Stallbohm Barn-Kaske House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainMunster’s household incomes are higher than in 84% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Munster is better than 80% of U.S. towns (A−); for walkability it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (A). 6.0% of residents are in poverty, where Indiana as a whole has 12.3%. About one in seven stay in Munster for work; outside it, Chicago is the main destination (10%, 22 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Munster in brief
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Munster’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 28 minutes, longer than the Indiana average of 24. Time on the road ↓
Munster is where the jobs are
Munster has 14,671 jobs, 1.6 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Munster’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Munster is Chicago, IL, 22 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (962) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Munster
Job access by car holds Munster’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.5%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Munster could be anywhere from B+ to A.
The trip to work from Munster: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Munster workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,108 commuters (the 13% 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.
A workday in Munster: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 7,926 residents head out to work, 1,460 work right here, and 13,211 people come in from elsewhere.
About 29,000 people are in Munster on a workday afternoon, 22% more than live here.
1.6 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.
How far Munster’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.
Where Munster’s workers come from
Where Munster clocks in
10% of workers
8% 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.
Munster is a services town
14,671 jobs are based in Munster.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Munster, 2013 → 2023: 13,017 → 14,671. 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 Munster’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Good to walk, short on transit: Munster
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 11,619 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.4% of Munster households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Munster’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Munster is 599th of 1,780 U.S. towns of 16,000 to 32,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 32 | St. John IN | 24,841 | $131K | 2.1% | 2.3% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 119 | Vernon Township IN | 20,047 | $108K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 234 | Sugar Creek Township IN | 18,299 | $101K | 5.6% | 2.0% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 597 | Shaler Township PA | 26,833 | $96K | 6.4% | 4.3% | 5% | A− |
| 598 | Union Hill-Novelty Hill WA | 23,047 | $185K | 5.7% | 5.8% | 2% | A− |
| 599 | Munster IN | 23,504 | $110K | 6.0% | 5.5% | 16% | A− |
| 600 | Roscoe Township IL | 20,256 | $109K | 4.8% | 4.4% | 7% | A− |
| 601 | Lysander NY | 23,110 | $108K | 5.8% | 3.9% | 12% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,780 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Munster, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
Work next door: 13% of Munster’s workers
The biggest share goes to Hammond (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Munster workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munster | – | A− | A | 28 min | $110,187 |
| Hammond | 8% | C | A− | 26 min | $55,504 |
| North Township | under 3% | C+ | A− | 26 min | $61,798 |
| Highland | 5% | B | A− | 26 min | $78,062 |
| St. John Township | under 3% | A− | B+ | 31 min | $103,035 |
| Dyer | under 3% | A | B | 29 min | $107,159 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Munster’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 Munster: questions
What is the median household income in Munster?
$110,187 (±$11,660) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Munster?
6.0%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Munster?
28 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Munster work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (10%, 22 mi), Hammond (8%, 5 mi), Highland (5%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Munster walkable?
Munster is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.0 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Munster without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Munster, from the people who make the trip.
More of Munster
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.