Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Terre Haute, IN MSA — October 2026
Terre Haute manufacturing pay overtakes the national median.
Metro manufacturing production pay rose to $39,757 — above the $39,520 national figure — as Vigo County manufacturing employment grew 9.09% year-over-year, even as local unemployment held at 3.9%.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Terre Haute MSA unemployment: 3.9% — vs 4.1% national, 3.4% Indiana (Sept 2026)
- Vigo County manufacturing job growth: +9.09% YoY — 5,554 manufacturing jobs in county
- Manufacturing production worker pay: $39,757 metro — Above $39,520 national median
- Indiana labor force change: -18,900 YoY — State unemployment ticked up to 3.4% in Sept
Key takeaways
Manufacturing pay crossed the national line this month.
Metro Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler pay rose to $39,757, just above the $39,520 national median — unusual for a metro where wages typically trail national figures by a wide margin. Paired with 9.09% annual job growth in Vigo County manufacturing, this appears to reflect sustained sector-level demand.
Skilled trades and healthcare wages are pulling away from the metro norm.
HVAC Technician pay rose significantly to $81,120 (versus $71,406 nationally) and Registered Nurse pay climbed to $94,408, both moving up while many metro roles sat flat or declined. Commerce leaders assessing the local business climate should note these as pockets of tightness within an otherwise stable labor market.
Warehouse pay growth diverges from a weakening logistics picture elsewhere.
Metro Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate pay rose significantly to $42,120, above the $38,480 national median, even as Warehouse Manager pay fell significantly to $67,500 locally. Divergence between frontline and managerial pay in the same function may suggest employers are prioritizing fulfillment capacity over supervisory headcount.
Indiana's falling unemployment rate requires a second look.
State unemployment ticked up to 3.4% in September — the first increase since August 2024 — while Indiana's labor force shrank 18,900 year-over-year alongside an 8,800 drop in employed residents. Terre Haute's own 3.9% rate and stable labor force suggest the metro has so far been insulated from the statewide participation decline, a distinction worth confirming in next month's data.
Median advertised pay by role — Terre Haute, IN MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $21,320 | $27,618 | $31,512 | Moderate decline | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $24,107 | $27,154 | $29,090 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $33,075 | $42,120 | $42,120 | Significant increase | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $60,840 | $79,706 | $88,000 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $29,410 | $31,511 | $34,423 | Significant decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $28,679 | $38,010 | $39,986 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $62,614 | $76,084 | $86,996 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $33,997 | $39,757 | $43,628 | Significant increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $34,036 | $37,440 | $43,742 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $26,473 | $30,368 | $34,320 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $32,440 | $35,280 | $41,609 | Moderate decline | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $34,320 | $39,654 | $41,600 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $56,160 | $81,120 | $81,120 | Significant increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $79,660 | $94,408 | $108,139 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer * | $103,089 | $142,699 | $158,664 | Significant increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $94,031 | $128,500 | $143,256 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $62,563 | $62,563 | $64,834 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst * | $67,600 | $84,133 | $92,976 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $44,500 | $62,769 | $79,568 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $46,090 | $57,438 | $65,633 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $77,596 | $83,253 | $92,092 | Moderate increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $44,878 | $54,790 | $58,292 | Moderate increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $57,393 | $81,047 | $90,000 | Moderate decline | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $64,250 | $67,500 | $83,285 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $75,506 | $96,464 | $106,217 | Stable | $98,302 |
* 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 | $80,000 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $57,881 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $40,183 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $65,130 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $66,296 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $50,014 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $46,665 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $74,518 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $30,778 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $66,072 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Terre Haute MSA unemployment held at 3.9% in September, consistent with August's 3.7% reading and well below the 4.2% national rate, even as nonfarm employment settled near 68,400. Manufacturing posted 9.09% year-over-year job growth in Vigo County and professional/technical services expanded 24.23%, while statewide Education & Health Services and Manufacturing led Indiana's August-to-September gains — a pattern the metro's employer base (ADVICS, ThyssenKrupp Presta, GE Aviation, Union Hospital, Indiana State University) closely mirrors.
What it means
Manufacturing strength shows up directly in advertised pay: Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler compensation rose significantly to a metro median of $39,757, edging past the national figure of $39,520 — a reversal of the region's typical below-national-average pattern and a signal that local manufacturers are competing harder for production talent amid sector expansion. Registered Nurse pay climbed to $94,408 and HVAC Technician pay jumped to $81,120, both outpacing stable-to-modest national movement, pointing to tightening conditions in healthcare and skilled trades that commerce leaders evaluating site location or expansion should weigh against labor availability. Current conditions suggest economic development officials and chambers track manufacturing and healthcare wage momentum as leading indicators of capacity constraints, particularly if Vigo County's job growth rate continues to outpace the state average.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Vigo County manufacturing has grown 9.09% year-over-year against a statewide backdrop where manufacturing accounted for the most WARN notices (24) of any Indiana sector in 2026. Whether local manufacturers remain exempt from the layoff activity affecting peers elsewhere in the state is a key test of the metro's resilience.
Early indicator: Indiana's labor force participation decline, if it reaches Terre Haute, would show up first in the metro's own labor force count, ahead of any shift in its unemployment rate. Flat or falling labor force figures alongside stable unemployment would indicate the same structural tightening seen statewide.
Potential inflection point: National CPI data due November 10 will clarify whether local wage gains in manufacturing, healthcare and skilled trades are outpacing inflation or simply keeping pace with it. Given that median weekly earnings nationally grew 1.5% against 3.5% CPI in Q3, the gap bears watching locally given Terre Haute's below-national wage baseline.
Emerging pressure point: Retail and delivery-adjacent advertised pay in the metro (Retail Sales Associate down, Delivery Driver down significantly), measured by job ads, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings), moved opposite to manufacturing and healthcare gains this month. A widening split between goods-producing/healthcare strength and consumer-facing softness may be an early signal of uneven household spending power across the metro.
Sources
- Federal Reserve Economic Data / Indiana DWD — Terre Haute MSA unemployment at 3.9% in September 2026
- Hoosiers by the Numbers — Vigo County manufacturing employment grew 9.09% year-over-year
- Indiana Department of Workforce Development — Indiana unemployment rose to 3.4% in September, first increase since Aug 2024
- Indiana Department of Workforce Development — Manufacturing led Indiana WARN notices with 24 filings in 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Median weekly earnings rose 1.5% vs 3.5% CPI gain in Q3 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National unemployment rate stable at 4.1% in October 2026
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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