Rural Indiana's investment wins mask county-level wage divergence.
2.7%
Lowest nonmetro unemployment rate
Pulaski County vs 3.3% statewide, 4.1% national
$742 vs $1,695/week
County wage gap
Brown County low vs Martin County high
18.6%
Local government fiscal confidence
Rate excellent/very good, down from 31.3% in 2025
63%
Indiana labor force participation
Down from 63.1%, vs 61.6% national
This Month's Takeaways
01
Rural Indiana's low unemployment masks wide wage dispersion.
Pulaski, Wells and Boone counties post unemployment well under the state average, yet 82 of 83 smaller counties still report wages below the national benchmark, with a more than $950 weekly gap between the highest- and lowest-paid counties. Tight labor availability in some counties may not translate into matching wage pressure, a sign that labor supply and wage growth are decoupling in parts of the rural economy.
02
Capital investment is landing in specific sectors, not broadly.
Givaudan's $215 million Dearborn County facility and the state's 570 new high-wage jobs in advanced manufacturing, agbioscience and defense represent targeted, named commitments rather than economy-wide hiring momentum. Commerce leaders evaluating business climate should weigh these wins against softer advertised-pay trends in warehouse management (down significantly) and marketing roles (down moderately) that suggest uneven momentum across the broader basket.
03
Local government financial confidence is eroding faster than labor data suggests.
Only 18.6% of local government leaders rated their financial situation excellent to very good in 2026, down from 31.3% a year earlier, even as statewide unemployment sits near a three-year low. That divergence may suggest fiscal pressure on public-sector budgets is building independent of labor market tightness, a signal relevant to public-sector stability discussions distinct from private hiring trends.
04
Statewide participation softness bears watching at the county level.
Indiana's labor force participation rate slipped to 63% in August from 63.1%, continuing a 12-month decline of 0.8 points even though the rate remains above the national 61.6%. Sustained erosion in labor force participation, if it persists in nonmetro counties, could narrow the labor pool available to support announced investment projects over time.
Local Economic Conditions
Indiana's nonmetro counties show a split economy: Pulaski (2.7%), Wells (2.8%) and Boone (2.9%) counties post unemployment rates well below the state's already-low 3.3%, while wage levels in 82 of 83 smaller counties still trail the national average, with Martin County topping out at $1,695 weekly against Brown County's $742 low. Fresh capital commitments — including Givaudan's $215 million Dearborn County facility and a state-announced 570 new high-wage jobs across advanced manufacturing, agbioscience and defense — point to sector-specific investment momentum even as aggregate rural wage growth remains uneven across counties.
Open Threads in the Data
Wide county-to-county wage and unemployment dispersion suggests nonmetro Indiana is not one labor market but dozens of smaller ones, each responding differently to the same statewide investment announcements — a dynamic that matters for how commerce leaders calibrate expansion or site-location pitches to specific counties rather than the region as a whole. Named investments in manufacturing and agbioscience suggest sector-specific momentum that may not translate evenly to retail, logistics or office-based activity, where metro-level advertised pay for roles like warehouse associate and account manager is trending down. Local chambers and economic development offices should consider tracking county-level wage and participation data alongside statewide averages when assessing whether local business conditions support new investment or expansion commitments.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the IN NONMETROPOLITAN AREA 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 |
$26,451 |
↓ Moderate decline |
5,765 |
| Retail Cashier |
$26,000 |
↓ Moderate decline |
2,073 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$35,044 |
↓ Moderate decline |
929 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$75,790 |
↓ Moderate decline |
19,285 |
| Delivery Driver |
$30,916 |
↓ Moderate decline |
6,092 |
| Warehouse Manager |
$65,401 |
↓ Significant decline |
21 |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$40,040 |
↑ Moderate increase |
409 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$70,720 |
↑ Significant increase |
1,048 |
| HVAC Technician |
$66,560 |
→ Stable |
111 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$37,774 |
→ Stable |
1,456 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$37,440 |
→ Stable |
752 |
| Operations Manager |
$81,721 |
↑ Moderate increase |
110 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$29,009 |
→ Stable |
309 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$36,321 |
→ Stable |
4,957 |
| Registered Nurse |
$89,438 |
↑ Moderate increase |
7,720 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$38,610 |
→ Stable |
746 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$129,191 |
→ Stable |
236 |
| Data Engineer |
$102,762 |
↓ Significant decline |
127 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$67,073 |
↑ Moderate increase |
408 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$69,490 |
↑ Significant increase |
238 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$49,288 |
↓ Moderate decline |
37 |
| Business Analyst |
$100,518 |
↑ Moderate increase |
55 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$78,219 |
↓ Significant decline |
208 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$49,518 |
↑ Significant increase |
3,335 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$63,484 |
↓ Significant decline |
353 |
Industry Snapshot · IN NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
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 |
↓ −5.3% |
↓ −49.0% |
| Manufacturing |
→ −1.8% |
↓ −45.9% |
| Retail Trade |
↑ +4.2% |
↓ −26.8% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +13.6% |
↓ −22.9% |
| Information |
↓ −13.0% |
↓ −89.5% |
| Financial Activities |
↓ −14.7% |
↓ −72.8% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↓ −16.8% |
↓ −47.4% |
| Education & Health Services |
→ −2.9% |
↓ −38.9% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −4.4% |
↓ −28.5% |
| Government |
↑ +18.5% |
↓ −35.5% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Worth watching
Whether the Givaudan Dearborn County project and the state's 570 newly announced jobs in advanced manufacturing and agbioscience begin showing up in county-level payroll and wage data over the next two reporting cycles, or remain announcements without visible local effect.
Emerging pressure point
Local government financial confidence fell sharply year over year even as unemployment held near historic lows; watch for budget or service-level strain in nonmetro counties that could affect public-sector stability independent of private labor conditions.
Early indicator
Indiana's labor force participation rate has declined for 12 straight months; a continued slide in nonmetro counties specifically would be a more consequential signal for long-term labor supply than the state's still-favorable national comparison suggests.
Potential inflection point
National nonfarm payrolls grew just 29,000 in September with real wages now trailing inflation (3.0% wage growth vs 3.4% CPI); if that national softening reaches Indiana's manufacturing-heavy nonmetro counties, it would test whether recent investment announcements can offset broader cooling.
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.
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