Indiana | Economic Development Report
TerraMetrics
May 9, 2026
Total Employment
92.0K
Resilience Score
76/100
Diversification
102/100
Net Impact (Probable)
+870
AI Exposure Index: 55/100 -- moderate vulnerability to AI-driven workforce disruption.
Highest risk sector: Auto assembly (Subaru, routine production roles)
Metro jurisdiction -- larger government apparatus with more regulatory complexity.
Economic Vitality: competitive -- strong governance capacity and fiscal health reduce political risk.
Median household income $55K (-15.4% vs state median) -- significantly below state average, limiting consumer spending and tax base.
Unemployment 3.5% with 98,000 total employed. Poverty rate 20%.
45% bachelor's+ attainment -- above-average workforce readiness for knowledge-economy transition.
92% high school+ completion rate -- strong foundation for workforce training programs.
SkyWater CHIPS Act semiconductor fab (construction 2025-2027)
Housing median value $210K -- 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.
Median income $55K -- moderate crypto adoption potential aligned with national trends.
Research institutions (Purdue University) provide local quantum/STEM workforce pipeline, though direct quantum compute facilities are rare outside major metro areas.
45% bachelor's+ rate provides a STEM-capable workforce base for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration.
20% poverty rate means a larger unbanked/underbanked population. CBDC could improve financial access -- or create new surveillance concerns.
Retail/hospitality sector (7%) would be early adopters of CBDC point-of-sale infrastructure.
20% poverty rate strains community cohesion and institutional trust.
Population growing (+2.8% since 2020) brings new residents but can stress existing community bonds.
Signature: Advanced Manufacturing & AgTech - Subaru of Indiana (5,900 employees), Caterpillar, Wabash National. Purdue Research Park: 200+ companies, $4B economic impact.
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.
Combine agricultural land base with AI/tech capabilities to become a precision agriculture testing and deployment hub.
Leverage agricultural output to attract food processing, cold storage, and distribution operations that create higher-wage jobs from raw commodities.
Attract robotics and AI-augmented manufacturing companies to leverage existing manufacturing workforce and retrain for higher-wage automation roles.
Under the probable future, this county's strongest opportunity is healthcare workforce pipeline (feasibility: 73/100). The economic outlook is net positive with 870 potential new positions. Additionally, precision agriculture & agtech corridor scores 67/100 feasibility.
Purdue University (education/research)
Subaru of Indiana Automotive (auto manufacturing)
Franciscan Health (healthcare)
Caterpillar Inc. (manufacturing)
Wabash National (trailers, HQ)
Rolls-Royce (aerospace testing)
SkyWater Technology (semiconductor, planned)
| Company | Date | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wabash National | 2025-06-01 | 65 | layoff |
| Caterpillar Lafayette | 2023-09-01 | 80 | layoff |
| Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) | 2020-03-30 | 200 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SK hynix $3.87B semiconductor facility | $3.87B | 1,000 | 2024 |
| 10% regional job growth over 5 years | - | - | 2025 |
| Priority | Dimension | Action | Impact | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| critical | Economic Disruption | Reduce Education (Purdue) Concentration Risk | +8 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Convert AI Vulnerability into First-Mover Advantage | +6 | local |
| high | Social Trust | Targeted Poverty Reduction in Highest-Need Areas | +5 | local |
| high | Economic Disruption | Mitigate SK hynix $3.87B semiconductor facility Concentration Risk | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Pre-emptive Reskilling Pipeline: Auto assembly | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Sector-Aligned K-12 + Community College Pipeline | +5 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Leverage Broadband Advantage for AI Sector Growth | +4 | local |
| high | Education Value | Registered Apprenticeship Expansion: Manufacturing (Subaru/Caterpillar) | +4 | local |
| high | Social Trust | Pre-Positioned Displaced Worker Rapid Response | +4 | local |
| medium | Education Value | Sector-Pivot Scholarship Voucher | +3 | local |
| critical | Economic Disruption | Semiconductor Workforce Pipeline via Purdue | +8 | state |
| high | Social Trust | Community Engagement for Industrial Development | +5 | local |
Total Impact
+62 pts
12 actions
Local Control
92%
11 of 12 actions
Critical Actions
2
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: Tippecanoe County. Greater Lafayette Commerce. Purdue Research Foundation.
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.