Indiana | Economic Development Report
TerraMetrics
May 9, 2026
Total Employment
135.0K
Resilience Score
58/100
Diversification
70/100
Net Impact (Probable)
-3,444
Median household income $58K (-10.8% vs state median) -- significantly below state average, limiting consumer spending and tax base.
Unemployment 3.2% with 112,000 total employed. Poverty rate 12%.
Metro jurisdiction -- larger government apparatus with more regulatory complexity.
Economic Vitality: transitional -- governance under economic transition pressure, policy uncertainty elevated.
AI Exposure Index: 78/100 -- high vulnerability to AI-driven workforce disruption.
Highest risk sector: RV assembly (routine manufacturing, automation pressure)
Moderate ecological risk profile -- no extreme climate events but regional exposure persists.
Agriculture/food sector (5% of employment) directly exposed to climate variability and extreme weather.
No significant financial sector employment -- BTC adoption impact is indirect through consumer behavior and investment flows.
Median income $58K -- moderate crypto adoption potential aligned with national trends.
18% bachelor's+ attainment is 15 points below the national average (33%) -- severely limits knowledge-economy competitiveness.
82% high school+ completion rate -- significant portion of workforce lacks basic credentials.
Research institutions (Ivy Tech Elkhart) provide local quantum/STEM workforce pipeline, though direct quantum compute facilities are rare outside major metro areas.
18% bachelor's+ rate limits local STEM talent pool -- PQC migration will depend on external expertise.
12% poverty rate creates moderate social service pressure.
Population stable (+0.5% since 2020) -- community base is steady.
Lower poverty (12%) means most residents already have bank access. CBDC impact would be through payment efficiency, not financial inclusion.
Retail/hospitality sector (8%) would be early adopters of CBDC point-of-sale infrastructure.
Signature: RV & Transportation Equipment Manufacturing - 85% of North American RVs built here. Thor Industries, Forest River (Berkshire Hathaway), Keystone. 39,919 in RV body/trailer mfg alone (NAICS 3362).
Top Commodities:
Net employment change by sector under probable futures scenario. Green = growth, Red = displacement risk.
Attract robotics and AI-augmented manufacturing companies to leverage existing manufacturing workforce and retrain for higher-wage automation roles.
Position existing manufacturing infrastructure to capture companies returning production from overseas, driven by supply chain security concerns.
Combine agricultural land base with AI/tech capabilities to become a precision agriculture testing and deployment hub.
Address healthcare worker shortages by building accelerated training programs, especially for AI-augmented care roles.
Under the probable future, this county's strongest opportunity is advanced manufacturing automation hub (feasibility: 76/100). While 3,444 jobs face displacement risk, proactive investment in advanced manufacturing automation hub can offset this with potential: 4,025 new jobs, $248m annual payroll. Additionally, reshoring & nearshoring attraction scores 75/100 feasibility.
Thor Industries (RV manufacturing, HQ)
Forest River (Berkshire Hathaway, RV)
REV Group (specialty vehicles)
Patrick Industries (building products)
Lippert Components (RV components)
| Company | Date | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest River (Berkshire) | 2025-04-15 | 180 | layoff |
| Keystone RV (Thor) | 2023-02-01 | 120 | layoff |
| REV Group | 2022-11-15 | 150 | layoff |
| Thor Industries | 2022-10-01 | 200 | layoff |
| Patrick Industries | 2020-04-01 | 150 | layoff |
| Forest River (Berkshire) | 2020-03-27 | 300 | layoff |
| Thor Industries | 2020-03-25 | 500 | layoff |
Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE)
Refundable income tax credits based on projected new payroll. Indiana's primary incentive for job creation. Credits calc...
tax_creditHoosier Business Investment (HBI) Tax Credit
Non-refundable tax credit against Indiana income tax liability based on qualified capital investment. Supports companies...
tax_creditIndustrial Development Grant Fund (IDGF)
Performance-based grants for significant job creation and capital investment projects. Typically reserved for large-scal...
grantSkills Enhancement Fund (SEF)
Grants to reimburse eligible training costs for new and existing employees. Supports workforce upskilling in advanced ma...
trainingHeadquarters Relocation Tax Credit
Relocating a corporate headquarters to Indiana unlocks enhanced income tax credits. Designed for companies moving decisi...
tax_creditData Center Tax Exemptions
Sales tax exemptions on qualifying data center equipment, electricity, and infrastructure purchases. Indiana's incentive...
exemptionTarget Sectors
Active Programs
Recent Wins
| Name | Investment | Jobs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ember RV new entrant | - | - | 2025 |
| MJB Wood Group Bristol expansion | - | - | 2025 |
| B-D Industries state grant | - | - | 2024 |
| Priority | Dimension | Action | Impact | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| critical | Economic Disruption | Reduce Manufacturing (RV/marine) Concentration Risk | +8 | local |
| critical | Education Value | Close the Skills Gap with AI-Ready Credentials | +6 | local |
| critical | Social Trust | Pre-Positioned Displaced Worker Rapid Response | +4 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Convert AI Vulnerability into First-Mover Advantage | +6 | local |
| high | Education Value | Pre-emptive Reskilling Pipeline: RV assembly | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Sector-Aligned K-12 + Community College Pipeline | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Registered Apprenticeship Expansion: Manufacturing (RV/marine) | +4 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Universal Broadband for AI Economy Participation | +3 | federal |
| medium | Education Value | Sector-Pivot Scholarship Voucher | +3 | local |
| critical | Economic Disruption | RV-to-EV Manufacturing Transition Plan | +8 | market |
Total Impact
+52 pts
10 actions
Local Control
80%
8 of 10 actions
Critical Actions
4
highest priority
Impact estimates are modeled projections based on STEEPE dimension sensitivity analysis. Actual outcomes depend on implementation quality, timing, and external conditions.
Census CBP 2022, USDA Census of Agriculture 2022, Census ACS 2024, BLS QCEW, BEA County GDP, WARN Act Notices, TerraMetrics STEEPE Engine. Census QuickFacts: Elkhart County. Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County.
STEEPE Framework: A multi-dimensional disruption assessment covering Social, Technology (AI, Blockchain, CBDC, Quantum), Ecological, Economic, Political, and Education. Each dimension is scored 0-100, where higher values indicate greater disruption intensity. Scores shown in this report reflect the Probable scenario projection.
Resilience Score (0-100): How well-positioned a county is to absorb economic disruption. Calculated from economic diversification (40%), opportunity-to-threat ratio (35%), and average sector wage levels (25%). Higher scores indicate greater capacity to weather change.
Diversification Score (0-100): Economic diversity across industry sectors, based on the inverted Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI). A score of 100 indicates a perfectly diversified economy; lower scores indicate concentration in fewer sectors, increasing vulnerability to sector-specific shocks.
AI Exposure Score (0-100): Degree of exposure to AI-driven disruption based on knowledge worker concentration, tech company density, and manufacturing automation exposure. Higher scores indicate greater exposure, meaning both higher risk of displacement and higher potential for AI-driven growth.
Futures Cone (Probable / Possible / Preferable): Based on the Voros (2003) futures cone methodology. Probable represents where current trends lead (highest confidence). Possible covers what could happen across a wider range of conditions. Preferable describes the abundant future that proactive policy and investment can build toward.