Photo: Eric Wood · CC BY-SA 3.0There are 2.0 jobs in Plainfield for every working resident, and 32,095 people commute in
There are 35,077 jobs in Plainfield for 17,396 working residents. The two grades for Plainfield are A− for jobs and income and B for walkability. About one in five stay in Plainfield for work; outside it, Indianapolis is the main destination (42%, 13 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Plainfield, in brief
Much of Plainfield works one town over
46% of working residents work in a town that borders Plainfield: Indianapolis (42%) and Avon (4%). Next door ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
63% of the jobs in Plainfield are in trade, transport and utilities, against 29% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Plainfield is where the jobs are
Plainfield has 35,077 jobs, 2.0 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 56,000 people are in town, 46% more than the 39,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Plainfield has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Plainfield went from 20,507 in 2013 to 35,077 in 2023, +71%. The jobs ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Plainfield
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Plainfield is better than 76% of U.S. towns, #132 of 593 in Indiana. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 85% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Plainfield could be anywhere from B to A.
The kinds of work in Plainfield
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Plainfield, 2013 → 2023: 20,507 → 35,077. 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 Plainfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Plainfield on a workday afternoon
On a workday 14,414 residents head out to work and 2,982 work right here.
About 56,000 people are in Plainfield on a workday afternoon, 46% more than live here.
2.0 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.
The towns that send workers to Plainfield
Where Plainfield clocks in
42% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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.
Plainfield’s commute takes about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Plainfield workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 14,703 commuters (the 14% 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.
Miles to work from Plainfield
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 Plainfield, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Plainfield is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns, #201 of 593 in Indiana. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.3% across Indiana.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 17,038 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). 6.7% of Plainfield households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Plainfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 27,000 to 52,000, Plainfield ranks 453rd of 1,113 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Zionsville IN | 33,624 | $172K | 3.1% | 2.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Perry Township IN | 39,325 | $112K | 3.4% | 1.3% | 16% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 170 | Brownsburg IN | 34,089 | $102K | 7.5% | 1.6% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 451 | Beverly MA | 43,363 | $106K | 9.4% | 4.4% | 19% | A− |
| 452 | Agawam Town MA | 28,783 | $85K | 6.7% | 4.0% | 16% | A− |
| 453 | Plainfield IN | 38,574 | $87K | 8.1% | 3.6% | 17% | A− |
| 454 | Schertz TX | 45,978 | $100K | 5.2% | 6.2% | 9% | A− |
| 455 | Diamond Bar CA | 51,884 | $108K | 10.0% | 4.9% | 8% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,113 | 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 Plainfield, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
46% of Plainfield works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Plainfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plainfield | – | A− | B | 23 min | $87,272 |
| Avon | 4% | A | C+ | 23 min | $98,486 |
| Guilford Township | under 2% | B+ | B− | 23 min | $87,691 |
| Liberty Township | under 2% | A | D | 31 min | $82,171 |
| Washington Township | under 2% | A | B− | 24 min | $100,090 |
| Indianapolis | 42% | B− | A− | 25 min | $66,307 |
| Wayne Township | under 2% | C+ | A− | 24 min | $57,059 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Indianapolis. Darker towns draw more of Plainfield’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 Plainfield: questions
What is the median household income in Plainfield?
$87,272 (±$6,112) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Plainfield?
8.1%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Plainfield?
23 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Plainfield work?
17% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Indianapolis (42%, 13 mi), Avon (4%, 5 mi), Carmel (3%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Plainfield walkable?
Plainfield is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Plainfield without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Plainfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Plainfield
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.