With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Union Township works elsewhere
Measured by household income, Union Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. Employers in Union Township report 774 jobs; 4,184 of its residents have a job. The two grades for Union 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
The commute and the jobs: Union Township in brief
Union Township is a place people come home to
There are 774 jobs based in Union Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Union Township has about 6,100 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Union Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 24 across Indiana. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 61 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.
The figures behind Union Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Union Township is better than 79% of U.S. towns, #112 of 593 in Indiana. Household income is its strongest input ($115,664, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (9.1%, U.S. 12.5%). 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, Union Township could be anywhere from B to A+.
Who works in Union Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 3,981 residents head out to work, 203 work right here, and 571 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,100 people are in Union Township on a workday afternoon, 36% 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.
About 32 minutes each way, longer than most of Indiana
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Union Township workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,778 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.
14% of working residents work in Valparaiso
Where Union Township clocks in
14% of workers
7% 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.
What Union Township’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Union Township, 2013 → 2023: 763 → 774. 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 Union Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where in the region Union Township works
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.
Driving is how Union Township gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Union Township is more walkable than 6% of U.S. towns, #556 of 593 in Indiana. Both inputs place Union Township 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 4,175 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). 2.6% of Union Township households have no vehicle (Indiana 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Union Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Union Township ranks: 814th of 2,831 U.S. towns of 6,600 to 12,800
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 74 | Worth Township IN | 6,688 | $123K | 4.1% | 0.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 154 | Miller Township IN | 10,161 | $113K | 3.0% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 176 | Lakes of the Four Seasons IN | 7,402 | $122K | 3.1% | 0.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 812 | Valley Center KS | 7,685 | $77K | 3.6% | 3.5% | 9% | A− |
| 813 | Patchogue NY | 12,486 | $107K | 10.6% | 3.5% | 7% | A− |
| 814 | Union Township IN | 9,494 | $116K | 9.1% | 3.0% | 5% | A− |
| 815 | Skidaway Island GA | 9,315 | $136K | 2.5% | 5.7% | 10% | A− |
| 816 | West Haven-Sylvan OR | 7,674 | $110K | 10.4% | 3.6% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,831 | 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 Union Township, the top three, the last and three more from Indiana.
12% of Union Township works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Merrillville (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Union Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | – | A− | D | 32 min | $115,664 |
| Ross Township | under 3% | B− | B+ | 32 min | $72,416 |
| Portage Township | under 3% | B− | C+ | 27 min | $76,594 |
| Merrillville | 6% | C+ | B+ | 32 min | $67,587 |
| Center Township | under 3% | B | A− | 25 min | $80,022 |
| Hobart | 6% | B | B− | 27 min | $75,160 |
| Hobart Township | under 3% | C+ | B− | 27 min | $70,273 |
| Porter Township | under 3% | A | D− | 40 min | $123,075 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Union 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 Union Township: questions
What is the median household income in Union Township?
$115,664 (±$16,606) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Union Township?
9.1%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Union Township?
32 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Union Township work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Valparaiso (14%, 6 mi), Portage (7%, 8 mi), Hobart (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Union Township walkable?
Union Township is more walkable than 6% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 4.7 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Union Township without a car?
0% 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 Union Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Union 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.