Terre Haute lags Indiana's tightening labor market.
3.8%
Vigo County unemployment
vs 3.3% Indiana, 4.1% national (Aug 2026)
3.3%
Indiana unemployment rate
Lowest since May 2023, 3rd month flat
$21.57/hr
Metro median wage
vs national metro average $25.67/hr (2025 data)
63.0%
Indiana labor force participation
Down from 63.1%, still above 61.8% national
This Month's Takeaways
01
Vigo County is lagging the state's tightening labor market.
A 3.8% county unemployment rate against Indiana's 3.3% statewide figure suggests local labor market slack that the state's headline numbers obscure. Economic development messaging built on statewide tightness may not fully apply to Terre Haute's current conditions.
02
Skilled trades pay is softening locally even as national trades demand firms up.
HVAC Technician advertised pay fell significantly in the metro while rising moderately nationally, and Warehouse Manager pay dropped significantly locally against flat national figures. This divergence may suggest softer local construction and logistics activity rather than a national trend reaching Terre Haute.
03
Professional and technical pay is the metro's bright spot.
Software Engineer pay rose significantly locally to $140,580, outpacing even the national median trend, while Registered Nurse and Accountant pay also climbed. These gains concentrate in sectors less exposed to the freight, warehousing, and trades softness showing up elsewhere in the data.
04
Public-sector teacher pay jumped sharply, a signal worth separating from private demand.
Elementary/Secondary Teacher advertised pay rose significantly both locally ($54,790) and nationally, consistent with broader public education compensation adjustments rather than private employer competition for talent. This reflects public-sector budget decisions more than general labor market tightness.
Local Economic Conditions
Vigo County's unemployment rate sat at 3.8% in August, running meaningfully above both the state rate of 3.3% and the national rate of 4.1%, even as Indiana overall posted its tightest labor market since May 2023. Metro wage levels remain structurally below national norms — the $21.57 median hourly wage trails the national pace of wage growth — while sector signals are mixed, with gains in state manufacturing investment announcements coexisting with metro-specific softness in warehouse, delivery, and skilled trades pay compared to a year ago.
Open Threads in the Data
Vigo County's elevated joblessness relative to Indiana's statewide tightness suggests Terre Haute is not fully participating in the state's manufacturing-led momentum, a gap worth tracking as Governor Braun's office continues touting new high-wage job commitments statewide. Local softening in trades and logistics pay (HVAC, warehouse management, delivery) alongside strength in healthcare and software pay points to an uneven recovery rather than broad-based expansion. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion or investment timing may want to weigh county-level labor market slack against the more optimistic statewide narrative before assuming regional conditions mirror Indianapolis-area momentum.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Terre Haute, 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 |
$27,560 |
→ Stable |
676 |
| Retail Cashier |
$27,329 |
→ Stable |
184 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$37,232 |
↓ Moderate decline |
131 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$79,995 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,900 |
| Delivery Driver |
$32,115 |
↓ Significant decline |
494 |
| Warehouse Manager |
$65,401 |
↓ Significant decline |
21 |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$37,440 |
↓ Moderate decline |
54 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$76,084 |
↑ Moderate increase |
89 |
| HVAC Technician |
$64,192 |
↓ Significant decline |
25 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$36,456 |
→ Stable |
83 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$38,489 |
→ Stable |
100 |
| Operations Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$29,638 |
↓ Moderate decline |
36 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$35,313 |
↓ Moderate decline |
481 |
| Registered Nurse |
$95,680 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,961 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$38,975 |
→ Stable |
85 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$140,580 |
↑ Significant increase |
4,349 |
| Data Engineer |
$123,169 |
→ Stable |
1,432 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$62,563 |
↑ Moderate increase |
91 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$67,500 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,335 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$57,200 |
→ Stable |
516 |
| Business Analyst |
$97,192 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,989 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$78,318 |
→ Stable |
10 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$54,790 |
↑ Significant increase |
326 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$83,418 |
→ Stable |
75 |
Industry Snapshot · Terre Haute, 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 |
→ +1.7% |
↑ +163.2% |
| Manufacturing |
→ +2.1% |
↑ +186.6% |
| Retail Trade |
↑ +13.0% |
↑ +111.3% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↓ −4.7% |
↑ +209.4% |
| Information |
↑ +64.2% |
↑ +71.0% |
| Financial Activities |
→ +0.2% |
↑ +88.3% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↓ −8.3% |
↑ +265.1% |
| Education & Health Services |
→ −0.6% |
↑ +37.1% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −4.0% |
↑ +91.9% |
| Government |
↑ +90.5% |
↑ +321.3% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Worth watching
Vigo County's unemployment gap versus the state average has persisted for at least two months; whether September data shows convergence or further divergence will clarify if local conditions are catching up to or falling further behind Indiana's broader tightening.
Emerging pressure point
Indiana lost 16,100 net payroll jobs over the past 12 months despite recent monthly gains; watch whether Terre Haute's logistics and trades softness (reflected in falling Warehouse Manager and HVAC pay) is a local echo of that statewide churn.
Potential inflection point
Statewide investment announcements in advanced manufacturing, agbioscience, and defense (570 new high-wage jobs announced in September) have so far concentrated outside the Terre Haute MSA. Any announcement reaching Vigo County directly would be a meaningful signal for local economic development positioning.
National signal to monitor
National wage growth slowed to 3.0% annually against 3.4% inflation — the first sustained real-wage decline in two years. If that gap persists, local consumer spending momentum tied to retail and food service wages (already soft in Terre Haute) bears closer watching.
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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