Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Porter Township are higher than in 89% of U.S. towns
Only 3% work in Porter Township; the top destination outside it is Valparaiso (12%, 8 miles). 4.6% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.3% across Indiana. The two grades for Porter Township are A for jobs and income and D− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Porter Township: the figures worth knowing
Porter Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 40 minutes each way, against 24 across Indiana. Over a year that’s about 307 hours of commuting, 123 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (27 to 37 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Porter Township is a place people come home to
There are 611 jobs based in Porter Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Porter Township has about 5,900 people in it, 39% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Porter Township has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Porter Township went from 384 in 2013 to 611 in 2023, +59%. 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Porter Township
Household income is its strongest input ($123,075, U.S. $80,734); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 61% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Porter Township could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
About 40 minutes each way, longer than most of Indiana
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Porter Township workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,354 commuters (the 10% 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 Porter Township on a workday
On a workday 4,266 residents head out to work, 131 work right here, and 480 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,900 people are in Porter Township on a workday afternoon, 39% fewer than live here.
0.14 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 2023, primary jobs.
In Porter Township, services account for most jobs
611 jobs are based in Porter Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Porter Township, 2013 → 2023: 384 → 611. 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 Porter Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting out of Porter Township: the destinations
Where Porter Township clocks in
12% of workers
8% 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.
How far Porter Township’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.
In Porter 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 4,822 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). 0.6% of Porter Township households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Porter Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Porter Township is 481st among 2,780 U.S. towns of 6,800 to 13,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 112 | McCordsville IN | 13,094 | $111K | 0.9% | 2.4% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 152 | Miller Township IN | 10,161 | $113K | 3.0% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 173 | Lakes of the Four Seasons IN | 7,402 | $122K | 3.1% | 0.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 479 | Isanti MN | 7,714 | $88K | 5.2% | 1.1% | 7% | A |
| 480 | Wanaque NJ | 11,418 | $113K | 5.9% | 4.0% | 5% | A |
| 481 | Porter Township IN | 9,699 | $123K | 4.6% | 2.7% | 3% | A |
| 482 | Harwood Heights IL | 8,761 | $81K | 4.1% | 3.3% | 4% | A |
| 483 | Burlington CT | 9,874 | $165K | 2.1% | 5.1% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,780 | 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 Porter Township, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
How Porter Township compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Porter Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porter Township | – | A | D− | 40 min | $123,075 |
| Winfield Township | under 3% | A | C | 35 min | $133,448 |
| Boone Township | under 3% | B | C− | 36 min | $74,631 |
| Morgan Township | under 3% | A− | C− | 27 min | $112,951 |
| Winfield | under 3% | A | C− | 37 min | $135,870 |
| Union Township | under 3% | A− | D | 32 min | $115,664 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Porter 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 Porter Township: questions
What is the median household income in Porter Township?
$123,075 (±$2,718) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Porter Township?
4.6%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Porter Township?
40 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Porter Township work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Valparaiso (12%, 8 mi), Merrillville (8%, 11 mi), Crown Point (8%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Porter Township walkable?
Porter Township is more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 4.1 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Porter Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Porter Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Porter 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.