MONTHLY SURVIVAL BUDGET

Single Person - $1,615

Two Adults - $2,606

Two Adults, Two Children - $4,035

Two Adults, Two Children in Childcare - $4,600

Two Seniors - $2,940

Workforce

Regions that face challenges with an aging workforce, filling open positions, and training workers whose jobs are phasing out are more susceptible to disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic. The IND15RPC region was experiencing economic challenges prior to the pandemic. These challenges became more prevalent when dealing with the global pandemic.

Unemployment – Although the region saw a spike in unemployment rates at the beginning of the pandemic, rates have since returned to their 2019 level or below. The unemployment rates for the U.S. and Indiana have returned to their 2019 levels while the IND15RPC region rates are within one percent of their 2019 unemployment rates. This demonstrates a return to a pre-COVID-19 level for the employment sector for all geographies and a potential resurgence of job opportunities.

Figure 2.9 (top) and 2.10 (bottom)- Unemployment Rate in Select Counties (2010 - May 2021)

Employment Inflow/Outflow and Commuting Patterns - An overview of the commuting patterns in the region is shown in Table 2.5. The column “Inbound Commuters” enumerates those people who commute to the region from where they live outside the region. The column “Outbound Commuters” does the same for the number of people who live in the region but commute to somewhere outside. Finally, the last column, “Remain within the Region” represents those people who live and work within the region.

Source: U.S. Census On the Map

Since 2010, the number of inbound commuters grew at a greater rate than the number of outbound commuters. This is a step in the right direction and indicates that more people are being attracted to the region for employment than are being attracted elsewhere. The main concern remains in the failure to attract people to not just work, but also live in the region.

Where are people who live in the region commuting to? U.S. Census data helps to answer this. Table 2.6 shows which counties people who live in the region are working in. For example, the 2019 commuter patterns show that 37.1 percent of people (share of total) work in Dubois County. What this means is that out of all the employed residents of the six-county region, 37.1 percent work in Dubois County. Similarly, out of all the employed residents of the six-county region, only 1.5 percent work in Crawford County. This is also the reason some outside counties are listed at the bottom of the table. In 2019, out of all the employed residents of the six-county region, 6.6 percent worked in Vanderburgh County.

On the other hand, where are people who work in the region coming from? For people who are employed in the region, which counties are providing the most workers? For example, Table 2.7 shows that out of all jobs in the study area, 33.6 percent were worked by people coming from Dubois County. Similarly, Vanderburgh County residents accounted for 2.7 percent of jobs in the study area in 2019. Taking a broader look at the data, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that out of all jobs that existed in the study area in 2019, 67 percent were worked by people who were also residents of the region. This implies that nearly 33 percent, or a third, of all jobs in the region, were being worked by people who lived outside the study area and commuted into it.

Employment Characteristics – A significant percentage of the region’s population is not currently in the workforce due to age, disability, or other factors contributing to ongoing workforce shortages. An average of 40 percent of residents in the IND15RPC region are either retired or not in the workforce. This is likely a result of a higher median age and decreases in population.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

Average Annual Earnings – Average annual wages are lower in the IND15RPC region than in other parts of the state. Regionally, wages are highest in Dubois County where jobs are concentrated in manufacturing, retail, and healthcare.