Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0At 11.9%, unemployment in Chesterfield is higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Chesterfield are C for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Measured by household income, Chesterfield is behind 76% of U.S. towns. Only 5% work in Chesterfield; the top destination outside it is Anderson (23%, 5 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Chesterfield, in a few figures
Chesterfield and Anderson trade workers both ways
Anderson is the top workplace for Chesterfield residents (23%) and also where the most people who work in Chesterfield come from (19% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Many jobs in Chesterfield pay little
34% of the jobs based in Chesterfield pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 32% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Chesterfield
53% of Chesterfield residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 28% of the jobs based in Chesterfield pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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.
Why Chesterfield gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chesterfield is better than 26% of U.S. towns, #489 of 593 in Indiana. Job access by car holds Chesterfield’s grade up (ahead of 66% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Chesterfield could be anywhere from C− to B.
Out of Chesterfield to work: where people go
Where Chesterfield clocks in
23% of workers
13% of workers
7% 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.
Jobs in Chesterfield: what the 490 are
490 jobs are based in Chesterfield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chesterfield, 2013 → 2023: 502 → 490. 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 Chesterfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who works in Chesterfield, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 1,072 residents head out to work, 55 work right here, and 435 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,900 people are in Chesterfield on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.43 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The daily trip from Chesterfield: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chesterfield workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 845 commuters (the 16% 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.
Half of Chesterfield commutes less than 14 miles
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.
Few in Chesterfield walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Chesterfield is more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns, #234 of 593 in Indiana. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.3% across Indiana.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,009 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). 8.3% of Chesterfield households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Chesterfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Chesterfield is 3,420th of 4,868 U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,400 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Meridian Hills IN | 1,800 | $212K | 0.8% | 3.6% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Clark Township IN | 3,026 | $138K | 5.2% | 0.0% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 172 | Swan Township IN | 2,327 | $112K | 0.7% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,418 | Oliver Township PA | 2,044 | $63K | 8.3% | 3.0% | 6% | C |
| 3,419 | Knightstown IN | 2,165 | $50K | 22.0% | 4.3% | 10% | C |
| 3,420 | Chesterfield IN | 2,523 | $59K | 11.9% | 11.9% | 5% | C |
| 3,421 | Waskom TX | 1,980 | $56K | 17.1% | 3.8% | 9% | C |
| 3,422 | Evergreen Township MI | 3,063 | $59K | 13.4% | 3.3% | 3% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,868 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Chesterfield, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
Bordering towns draw 26% of Chesterfield’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chesterfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield | – | C | B− | 24 min | $58,824 |
| Daleville | 3% | C+ | C+ | 33 min | $50,795 |
| Anderson | 23% | C− | B+ | 25 min | $46,909 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Anderson. Darker towns draw more of Chesterfield’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 Chesterfield: questions
What is the median household income in Chesterfield?
$58,824 (±$10,825) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chesterfield?
11.9%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chesterfield?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chesterfield work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Anderson (23%, 5 mi), Indianapolis (13%, 37 mi), Muncie (7%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Chesterfield walkable?
Chesterfield is more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chesterfield without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chesterfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chesterfield
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.