French Lick Springs Hotel · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFewer people are out of work in French Lick (0.5%) than in 97% of U.S. towns
Measured by household income, French Lick is behind 82% of U.S. towns. French Lick grades B− for jobs and income and B− for walkability. About two in five stay in French Lick for work; outside it, Jasper is the main destination (10%, 20 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in French Lick: the figures worth knowing
French Lick is where the jobs are
French Lick has 2,434 jobs, 2.9 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 3,400 people are in town, 91% more than the 1,800 who live here. Day and night ↓
Nearly all the work in French Lick is services
86% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 9% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
Commutes from French Lick 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 ↓
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; with 827 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How French Lick earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, French Lick is better than 46% of U.S. towns. Unemployment holds French Lick’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($54,519, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, French Lick could be anywhere from C to B.
The workday shuffle in and out of French Lick
On a workday 510 residents head out to work, 317 work right here, and 2,117 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,400 people are in French Lick on a workday afternoon, 91% more than live here.
2.9 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in French Lick
2,434 jobs are based in French Lick.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in French Lick, 2013 → 2023: 2,360 → 2,434. 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 French Lick’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 19 minutes to work from French Lick
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of French Lick workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 936 commuters (the 5% 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 French Lick’s workers come from
Where French Lick clocks in
10% of workers
5% 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.
Half of French Lick commutes less than 11 miles
About 21% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Driving is how French Lick gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, French Lick is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 3.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.3% across Indiana, on an EPA index of 6.3.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 985 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). 7.5% of French Lick households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of French Lick’s commuters take a bus or train.
French Lick next to U.S. towns of 1,200 to 2,400: 2,592nd of 6,085 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Meridian Hills IN | 1,800 | $212K | 0.8% | 3.6% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 117 | Galena IN | 1,549 | $128K | 1.8% | 4.8% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 171 | Foxcliff Estates IN | 1,674 | $142K | 2.8% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,590 | Whetstone Township OH | 1,975 | $67K | 7.6% | 7.2% | 1% | B− |
| 2,591 | Byron CA | 1,837 | $76K | 15.4% | 18.2% | 3% | B− |
| 2,592 | French Lick IN | 1,772 | $55K | 10.1% | 0.5% | 38% | B− |
| 2,593 | Luther OK | 1,694 | $52K | 8.3% | 1.7% | 7% | B− |
| 2,594 | Bruce Township MI | 2,024 | $86K | 5.7% | 4.6% | 2% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 6,085 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 French Lick, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
Work in the towns next to French Lick
The biggest share goes to West Baden Springs (2%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | French Lick workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Lick | – | B− | B− | 19 min | $54,519 |
| West Baden Springs | 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. West Baden Springs: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of French Lick’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 French Lick: questions
What is the median household income in French Lick?
$54,519 (±$11,532) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in French Lick?
10.1%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from French Lick?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in French Lick work?
38% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Jasper (10%, 20 mi), Indianapolis (5%, 89 mi), Paoli (4%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is French Lick walkable?
French Lick is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 6.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around French Lick without a car?
0% 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 French Lick, from the people who make the trip.
More of French Lick
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.