With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Needham Township works elsewhere
Only 4% stay in Needham Township for work; outside it, Indianapolis is the main destination (33%, 21 miles). Employers in Needham Township report 1,926 jobs, against 3,710 working residents. For jobs and income Needham Township is better than 74% of U.S. towns (B+); for walkability it is more walkable than 20% of U.S. towns (C−).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Needham Township
Needham Township has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Needham Township went from 1,184 in 2013 to 1,926 in 2023, +63%. The jobs ↓
Needham Township and Indianapolis trade workers both ways
Indianapolis is the top workplace for Needham Township residents (33%) and also where the most people who work in Needham Township come from (16% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
44% of the jobs in Needham Township are in trade, transport and utilities, against 21% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Needham 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 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind Needham Township’s grade
Unemployment holds Needham Township’s grade up (2.2%, U.S. 5.2%); the poverty rate pulls it down (12.3%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Needham Township could be anywhere from B− to A.
The kinds of work in Needham Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Needham Township, 2013 → 2023: 1,184 → 1,926. 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 Needham Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting out of Needham Township: the destinations
Where Needham Township clocks in
33% of workers
22% 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.
About 29 minutes to work from Needham Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Needham Township workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,202 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.
Who leaves Needham Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 3,558 residents head out to work, 152 work right here, and 1,774 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,200 people are in Needham Township on a workday afternoon, 22% fewer 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.
Miles to work from Needham Township
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.
In Needham Township, the car does most of the work
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,677 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). 3.2% of Needham Township households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Needham Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Needham Township next to U.S. towns of 5,600 to 10,700: 973rd of 2,981 on jobs and income
| # | 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 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 78 | Worth Township IN | 6,688 | $123K | 4.1% | 0.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 123 | Hidden Valley IN | 5,706 | $121K | 1.9% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 160 | Miller Township IN | 10,161 | $113K | 3.0% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 971 | Plumas Lake CA | 9,418 | $120K | 4.5% | 4.7% | 1% | B+ |
| 972 | Twin Lakes WI | 6,338 | $86K | 6.0% | 4.0% | 6% | B+ |
| 973 | Needham Township IN | 7,952 | $92K | 12.3% | 2.2% | 4% | B+ |
| 974 | Kirkland NY | 9,804 | $83K | 6.7% | 2.5% | 20% | B+ |
| 975 | Elmwood LA | 6,077 | $89K | 7.7% | 4.8% | 13% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,981 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Needham Township, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
Around Needham Township: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Blue River Township (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Needham Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needham Township | – | B+ | C− | 29 min | $92,171 |
| Franklin Township | under 2% | B+ | B− | 26 min | $82,608 |
| Hendricks Township | under 2% | B+ | B | 31 min | $95,387 |
| Clark Township | under 2% | A+ | D− | 31 min | $138,234 |
| Blue River Township | 1% | C+ | B+ | 24 min | $62,436 |
| Jackson Township | under 2% | B | D | 25 min | $84,643 |
| Amity | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Amity: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Needham 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 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 Needham Township: questions
What is the median household income in Needham Township?
$92,171 (±$16,385) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Needham Township?
12.3%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Needham Township?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Needham Township work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Indianapolis (33%, 21 mi), Franklin (22%, 3 mi), Greenwood (7%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Needham Township walkable?
Needham Township is more walkable than 20% 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 Needham Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Needham Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Needham Township
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.