Photo: JoeyBLS · Public domainHouseholds in St. John earn more than those in 92% of U.S. towns
About one in ten work in St. John itself; outside it, Chicago draws the most (8%, 30 miles). Below the poverty line: 2.1% of residents, next to 12.3% across Indiana. Jobs and income earn St. John A+; getting around on foot earns it B.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set St. John apart
St. John workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 24 across Indiana. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
No single place dominates St. John’s commute
The biggest draw, Chicago, IL, gets only 8% of working residents, and 50% work outside the top ten towns entirely. St. John residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
St. John’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside St. John is Chicago, IL, 30 miles away as the crow flies. 8% of working residents (749) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside St. John
66% of St. John residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 46% of the jobs based in St. John pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 92% leave town for their job. 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.
What’s behind St. John’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, St. John is better than 98% of U.S. towns, #5 of 593 in Indiana. The poverty rate is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (2.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, St. John could be anywhere from A to A+.
Commuting from St. John: about 31 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of St. John workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,443 commuters (the 12% 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 towns that employ St. John’s residents
Where St. John clocks in
8% of workers
6% of workers
6% 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.
The distance from St. John to work
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.
The 4,812 jobs based in St. John
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in St. John, 2013 → 2023: 4,083 → 4,812. 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 St. John’s own residents hold wherever they work.
St. John on a workday afternoon
On a workday 8,371 residents head out to work, 755 work right here, and 4,057 people come in from elsewhere.
About 21,000 people are in St. John on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.53 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.
Most of St. John commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, St. John is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns, #163 of 593 in Indiana. Both inputs place St. John 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 10,790 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). 2.2% of St. John households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of St. John’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,688 U.S. towns of 17,000 to 34,000, St. John comes 29th on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Westfield NJ | 32,595 | $233K | 1.8% | 3.6% | 7% | A+ |
| 28 | Bedford NH | 23,973 | $167K | 2.7% | 1.7% | 15% | A+ |
| 29 | St. John IN | 24,841 | $131K | 2.1% | 2.3% | 8% | A+ |
| 30 | Franklin Farm VA | 18,736 | $216K | 1.5% | 3.4% | 3% | A+ |
| 31 | Otsego MN | 24,525 | $120K | 3.5% | 1.7% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Zionsville IN | 33,624 | $172K | 3.1% | 2.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 110 | Vernon Township IN | 20,047 | $108K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 217 | Sugar Creek Township IN | 18,299 | $101K | 5.6% | 2.0% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,688 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 St. John, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
Work in the towns next to St. John
The biggest share goes to Schererville (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | St. John workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John | – | A+ | B | 31 min | $131,467 |
| Schererville | 6% | B+ | B+ | 31 min | $89,466 |
| St. John Township | under 3% | A− | B+ | 31 min | $103,035 |
| Hanover Township | under 3% | A | B+ | 32 min | $102,823 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of St. John’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 St. John: questions
What is the median household income in St. John?
$131,467 (±$12,200) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in St. John?
2.1%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from St. John?
31 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in St. John work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (8%, 30 mi), Crown Point (6%, 7 mi), Schererville (6%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is St. John walkable?
St. John is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.8 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around St. John without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from St. John, from the people who make the trip.
More of St. John
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.