Jobs, pay and daily life in West Lafayette, 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.
West Lafayette is a city in Indiana with 45,159 residents. The median household earns $34,891 a year and the median rent is $1,225 a month, which is 42.1% of the median household income. It is part of the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metropolitan area, where BLS counts 102,200 jobs.
How West Lafayette compares. Among the 80 largest places in Indiana, West Lafayette is #23 by population, #80 for household income (#1 = highest), #80 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #2 for college degrees (#1 = most). Its county, Tippecanoe County, is #11 of 92 counties for average pay ($61,152).
West Lafayette has 45,159 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.7% of the population of Indiana. It covers 14 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 3,331 people per square mile. The median age is 21.4, 44% younger than the state median (21.4 against 38.1).
The median gross rent is $1,225 a month (rent plus utilities), 15% above the state median ($1,225 against $1,062). Over a year that is 42.1% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so rent here is above that line for the typical household. The median home value is $350,000, which is 10.0 times the median household income ($34,891); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 29.4% of households own their home, 58% below the state average (29.4% against 70.5%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metropolitan area has 102,200 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $48,780 a year, 4% below the national median ($48,780 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are production (15,420 jobs, median $50,950); food preparation and serving related (10,210 jobs, median $28,700); office and administrative support (9,860 jobs, median $46,220). The area is most specialised in production (2.7 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 healthcare practitioners and technical ($79,970) and educational instruction and library ($62,290). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Tippecanoe County was 3.5%. 50.7% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Tippecanoe County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 48.3% drive alone, 4.8% use public transit, 22.4% walk, 15.1% work from home. 5.1% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 60% below the state average (5.1% against 12.7%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
73.3% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 149% above the state share (73.3% against 29.5%). 20.4% of residents were born outside the United States, 225% above the state share (20.4% against 6.3%). The poverty rate is 37.3%, 203% above the state rate (37.3% against 12.3%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 74°F (23.4°C), and the coolest is Jan at 26°F (-3.6°C). About 1,050 mm (41 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jun is the wettest month (124 mm) and Feb the driest (60 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: Lafayette (4 miles, rent 12% lower); Frankfort (24 miles, rent 27% lower); Crawfordsville (28 miles, rent 30% lower); Logansport (37 miles, rent 36% lower). Rent differences are against West Lafayette; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Indiana (770) →State guide: IndianaCountry guideTippecanoe 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.
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| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 6,280 | 6.80 | $63,140 | $36,750 | $71,860 | +41% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 4,260 | 1.68 | $28,230 | $21,980 | $35,390 | -10% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,650 | 1.03 | $30,670 | $23,880 | $45,410 | -13% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,470 | 1.27 | $37,310 | $31,980 | $47,460 | -7% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 2,100 | 1.45 | $38,450 | $28,940 | $44,390 | +4% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,080 | 0.94 | $80,790 | $67,780 | $100,930 | -17% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,040 | 1.26 | $42,840 | $31,180 | $63,270 | -5% |
| Cashiers | 1,910 | 0.94 | $29,540 | $22,720 | $36,510 | -10% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,780 | 0.63 | $35,710 | $29,580 | $40,610 | -0% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | 1,720 | 3.88 | $74,770 | $52,500 | $96,580 | +0% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,580 | 0.85 | $33,840 | $29,850 | $44,970 | -9% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,490 | 1.00 | $28,420 | $17,450 | $47,250 | -19% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,410 | 1.04 | $58,360 | $40,560 | $76,450 | -0% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,310 | 1.16 | $47,270 | $32,480 | $66,690 | -1% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,250 | 1.24 | $55,480 | $37,340 | $83,530 | +12% |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,030 | 0.45 | $100,600 | $51,990 | $221,870 | -5% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 1,010 | 1.08 | $32,520 | $28,790 | $45,950 | -12% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 930 | 1.01 | $34,870 | $25,390 | $43,610 | -7% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 930 | 1.03 | $48,400 | $32,750 | $70,830 | -4% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 900 | 0.53 | $41,090 | $29,790 | $60,300 | -8% |
