Jobs, pay and daily life in Bedford, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Bedford is a city in Indiana with 13,837 residents. The median household earns $49,553 a year and the median rent is $828 a month, which is 20.1% of the median household income. The nearest metropolitan area with BLS wage data is Bloomington, IN (73,240 jobs), about 21 miles away; this place is probably not part of it, so its pay tables are a reference only.
How Bedford compares. Among the 80 largest places in Indiana, Bedford is #66 by population, #10 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #69 for household income (#1 = highest), #65 for college degrees (#1 = most). Its county, Lawrence County, is #65 of 92 counties for average pay ($49,342).
Bedford has 13,837 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of Indiana. It covers 12 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,133 people per square mile. The median age is 41.8, 10% older than the state median (41.8 against 38.1).
The median gross rent is $828 a month (rent plus utilities), 22% below the state median ($828 against $1,062). Over a year that is 20.1% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $152,400, which is 3.1 times the median household income ($49,553); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 67.2% of households own their home, 5% below the state average (67.2% against 70.5%).
The nearest metropolitan area with wage data is Bloomington, IN, metropolitan area has 73,240 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $47,660 a year, 7% below the national median ($47,660 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are food preparation and serving related (8,210 jobs, median $29,320); office and administrative support (7,550 jobs, median $44,440); production (6,440 jobs, median $46,900). The area is most specialised in production (1.6 times) and educational instruction and library (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are educational instruction and library ($65,180) and production ($46,900). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Lawrence County was 3.7%. 59.8% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Lawrence County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 82.7% drive alone, 0.0% use public transit, 2.8% walk, 6.3% work from home. 13.1% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 3% above the state average (13.1% against 12.7%).
17.3% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 41% below the state share (17.3% against 29.5%). 1.0% of residents were born outside the United States, 85% below the state share (1.0% against 6.3%). The poverty rate is 16.2%, 31% above the state rate (16.2% against 12.3%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 76°F (24.4°C), and the coolest is Jan at 29°F (-1.5°C). About 1,240 mm (49 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (132 mm) and Feb the driest (79 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Bloomington (21 miles, rent 45% higher); Seymour (33 miles, rent 22% higher); Martinsville (38 miles, rent 19% higher); Washington (39 miles, rent 4% higher). Rent differences are against Bedford; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Indiana (770) →State guide: IndianaCountry guideLawrence CountyIndiana rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 770 federal postings open in Indiana (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Indiana →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,390 | 1.32 | $28,230 | $21,540 | $35,370 | -10% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 2,270 | 3.43 | $37,900 | $37,370 | $47,330 | -15% |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,980 | 1.08 | $30,890 | $23,550 | $45,760 | -13% |
| Registered Nurses | 1,630 | 1.02 | $80,370 | $68,210 | $98,920 | -18% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,620 | 1.51 | $28,540 | $17,270 | $46,630 | -19% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,410 | 0.70 | $31,750 | $29,390 | $37,950 | -11% |
| Cashiers | 1,390 | 0.96 | $29,120 | $22,530 | $36,070 | -11% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,190 | 1.15 | $39,680 | $29,490 | $43,550 | +8% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,150 | 0.86 | $34,850 | $28,000 | $42,680 | -7% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,020 | 0.74 | $38,130 | $31,040 | $47,530 | -5% |
| Office Clerks, General | 970 | 0.84 | $43,570 | $28,070 | $63,310 | -3% |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | 960 | 4.13 | $52,710 | $44,720 | $84,630 | -11% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 930 | 1.40 | $34,910 | $26,800 | $43,260 | -7% |
| Nursing Assistants | 830 | 1.21 | $36,820 | $35,290 | $44,920 | -13% |
| General and Operations Managers | 820 | 0.50 | $101,310 | $51,550 | $256,460 | -4% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 770 | 0.63 | $39,660 | $29,970 | $60,290 | -11% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 760 | 1.06 | $47,200 | $34,950 | $73,230 | -5% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 710 | 1.10 | $46,800 | $33,270 | $63,580 | -8% |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 640 | 2.27 | $60,360 | $38,760 | $72,890 | +24% |
| Security Guards | 600 | 0.99 | $35,510 | $29,110 | $53,630 | -7% |
These figures are for the nearest metropolitan area with wage data, Bloomington, IN, about 21 miles away. They show what the regional labour market pays; they are not a measure of this city.
