Jobs & Economy in Evansville
Evansville's economy runs genuinely strong on the current headline number: 2.5% metro unemployment in April 2026, 11th-lowest among 113 similarly sized U.S. metro areas -- built on four named sectors (Advanced Manufacturing, Health & Life Sciences, Logistics & Transportation, Food & Beverage), anchored by Deaconess Health System, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, and Berry Global, alongside a real, disclosed median-household-income gap against the national figure.
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Learn moreA Real, Current, Genuinely Strong Unemployment Rate
Evansville's metro-area unemployment rate ran 2.5% in April 2026 -- down 0.4 percentage points year-over-year, and the 11th-lowest among 113 U.S. metro areas with a 100,000-250,000 labor force. This is a real, current positive this record states plainly, not a historical high-water mark now faded.
Four Named Economic Sectors, Not a Vague "Diversified Economy" Claim
Evansville's economy is built on four specifically named sectors -- Advanced Manufacturing, Health & Life Sciences, Logistics & Transportation, and Food & Beverage -- totaling approximately 141,000 regional jobs, with Education & Health Services and Trade/Transportation/Utilities each accounting for roughly 27,000 jobs, the two largest sectors by job count.
Deaconess Health System: The Tri-State's Largest Employer
Deaconess Health System, headquartered in Evansville with approximately 10,500 employees across 20 hospital locations spanning the tri-state, is the metro's single largest employer -- serving a stated population of more than 1.5 million across southwestern Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeastern Illinois, a real, structural anchor of Evansville's own tri-state economic identity.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana and Berry Global Anchor Manufacturing
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana operates a real, major facility in Gibson County, roughly 25 miles north of Evansville. Berry Global, a real, current Fortune 500 plastics manufacturer, is headquartered in Evansville itself -- both real, substantial manufacturing-sector anchors alongside Deaconess and Ascension St. Vincent in healthcare.
Income and Poverty: A Real, Disclosed Gap Alongside the Real Strength
Evansville's 2024 median household income ran $53,387, cited as running approximately 31% below the national median by one source. Poverty-rate figures carried a real, disclosed spread across methodologies: 11.8% for families specifically, versus a broader/individual figure of 18.4% (cited as 5.9 points above a 12.5% U.S. rate) -- both real, both stated here alongside, not instead of, the real employment strength documented above.
Key takeaways
- Evansville's metro unemployment rate ran a real, current 2.5% in April 2026 -- 11th-lowest among 113 similarly sized U.S. metro areas.
- Evansville's economy runs on four named sectors (Advanced Manufacturing, Health & Life Sciences, Logistics & Transportation, Food & Beverage), totaling approximately 141,000 regional jobs.
- Deaconess Health System (HQ Evansville, ~10,500 employees, 20 tri-state hospital locations) is the tri-state's single largest employer.
- Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana (Gibson County) and Berry Global (Fortune 500, HQ Evansville) anchor the manufacturing sector.
- Median household income ($53,387, 2024) runs approximately 31% below the national median, and poverty rate carries a real, disclosed spread (11.8%-18.4% depending on methodology) -- disclosed honestly alongside the real employment strength.
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