Indiana | Economic Development Report
TerraMetrics
May 9, 2026
Total Employment
185.0K
Resilience Score
77/100
Diversification
102/100
Net Impact (Probable)
+1.4K
Median household income $48K (-26.2% vs state median) -- significantly below state average, limiting consumer spending and tax base.
Unemployment 5.8% with 210,000 total employed. Poverty rate 18%.
Metro jurisdiction -- larger government apparatus with more regulatory complexity.
Economic Vitality: strained -- fiscal pressure constrains governance, increasing political tension.
AI Exposure Index: 75/100 -- high vulnerability to AI-driven workforce disruption.
Highest risk sector: Steel production (automated rolling mills, AI quality control reducing operators)
Significant environmental remediation needs (brownfields, industrial legacy)
Housing median value $145K -- lower property values reduce but don't eliminate climate exposure.
No significant financial sector employment -- BTC adoption impact is indirect through consumer behavior and investment flows.
Lower household income ($48K median) limits direct crypto investment but remittance and unbanked use cases may emerge.
22% bachelor's+ attainment is 11 points below the national average (33%).
86% high school+ completion rate -- adequate base but gaps remain in advanced skills.
Research institutions (Indiana University Northwest) provide local quantum/STEM workforce pipeline, though direct quantum compute facilities are rare outside major metro areas.
22% bachelor's+ rate limits local STEM talent pool -- PQC migration will depend on external expertise.
Government sector (12% of employment) -- federal CBDC rollout would first affect benefits distribution and government payroll here.
18% poverty rate means a larger unbanked/underbanked population. CBDC could improve financial access -- or create new surveillance concerns.
18% poverty rate strains community cohesion and institutional trust.
Population declining (-2.1% since 2020) weakens social fabric and civic institutions.
Signature: Steel & Primary Metals - U.S. Steel Gary Works, ArcelorMittal (Cleveland-Cliffs), Steel Dynamics. Chicago MSA logistics hub. $77K avg mfg wage.
Top Commodities:
Net employment change by sector under probable futures scenario. Green = growth, Red = displacement risk.
Address healthcare worker shortages by building accelerated training programs, especially for AI-augmented care roles.
Leverage existing healthcare employment density to attract AI health startups, clinical trial operations, and telehealth infrastructure.
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.
Under the probable future, this county's strongest opportunity is healthcare workforce pipeline (feasibility: 82/100). The economic outlook is net positive with 1,435 potential new positions. Additionally, ai healthcare innovation cluster scores 75/100 feasibility.
US Steel (Gary Works)
Cleveland-Cliffs (steel, former ArcelorMittal)
Methodist Hospitals (healthcare)
Community Healthcare System
Hard Rock Casino (Gary)
Horseshoe Casino (Hammond)
BP Whiting Refinery (adjacent Porter County, employs Lake County residents)
School City of Hammond
| Company | Date | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland-Cliffs (Nippon merger fallout) | 2025-02-01 | 175 | layoff |
| Cleveland-Cliffs Gary | 2024-06-15 | 130 | layoff |
| US Steel (Cleveland-Cliffs acquisition) | 2022-08-01 | 150 | layoff |
| ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor | 2020-05-01 | 200 | layoff |
| US Steel Gary Works | 2020-04-10 | 250 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $26B data center investments Hammond/Hobart | $26B | - | 2025 |
| Daifuku Intralogistics $35M expansion | $35M | - | 2025 |
| $70M Hammond projects | $70M | - | 2025 |
| GRP grew $36.4B to $51B 2020-2024 | - | - | 2024 |
| Priority | Dimension | Action | Impact | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Economic Disruption | Reduce Healthcare & Social Concentration Risk | +5 | local |
| high | Social Trust | Targeted Poverty Reduction in Highest-Need Areas | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Pre-emptive Reskilling Pipeline: Steel production | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Sector-Aligned K-12 + Community College Pipeline | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Registered Apprenticeship Expansion: Healthcare & Social | +4 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Universal Broadband for AI Economy Participation | +2 | federal |
| medium | Education Value | Sector-Pivot Scholarship Voucher | +3 | local |
| critical | Economic Disruption | Steel Worker AI Transition Program | +7 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Data Center Workforce Development | +5 | local |
Total Impact
+57 pts
12 actions
Local Control
92%
11 of 12 actions
Critical Actions
3
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: Lake County, Indiana. BEA: Gary MSA GDP. One Region (NWI economic development).
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.