Work & commute · Elkhart

Work & commute in Elkhart, IN

41% of Elkhart’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Goshen (9%), Mishawaka (5%) and South Bend (5%). Half commute less than 6 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

41%

9,246 of 22,785 working residents

Typical commute

6 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 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 13,539 Elkhart residents head out of town to work, 9,246 work right here, and 44,230 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Elkhart.

13,539live here, work elsewhere

9,246live and work here

44,230work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Elkhart goes to work

Elkhart (in town)right here

41%9,246

Goshen10.6 mi away

9%1,992

Mishawaka10.5 mi away

5%1,147

South Bend15.8 mi away

5%1,137

Bristol6.9 mi away

4%923

Cleveland3.9 mi away

3%679

Middlebury13.2 mi away

2%467

Baugo4.9 mi away

2%401

York12.7 mi away

1%317

Osolo2.4 mi away

1%311

Everywhere elseother towns and states

27%6,165

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

How far

How far Elkhart commutes

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

61%

24%

12%

61%Under 10 mi

24%10–24 mi

3%25–50 mi

12%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Elkhart is a job hub

2.35jobs per working resident

A job hub

2.3 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Elkhart are

53,476 jobs are based in Elkhart. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Elkhart’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Elkhart

53,476 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)55%

Trade, transport & utilities16%

Services (health, schools, offices…)29%

$1,250 a month or less9%

$1,251–$3,333 a month28%

Over $3,333 a month63%

Jobs Elkhart residents hold

22,785 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)44%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)38%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month34%

Over $3,333 a month52%

+15%

Jobs based in Elkhart, 2013 → 2023: 46,618 → 53,476. 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.