Work & commute · Decatur

Work & commute in Decatur, IN

About one in 3 of Decatur’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Fort Wayne (20%), Berne (5%) and Bluffton (4%). Half commute less than 15 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

34%

1,653 of 4,854 working residents

Typical commute

15 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

27 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 3,201 Decatur residents head out of town to work, 1,653 work right here, and 4,631 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Decatur.

3,201live here, work elsewhere

1,653live and work here

4,631work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Decatur goes to work

Decatur (in town)right here

34%1,653

Fort Wayne21.1 mi away

20%952

Berne11.9 mi away

5%237

Bluffton14.1 mi away

4%176

New Haven17.1 mi away

2%75

Monroe5.8 mi away

1%70

Root3.5 mi away

1%65

Center96.8 mi away

1%61

Washington2.7 mi away

1%58

Marion42.9 mi away

1%44

Everywhere elseother towns and states

30%1,463

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Decatur commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

40%

33%

10%

17%

40%Under 10 mi

33%10–24 mi

10%25–50 mi

17%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Decatur is balanced between jobs and homes

1.29jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.29 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Decatur are

6,284 jobs are based in Decatur. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Decatur’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Decatur

6,284 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)35%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)49%

$1,250 a month or less21%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month49%

Jobs Decatur residents hold

4,854 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)31%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)49%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month54%

−3%

Jobs based in Decatur, 2013 → 2023: 6,479 → 6,284. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.