Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Terre Haute, IN MSA — September 2026
Terre Haute lags Indiana's tightening labor market.
Vigo County's 3.8% unemployment rate sits well above Indiana's 3.3% statewide figure, even as metro trades and logistics pay — HVAC down significantly, Warehouse Manager down significantly — diverge from firmer national trends.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Vigo County unemployment: 3.8% — vs 3.3% Indiana, 4.1% national (Aug 2026)
- Indiana unemployment rate: 3.3% — Lowest since May 2023, 3rd month flat
- Metro median wage: $21.57/hr — vs national metro average $25.67/hr (2025 data)
- Indiana labor force participation: 63.0% — Down from 63.1%, still above 61.8% national
Key takeaways
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.
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.
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.
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.
Median advertised pay by role — Terre Haute, IN MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $21,127 | $27,560 | $31,462 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $24,471 | $27,329 | $29,450 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $32,384 | $37,232 | $42,120 | Moderate decline | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $59,815 | $79,995 | $88,400 | Moderate increase | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $29,410 | $32,115 | $34,546 | Significant decline | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $28,417 | $37,440 | $38,043 | Moderate decline | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $63,440 | $76,084 | $89,440 | Moderate increase | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $33,936 | $36,456 | $43,420 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $34,036 | $38,489 | $43,742 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $24,638 | $29,638 | $34,320 | Moderate decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $33,113 | $35,313 | $41,609 | Moderate decline | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $34,091 | $38,975 | $41,600 | Stable | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $58,445 | $64,192 | $81,120 | Significant decline | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $79,660 | $95,680 | $108,160 | Moderate increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer * | $103,063 | $140,580 | $156,856 | Significant increase | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer * | $92,885 | $123,169 | $140,680 | Stable | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $62,563 | $62,563 | $66,029 | Moderate increase | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $68,260 | $78,318 | $79,097 | Stable | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $54,559 | $67,500 | $76,088 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $46,265 | $57,200 | $67,007 | Stable | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $72,499 | $81,721 | $90,187 | Moderate increase | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $38,867 | $54,790 | $59,201 | Significant increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $57,842 | $83,418 | $90,000 | Stable | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $63,750 | $65,401 | $67,500 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $75,787 | $97,192 | $106,603 | Moderate increase | $98,279 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $80,875 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $56,539 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $38,604 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $69,160 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $68,294 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $50,028 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $44,264 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $70,776 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $29,962 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $67,895 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market 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.
What it means
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.
Looking ahead
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.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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