Elkhart's jobless rate outpaces Indiana as RV sector wobbles.
~4.1%
Elkhart County unemployment rate
Up from 3.3% in May 2026
3.3%
Indiana statewide unemployment rate
Lowest since May 2023; flat 3 months
~46%
Manufacturing share of metro employment
Mostly RV production, Elkhart-Goshen MSA
$27.97/hr
Metro average wage
vs Indiana 3.8% YoY wage growth statewide
This Month's Takeaways
01
Elkhart's jobless rate is rising faster than the state's.
County unemployment moved from 3.3% in May to roughly 4.1% by late summer, while Indiana held flat at 3.3% statewide. Divergence this size signals a local, sector-specific dynamic rather than a broader state slowdown.
02
Manufacturing concentration is both the engine and the exposure.
RV-tied manufacturing drives close to 46% of nonfarm jobs locally, well above typical metro concentration levels, and now accounts for a disproportionate share of unemployment claims even as overall manufacturing employment sits above last year. The sector is generating headline job growth and local volatility simultaneously.
03
Local pay growth trails the state despite tighter national conditions.
Elkhart-Goshen's average wage of $27.97/hour compares against Indiana's 3.8% year-over-year wage growth statewide, and local production-occupation pay only modestly exceeds the national figure. Wage momentum here looks flatter than the state's broader manufacturing-led gains.
04
Indiana's tight labor market offers a stabilizing backdrop, not a shield.
Statewide unemployment at 3.3% and 103,000 open postings point to sustained regional demand, but Elkhart's single-sector exposure means state-level tightness won't necessarily buffer a local RV-demand pullback. Commerce leaders should treat state indicators as context, not a proxy for metro-level risk.
Local Economic Conditions
Elkhart-Goshen's unemployment rate climbed to roughly 4.1% by late summer 2026, up from 3.3% in May, a sharper and faster deterioration than Indiana's statewide hold at 3.3%, reflecting the metro's outsized exposure to RV manufacturing, which accounts for close to 46% of nonfarm employment and remains sensitive to consumer durable-goods demand cycles. Manufacturing continues to generate both local job gains and a disproportionate share of unemployment claims, indicating a sector running hot and volatile at the same time rather than steadily expanding.
Open Threads in the Data
A metro economy this concentrated in one cyclical sector means local business conditions can swing faster than state or national trends suggest, which matters for capital investment timing, commercial lending risk assessments, and municipal revenue forecasting tied to manufacturing payrolls. Commerce and economic development leaders evaluating expansion incentives or new facility recruitment should weigh diversification value as much as job-count headlines, since another RV-demand downturn would concentrate losses in the same geography and workforce. Current conditions suggest reviewing how reliant local economic development pipelines and public revenue projections remain on manufacturing cyclicality before committing to incentive packages tied to single-sector growth.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Elkhart-Goshen, IN MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$29,120 |
→ Stable |
792 |
| Retail Cashier |
$26,372 |
↓ Moderate decline |
330 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$39,520 |
↑ Moderate increase |
498 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$75,790 |
↑ Moderate increase |
2,174 |
| Delivery Driver |
$33,280 |
↓ Significant decline |
902 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$35,728 |
↓ Moderate decline |
87 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$72,800 |
↑ Moderate increase |
204 |
| HVAC Technician |
$68,468 |
↑ Significant increase |
44 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$37,440 |
→ Stable |
465 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$38,480 |
↑ Moderate increase |
302 |
| Operations Manager |
$81,721 |
↑ Significant increase |
16 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$29,769 |
→ Stable |
23 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$39,717 |
→ Stable |
637 |
| Registered Nurse |
$89,046 |
→ Stable |
1,113 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$37,456 |
↓ Moderate decline |
205 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$109,441 |
↓ Moderate decline |
23 |
| Data Engineer |
$123,169 |
→ Stable |
1,432 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$63,820 |
↑ Moderate increase |
200 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$63,296 |
↓ Moderate decline |
97 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$53,335 |
↓ Significant decline |
20 |
| Business Analyst |
$80,753 |
↓ Significant decline |
28 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$70,845 |
↓ Moderate decline |
48 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$52,884 |
→ Stable |
654 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$79,434 |
↑ Significant increase |
140 |
Industry Snapshot · Elkhart-Goshen, IN MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↑ +6.5% |
↑ +43.1% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +4.1% |
↑ +91.9% |
| Retail Trade |
→ −2.3% |
↑ +20.6% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +8.2% |
↑ +144.5% |
| Information |
↓ −17.5% |
↓ −21.9% |
| Financial Activities |
↓ −6.1% |
↑ +76.6% |
| Professional & Business Services |
→ −1.5% |
↑ +63.1% |
| Education & Health Services |
↓ −8.7% |
↑ +98.4% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↑ +5.0% |
↑ +84.4% |
| Government |
↑ +85.4% |
↑ +672.7% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Early indicator
Watch whether Elkhart County's unemployment rate stabilizes near 4.1% or continues climbing toward the 4.0%-4.2% range regional forecasters flagged for 2026 — a plateau would suggest a cyclical pause, continued climb would point to deeper RV-sector softening.
Worth watching
Owens Corning's WARN notice affecting 130 workers in Walkerton took effect September 19; track whether additional manufacturing WARN filings emerge regionally, which would compound the claims pressure already concentrated in manufacturing.
Potential inflection point
National wage growth has slowed to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation, eroding real purchasing power; a similar squeeze locally, layered onto Elkhart's already-trailing wage growth, could further soften consumer spending that supports local retail and services.
Expected
Indiana's Q3 IEDC announcements already show 5,385 committed new jobs at above-average wages statewide; watch whether any of this investment activity reaches Elkhart County specifically as a signal of sector diversification beyond RV manufacturing.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
WageScape Metro Member Benefit
Track more metros with Metro Job Market Pulse.
This briefing covers one metro area. Add coverage if your beat, jurisdiction, or membership footprint spans more than one market.
Pulse Plus
3 metro reports
$149/year
Pulse Pro
10 metro reports
$349/year
Enterprise
Nationwide — top 50 markets
$999/year
See plans & upgrade →
Scan or click to add coverage
Need a Deeper Cut of the Data?
WageScape's underlying advertised-pay platform is available directly for a specific occupation, a neighboring county, or a custom time window. Contact us at info@wagescape.com to discuss what WageScape can do for you.
Forwarded This Briefing?
Receive your own monthly briefing, filtered to your local market. Contact info@wagescape.com.
