Photo: Publichall · CC BY-SA 3.0A job hub: Elkhart has 2.3 jobs per working resident, and 44,230 people come in to work
Jobs and income earn Elkhart C+; getting around on foot earns it A−. There are 53,476 jobs in Elkhart for 22,785 working residents. Measured by household income, Elkhart is behind 87% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Elkhart apart
Elkhart is where the jobs are
Elkhart has 53,476 jobs, 2.4 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 85,000 people are in town, 57% more than the 54,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Elkhart makes and builds things
55% of the jobs based in Elkhart are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Elkhart residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 44%. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Elkhart are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 24 across Indiana. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Indiana worker. Time on the road ↓
The biggest group of Elkhart’s workers comes from South Bend
3,176 of the people who work in Elkhart live in South Bend, 16 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
Few Elkhart workers work from home
Only 3% of workers work from home, against 11% across Indiana. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
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.
The four measures behind Elkhart’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Elkhart is better than 36% of U.S. towns, #437 of 593 in Indiana. Job access by car holds Elkhart’s grade up (ahead of 75% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($51,028, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Elkhart could be anywhere from C to B−.
The workday shuffle in and out of Elkhart
On a workday 13,539 residents head out to work and 9,246 work right here.
About 85,000 people are in Elkhart on a workday afternoon, 57% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
In Elkhart, 55% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Elkhart, 2013 → 2023: 46,618 → 53,476. 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 Elkhart’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Elkhart: about 19 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Elkhart workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 23,862 commuters (the 3% 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.
Where Elkhart’s workers come from
Where Elkhart clocks in
9% of workers
5% of workers
5% 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.
How far Elkhart’s workers travel
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.
Elkhart is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Elkhart is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns, #81 of 593 in Indiana. Both inputs place Elkhart 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 24,656 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). 8.1% of Elkhart households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Elkhart’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 38,000 to 73,000, Elkhart ranks 667th of 830 on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Perry Township IN | 39,325 | $112K | 3.4% | 1.3% | 16% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Westfield IN | 66,258 | $123K | 3.6% | 2.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 60 | Westfield Washington Township IN | 70,020 | $121K | 4.4% | 2.8% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 665 | Dundalk MD | 65,969 | $65K | 17.4% | 6.9% | 7% | C+ |
| 666 | North Highlands CA | 47,957 | $65K | 19.6% | 6.3% | 6% | C+ |
| 667 | Elkhart IN | 54,092 | $51K | 18.2% | 3.9% | 41% | C+ |
| 668 | Channelview TX | 43,605 | $64K | 20.3% | 6.9% | 6% | C+ |
| 669 | Ceres CA | 48,982 | $79K | 15.9% | 10.2% | 12% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 830 | 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 Elkhart, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
Next door to Elkhart
The biggest share goes to Baugo Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Elkhart workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhart | – | C+ | A− | 19 min | $51,028 |
| Simonton Lake | under 2% | B+ | C+ | 20 min | $75,673 |
| Dunlap | under 2% | B+ | B+ | 18 min | $87,039 |
| Concord Township | under 2% | C+ | B+ | 19 min | $55,206 |
| Baugo Township | 2% | B+ | C− | 24 min | $80,960 |
| Washington Township | under 2% | B | C | 20 min | $71,000 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Elkhart’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 Elkhart: questions
What is the median household income in Elkhart?
$51,028 (±$1,967) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Elkhart?
18.2%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Elkhart?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Elkhart work?
41% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Goshen (9%, 11 mi), Mishawaka (5%, 10 mi), South Bend (5%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Elkhart walkable?
Elkhart is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.7 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Elkhart 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 Elkhart, from the people who make the trip.
More of Elkhart
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.