Santa Claus has lower unemployment (1.8%) than 87% of U.S. towns
Only 6% work in Santa Claus; the top destination outside it is Jasper (12%, 19 miles). Jobs and income earn Santa Claus A−; getting around on foot earns it C. Commuters spend 30 minutes getting to work on average; Indiana averages 24, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Santa Claus and work: the main findings
Many jobs in Santa Claus pay little
32% of the jobs based in Santa Claus pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 38% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
Santa Claus workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 24 across Indiana. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Santa Claus
60% of Santa Claus residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 41% of the jobs based in Santa Claus pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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.
How Santa Claus earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Santa Claus is better than 76% of U.S. towns, #133 of 593 in Indiana. The poverty rate holds Santa Claus’ grade up (3.7%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 25% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Santa Claus could be anywhere from B− to A.
Inside Santa Claus’ 796 jobs
796 jobs are based in Santa Claus.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Santa Claus, 2014 → 2024: 762 → 796. 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 Santa Claus’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Santa Claus takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Santa Claus workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,133 commuters (the 9% 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.
The daily flow of workers through Santa Claus
On a workday 1,144 residents head out to work, 75 work right here, and 721 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,200 people are in Santa Claus on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.65 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.
Out of Santa Claus to work: where people go
Where Santa Claus clocks in
12% of workers
9% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Santa Claus
About 15% 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 Santa Claus commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Santa Claus is more walkable than 27% of U.S. towns, #414 of 593 in Indiana. Both inputs place Santa Claus near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,247 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). 2.2% of Santa Claus households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Santa Claus’ commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Santa Claus is 1,026th of 5,278 U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Meridian Hills IN | 1,800 | $212K | 0.8% | 3.6% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Clark Township IN | 3,026 | $138K | 5.2% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 190 | Swan Township IN | 2,327 | $112K | 0.7% | 0.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,024 | Fox Lake WI | 2,550 | $93K | 3.5% | 1.0% | 3% | A− |
| 1,025 | Stockton WI | 3,019 | $88K | 6.7% | 0.8% | 4% | A− |
| 1,026 | Santa Claus IN | 2,641 | $90K | 3.7% | 1.8% | 6% | A− |
| 1,027 | Westworth Village TX | 2,737 | $86K | 12.2% | 2.9% | 2% | A− |
| 1,028 | Rural Hill TN | 2,075 | $108K | 3.2% | 8.6% | <1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,278 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 61% | 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 Santa Claus, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
Work in the towns next to Santa Claus
The biggest share goes to Carter Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Santa Claus workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Claus | – | A− | C | 30 min | $89,659 |
| Harrison Township | 3% | C+ | B | 26 min | $67,821 |
| Clay Township | under 3% | B | C− | 30 min | $89,167 |
| Carter Township | 4% | B | C | 26 min | $75,288 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Santa Claus’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 Santa Claus: questions
What is the median household income in Santa Claus?
$89,659 (±$20,074) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Santa Claus?
3.7%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Santa Claus?
30 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Santa Claus work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Jasper (12%, 19 mi), Ferdinand (9%, 8 mi), Dale (9%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Santa Claus walkable?
Santa Claus is more walkable than 27% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.2 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Santa Claus without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Santa Claus, from the people who make the trip.
More of Santa Claus
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.