Unemployment in Jefferson Township (3.0%) is lower than in 70% of U.S. towns
The trip to work takes 29 minutes on average (Indiana 24, U.S. 26). For jobs and income Jefferson Township is better than 67% of U.S. towns (B+); for walkability it is more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns (C−). About one in ten work in Jefferson Township; the top destination outside it is Fort Wayne (34%, 15 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Jefferson Township apart
Jefferson Township and Fort Wayne trade workers both ways
Fort Wayne is the top workplace for Jefferson Township residents (34%) and also where the most people who work in Jefferson Township come from (20% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Jefferson Township makes and builds things
45% of the jobs based in Jefferson Township are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Jefferson Township residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 28%. The jobs ↓
Jefferson Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 24 across Indiana. Over a year that’s about 222 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Jefferson Township’s Jobs & income grade
Unemployment holds Jefferson Township’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($73,736, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Jefferson Township could be anywhere from C+ to A.
Out of Jefferson Township to work: where people go
Where Jefferson Township clocks in
10% of workers
9% 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.
Jefferson Township works in goods: 45% of its jobs
1,547 jobs are based in Jefferson Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Jefferson Township, 2014 → 2024: 1,202 → 1,547. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Jefferson Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Jefferson Township spends getting to work: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Jefferson Township workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,798 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.
In and out of Jefferson Township on a workday
On a workday 2,271 residents head out to work, 293 work right here, and 1,254 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,000 people are in Jefferson Township on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.60 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 2024, primary jobs.
How far Jefferson Township goes to work
About 18% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Most of Jefferson Township commutes by car
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,943 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). 3.3% of Jefferson Township households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Jefferson Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Jefferson Township is 1,249th among 3,394 U.S. towns of 4,200 to 8,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 80 | Worth Township IN | 6,688 | $123K | 4.1% | 0.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 126 | Hidden Valley IN | 5,706 | $121K | 1.9% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 167 | New Whiteland IN | 5,937 | $90K | 3.3% | 0.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,247 | Nuevo CA | 6,803 | $113K | 6.6% | 7.0% | 2% | B+ |
| 1,248 | Plantation FL | 4,531 | $78K | 5.6% | 0.0% | 2% | B+ |
| 1,249 | Jefferson Township IN | 6,002 | $74K | 7.0% | 3.0% | 11% | B+ |
| 1,250 | St. George Township KS | 5,056 | $89K | 7.4% | 2.2% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,251 | Bethel Manor VA | 4,393 | $77K | 7.7% | 5.7% | 0% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,394 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 3% | 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 Jefferson Township, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
How Jefferson Township compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Pleasant Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Jefferson Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | – | B+ | C− | 29 min | $73,736 |
| Preble Township | under 2% | B+ | B− | 21 min | $78,125 |
| Lancaster Township | under 2% | B+ | C+ | 20 min | $76,563 |
| Pleasant Township | 2% | B+ | D | 23 min | $75,678 |
| Union Township | under 2% | A− | D | 40 min | $86,116 |
| Marion Township | under 2% | C+ | D− | 25 min | $68,000 |
| Kirkland Township | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Kirkland Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Jefferson Township’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 2024, 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 Jefferson Township: questions
What is the median household income in Jefferson Township?
$73,736 (±$8,216) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Jefferson Township?
7.0%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Jefferson Township?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Jefferson Township work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Fort Wayne (34%, 15 mi), Bluffton (10%, 9 mi), Ossian (9%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Jefferson Township walkable?
Jefferson Township is more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.3 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Jefferson Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Jefferson Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Jefferson Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.