Work & commute · Washington

Work & commute in Washington, IN

About one in 4 of Washington’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Fort Wayne (61%), New Haven (3%) and Aboite (2%). Half commute less than 6 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

24%

4,369 of 18,260 working residents

Typical commute

6 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

21 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 13,891 Washington residents head out of town to work, 4,369 work right here, and 42,562 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Washington.

13,891live here, work elsewhere

4,369live and work here

42,562work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Washington goes to work

Fort Wayne3.8 mi away

61%11,219

New Haven9.6 mi away

3%483

Aboite8.3 mi away

2%373

Lafayette13.4 mi away

2%320

Union11.4 mi away

1%261

Auburn17.1 mi away

1%183

Perry6.4 mi away

1%172

Center106.8 mi away

1%153

Huntertown5.6 mi away

1%124

Kendallville21.6 mi away

1%106

Everywhere elseother towns and states

27%4,866

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

How far

How far Washington commutes

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

69%

12%

15%

69%Under 10 mi

12%10–24 mi

4%25–50 mi

15%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Washington is a job hub

2.57jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Washington are

46,931 jobs are based in Washington. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Washington’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Washington

46,931 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities35%

Services (health, schools, offices…)44%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month53%

Jobs Washington residents hold

18,260 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)23%

Trade, transport & utilities23%

Services (health, schools, offices…)54%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month55%

+2%

Jobs based in Washington, 2013 → 2023: 45,877 → 46,931. 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.