Median pay across all occupations: $47,660 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.7% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 24.0% |
| Manufacturing | 19.9% |
| Retail trade | 9.9% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 9.9% |
| Construction | 8.8% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 5.9% |
| Other services | 5.8% |
| Public administration | 4.9% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.6% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 3.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 1.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.9% |
| Information | 0.9% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Bedford lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County | 45,102 | $1,784 million | $39,561 | 13,507 | 906 | $49,342 | +4.2% | 3.7% | 22,122 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 2,758 | 23.8% | $43,391 | 1.42 |
| Manufacturing | 2,432 | 21.0% | $76,682 | 2.19 |
| Retail trade | 1,944 | 16.8% | $29,913 | 1.44 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,149 | 9.9% | $20,126 | 0.94 |
| Professional and technical services | 776 | 6.7% | $66,726 | 0.83 |
| Construction | 665 | 5.7% | $60,337 | 0.94 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 368 | 3.2% | $33,043 | 0.90 |
| Finance and insurance | 355 | 3.1% | $64,405 | 0.65 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 212 | 1.8% | $56,720 | 0.37 |
| Wholesale trade | 206 | 1.8% | $64,343 | 0.39 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 177 | 1.5% | $65,693 | 3.46 |
| Educational services | 158 | 1.4% | $40,590 | 0.57 |
| Real estate and rental | 106 | 0.9% | $50,907 | 0.51 |
| Information | 102 | 0.9% | $51,782 | 0.40 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 68 | 0.6% | $15,323 | 0.30 |
| Utilities | 64 | 0.6% | $76,616 | 1.25 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 36 | 0.3% | $43,841 | 0.33 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 82.7% |
| Public transit | 0.0% |
| Walk | 2.8% |
| Work from home | 6.3% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 13.1% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,553 |
| Income per person | $31,811 |
| Median gross rent per month | $828 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 20.1% |
| Median home value | $152,400 |
| Homeowners | 67.2% |
| Poverty rate | 16.2% |
| Price level of the nearest metro area (US = 100) | 95.1 |
| Nearest metro median pay, all occupations | $47,660 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 2.95%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 41.8 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 87.5% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 17.3% |
| Born abroad | 1.0% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 59.8% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1.5 | 29 | 85 |
| Feb | -0.1 | 32 | 79 |
| Mar | 5.8 | 42 | 108 |
| Apr | 12.3 | 54 | 125 |
| May | 17.8 | 64 | 132 |
| Jun | 22.5 | 72 | 129 |
| Jul | 24.4 | 76 | 114 |
| Aug | 24.2 | 76 | 84 |
| Sep | 20.4 | 69 | 88 |
| Oct | 13.2 | 56 | 104 |
| Nov | 6.2 | 43 | 94 |
| Dec | 0.8 | 33 | 98 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington | IN | 21 mi | 80,049 | $50,465 | $1,200 |
| Seymour | IN | 33 mi | 22,371 | $64,426 | $1,011 |
| Martinsville | IN | 38 mi | 11,933 | $60,177 | $983 |
| Washington | IN | 39 mi | 12,367 | $50,331 | $858 |
| Columbus | IN | 39 mi | 51,824 | $77,456 | $1,157 |
| Jasper | IN | 40 mi | 15,991 | $68,817 | $810 |
| Bargersville | IN | 50 mi | 10,752 | $114,231 | $1,379 |
| Franklin | IN | 50 mi | 26,168 | $82,380 | $1,186 |
| New Albany | IN | 52 mi | 37,581 | $54,710 | $1,026 |
| Clarksville | IN | 54 mi | 22,016 | $60,467 | $1,110 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
13,837 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$828 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 20.1% of the median household income.
$49,553 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.7% (BLS county, Lawrence County (latest month 2026M09)).
Indiana. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.