Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
For more than 28,000 people in the Radius Indiana region, commuting to a job is a way of life.
The region’s commuters include workers who leave their home county to work in another Radius county as well as workers who drive to jobs outside the region.
Commuters make up 23% of the region’s 122,021 employed residents. A total of 19,235 residents commute out of the region.
Where do they go?
Louisville and Bloomington are the two cities that draw the largest number of commuters from the eight-county Radius region. According to STATS Indiana, 6,775 travel to Bloomington for work and more than 5,500 drive to Louisville. About 700 work jobs in or near Evansville. The average commute time for workers in the Radius region is about 25 minutes.
Louisville, which is about a 40- to 50-mile drive from the southern portion of the Radius region, is becoming a land of job opportunities. In September, the Louisville metro area was the fastest growing city in the US in terms of job growth, according to a report from payroll and HR platform Gusto, with a 2.5% increase. Indianapolis reported 1.1% job growth and Cincinnati 1% growth.
The report also noted that salaries for new hires in Louisville grew 11% in September, which was the third-fastest in salary growth among US cities.
Among Radius counties, Greene, Lawrence and Washington report having the most commuters.
About 4,500 Greene County residents commute out of the region; 3,013 drive to Bloomington. Nearly 5,000 Lawrence County residents work outside the region. Of those, about 3,700 work in Bloomington. Farther south, Washington County reports 4,700 residents commute to Louisville. Total number of commuting workers in Washington County is 5,175. Louisville also attracts workers from Crawford County with 1,224 residents crossing the Ohio for work.
Proximity to a metro job hub also factors into residents commuting. Martin County, which is in the center of the Radius region, has the fewest commuters who leave the region for jobs at just 284.
Commuting can make for a longer work day, but the move to a hybrid office schedule for those who can work remotely, is reducing the amount of time commuters spend behind the wheel.
Proximity to a metro city that has a plethora of job opportunities can be a benefit for small, rural counties because those residents, even though they work elsewhere, are able to stay in their county of residence.
“Advantages that I see for commuters are the ability to maintain the simplicity of ‘small town living’ while having more options in their career, staying close to family as you raise children, smaller school systems, and affordability. A longer drive to and from work can also be a blessing in that it allows you time to map out your day on the way into work and to decompress on the way home – letting you be more present in your time at home,” said Skylar Whiteman, executive director of the Orange County Economic Development Partnership.
Erik Bush, executive director of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, who is a commuter himself, driving to Salem from Madison, said commuting makes sense for those who like small town living.
“I’m always talking about the quality of place as being one of the main things people consider when deciding where to live,” Bush said. “A lot of people don’t look for a job close to home like they used to. With many jobs offering remote work, people are settling in locations where they can raise a family.”
The appeal of a small town with less crime makes cities like Salem appealing to those who commute to large cities.
“We have quiet neighborhoods, good restaurants and you can’t beat the charm of downtown Salem,” Bush added.
Commuting stats in Radius Indiana region
The following data from STATS Indiana shows the number of residents who commute to jobs outside of the Radius region.
- Crawford Co. — 1,626 (1,334 to Louisville)
- Daviess Co. — 1,165 (320 to Evansville)
- Dubois Co. — 1,346 (346 to Evansville)
- Greene Co. — 4,526 (3,013 to Bloomington)
- Lawrence Co. — 4,960 (3,676 to Bloomington)
- Martin Co. — 284 (86 to Bloomington)
- Orange Co. — 627 (295 to Louisville)
- Washington Co. — 4,701 (3,903 to Louisville)