% | 60% | C− |
| 765 | Decatur IL | 67,884 | $52K | 19.4% | 8.3% | 53% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 797 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Anderson, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
Around Anderson: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Pendleton (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Anderson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson | – | C− | B+ | 25 min | $46,909 |
| Edgewood | under 2% | A | B | 27 min | $87,770 |
| River Forest | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Pendleton | 2% | B | A− | 24 min | $86,806 |
| Anderson Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Fall Creek Township | 1% | B+ | C+ | 24 min | $90,726 |
| Stony Creek Township | 2% | B+ | B− | 27 min | $79,250 |
| Adams Township | under 2% | B+ | D | 27 min | $82,500 |
| Chesterfield | under 2% | C | B− | 24 min | $58,824 |
| Union Township | under 2% | B | C− | 24 min | $75,795 |
| Lafayette Township | under 2% | B− | C− | 27 min | $63,857 |
Same-state neighbors only. River Forest: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Anderson Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Anderson’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Anderson: questions
What is the median household income in Anderson?
$46,909 (±$2,013) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Anderson?
21.0%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Anderson?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Anderson work?
28% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Indianapolis (18%, 32 mi), Noblesville (4%, 17 mi), Fishers (4%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Anderson walkable?
Anderson is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.2 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Anderson without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Anderson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Anderson
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.