These figures are for the whole Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $48,780 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.4% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 46.3% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 13.5% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 9.2% |
| Manufacturing | 8.9% |
| Retail trade | 7.0% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.1% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 2.9% |
| Construction | 2.1% |
| Other services | 2.0% |
| Information | 2.0% |
| Public administration | 1.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 1.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.2% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where West Lafayette 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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tippecanoe County | 189,071 | $13,689 million | $72,400 | 92,794 | 4,253 | $61,152 | +0.2% | 3.5% | 101,622 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 18,500 | 24.9% | $83,085 | 2.43 |
| Health care and social assistance | 13,332 | 17.9% | $56,238 | 1.00 |
| Accommodation and food services | 9,424 | 12.7% | $21,634 | 1.12 |
| Retail trade | 8,852 | 11.9% | $33,527 | 0.96 |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,508 | 6.1% | $37,057 | 0.83 |
| Construction | 4,124 | 5.5% | $73,114 | 0.85 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,047 | 4.1% | $93,131 | 0.47 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 2,603 | 3.5% | $47,357 | 0.93 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,431 | 3.3% | $69,683 | 0.66 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,354 | 3.2% | $55,540 | 0.60 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,543 | 2.1% | $82,215 | 0.41 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,328 | 1.8% | $54,633 | 0.92 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 774 | 1.0% | $16,328 | 0.50 |
| Information | 632 | 0.9% | $59,900 | 0.36 |
| Educational services | 341 | 0.5% | $32,607 | 0.18 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 237 | 0.3% | $47,042 | 0.32 |
| Management of companies | 204 | 0.3% | $92,519 | 0.13 |
| Utilities | 82 | 0.1% | $111,881 | 0.23 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 26 | 0.0% | $79,167 | 0.07 |
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 | 48.3% |
| Public transit | 4.8% |
| Walk | 22.4% |
| Work from home | 15.1% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 5.1% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $34,891 |
| Income per person | $24,882 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,225 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 42.1% |
| Median home value | $350,000 |
| Homeowners | 29.4% |
| Poverty rate | 37.3% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 93.4 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $48,780 |
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 | 21.4 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 97.6% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 73.3% |
| Born abroad | 20.4% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 50.7% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -3.6 | 26 | 64 |
| Feb | -2.0 | 28 | 60 |
| Mar | 4.2 | 40 | 73 |
| Apr | 10.8 | 51 | 100 |
| May | 16.7 | 62 | 111 |
| Jun | 21.6 | 71 | 124 |
| Jul | 23.4 | 74 | 110 |
| Aug | 22.7 | 73 | 101 |
| Sep | 19.1 | 66 | 77 |
| Oct | 11.9 | 53 | 86 |
| Nov | 5.0 | 41 | 73 |
| Dec | -0.8 | 31 | 71 |
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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | IN | 4 mi | 71,159 | $53,716 | $1,079 |
| Frankfort | IN | 24 mi | 15,917 | $57,412 | $898 |
| Crawfordsville | IN | 28 mi | 16,491 | $55,033 | $857 |
| Logansport | IN | 37 mi | 17,790 | $47,291 | $786 |
| Lebanon | IN | 38 mi | 17,812 | $65,154 | $962 |
| Danville | IL | 42 mi | 28,595 | $45,957 | $846 |
| Kokomo | IN | 42 mi | 59,122 | $55,360 | $939 |
| Whitestown | IN | 44 mi | 12,466 | $123,643 | $1,842 |
| Zionsville | IN | 45 mi | 32,095 | $172,024 | $1,792 |
| Westfield | IN | 49 mi | 54,677 | $122,789 | $1,667 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
45,159 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,225 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 42.1% of the median household income.
$34,891 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.5% (BLS county, Tippecanoe County (latest month 2026M09)).
Indiana. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.