Indianapolis metro economy by the numbers

The Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metropolitan area is shown here through Marion County, Hamilton County, Hendricks County and Johnson County: Indianapolis, Carmel, Greenwood, Fishers, Noblesville, Plainfield and Franklin. These are the official monthly and quarterly numbers for the metro's jobs, housing, wages and prices, each one dated and linked to its source, updated the day the agency publishes.

Unemployment rate

3.4%

Sep 2026 · unchanged from a year earlier

Next metro jobs releaseDec 2, 202610:00 ETFull calendar →

Unemployment

3.4%

Sep 2026 · unchanged y/y

Payrolls y/y

-1.1%

Sep 2026 · -1.7 pp y/y

House prices y/y

3.5%

Q2 2026 · -1.1 pp y/y

Listing price

$310,000

Sep 2026 · -4.1% y/y

Weekly wages

$1,418

Q1 2026 · +1.3% y/y

CPI y/y

4.5%

Sep 2026 · +1.4 pp y/y

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Jobs

Unemployment rate

3.4%

+0.1 pp vs Aug

unchanged vs Sep 2025

Sep 2026 · not seasonally adjusted · BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (metro)

Unemployment rateSep 1, 2021 to Sep 1, 2026
2.3%2.8%3.3%3.8%4.3%Sep 1, 2021Apr 1, 2023Dec 1, 2024Sep 1, 2026
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Civilian labor force

1,164,494

+0.3% vs Aug

-0.6% vs Sep 2025

Sep 2026 · not seasonally adjusted · BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (metro)

Civilian labor forceSep 1, 2021 to Sep 1, 2026
1,065,9551,097,2611,128,5671,159,8721,191,178Sep 1, 2021Apr 1, 2023Dec 1, 2024Sep 1, 2026
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Nonfarm payroll employment

1,168.7K

-0.1% vs Aug

-1.1% vs Sep 2025

Sep 2026 · seasonally adjusted · BLS Current Employment Statistics (metro)

Nonfarm payroll employmentSep 1, 2021 to Sep 1, 2026
1,0731,1031,1321,1621,191Sep 1, 2021May 1, 2023Jan 1, 2025Sep 1, 2026
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Payroll employment, year over year

-1.1%

+0.1 pp vs Aug

-1.7 pp vs Sep 2025

Sep 2026 · seasonally adjusted · BLS Current Employment Statistics (metro)

Payroll employment, year over yearSep 1, 2021 to Sep 1, 2026
-1.6%0.1%1.9%3.6%5.3%Sep 1, 2021May 1, 2023Jan 1, 2025Sep 1, 2026
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Housing

Housing units authorized by building permits

1,285

+33.0% vs Aug

+22.9% vs Sep 2025

Sep 2026 · not seasonally adjusted · Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (metro)

Housing units authorized by building permitsSep 1, 2021 to Sep 1, 2026
3457741,2021,6302,059Sep 1, 2021May 1, 2023Jan 1, 2025Sep 1, 2026
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FHFA house price index (all transactions)

319.6

+1.2% vs Q1

+3.5% vs Q2 2025

Q2 2026 · not seasonally adjusted · FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index (metro)

FHFA house price index (all transactions)Apr 1, 2021 to Apr 1, 2026
216244271298325Apr 1, 2021Oct 1, 2022Jul 1, 2024Apr 1, 2026
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House prices, year over year

3.5%

+0.2 pp vs Q1

-1.1 pp vs Q2 2025

Q2 2026 · not seasonally adjusted · FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index (metro)

House prices, year over yearApr 1, 2021 to Apr 1, 2026
2.2%7.1%11.9%16.8%21.6%Apr 1, 2021Oct 1, 2022Jul 1, 2024Apr 1, 2026
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Median listing price

$310,000

unchanged vs Aug

-4.1% vs Sep 2025

Sep 2026 · not seasonally adjusted · Realtor.com Housing Inventory (metro)

Median listing priceSep 1, 2021 to Sep 1, 2026
$265,044$287,472$309,900$332,328$354,756Sep 1, 2021May 1, 2023Jan 1, 2025Sep 1, 2026
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Active listings

6,869

+7.0% vs Aug

+19.9% vs Sep 2025

Sep 2026 · not seasonally adjusted · Realtor.com Housing Inventory (metro)

Active listingsSep 1, 2021 to Sep 1, 2026
1,0182,5634,1095,6557,200Sep 1, 2021May 1, 2023Jan 1, 2025Sep 1, 2026
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Median days on market

53

+3.9% vs Aug

+12.8% vs Sep 2025

Sep 2026 · not seasonally adjusted · Realtor.com Housing Inventory (metro)

Median days on marketSep 1, 2021 to Sep 1, 2026
2236506377Sep 1, 2021May 1, 2023Jan 1, 2025Sep 1, 2026
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Wages

Average weekly wages, all covered employment

$1,418

+0.6% vs Q4

+1.3% vs Q1 2025

Q1 2026 · seasonally adjusted · BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (metro)

Average weekly wages, all covered employmentJan 1, 2021 to Jan 1, 2026
$1,073$1,164$1,255$1,346$1,437Jan 1, 2021Jul 1, 2022Apr 1, 2024Jan 1, 2026
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Prices

Consumer prices, Midwest region, year over year

4.5%

+0.6 pp vs Aug

+1.4 pp vs Sep 2025

Sep 2026 · not seasonally adjusted · BLS Consumer Price Index, Midwest region, all items

Consumer prices, Midwest region, year over yearSep 1, 2021 to Sep 1, 2026
2.0%4.0%6.0%7.9%9.9%Sep 1, 2021Apr 1, 2023Dec 1, 2024Sep 1, 2026
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Unemployment by county

CountyRateYear agoChange
Marion County3.7%3.7%unchanged
Hamilton County3.1%2.9%+0.2 pp
Hendricks County3.1%3.0%+0.1 pp
Johnson County3.2%3.1%+0.1 pp

Sep 2026, not seasonally adjusted. Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.

Why Indianapolis

Indianapolis combines life sciences, motorsports, logistics and one of the most affordable housing markets of any metro its size. The Midwest region CPI stands in for prices.

Questions readers ask

What is the unemployment rate in Indianapolis?
The Indianapolis metro unemployment rate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics figure for the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metropolitan statistical area, not seasonally adjusted, published about six weeks after the month ends. The headline at the top of this page is the latest print; the county table shows how Marion County, Hamilton County, Hendricks County and Johnson County compare.
How many jobs does the Indianapolis metro have?
Nonfarm payroll employment counts jobs on employer payrolls in the metro, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, from the BLS Current Employment Statistics survey. The year-over-year line shows whether hiring is accelerating or slowing; it is the cleanest single read on the local labor market.
Are Indianapolis home prices going up or down?
Two measures are shown. The FHFA house price index tracks repeat sales of the same homes each quarter, so it measures price change rather than the mix of what sold. The Realtor.com median listing price is the monthly asking price of homes on the market; with active listings and days on market it shows how the market feels to a buyer today.
Where do these numbers come from?
Every series is a public federal statistic (BLS, Census Bureau, FHFA) or Realtor.com's monthly housing inventory, retrieved from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED database. Each figure links to its source series. MarketIntelLabs computes the year-over-year changes and writes the fact sheet; nothing on this page is estimated or modelled.

Fact sheet

Every figure above, as one dated sentence each. This is the text our desk writes from; a local newsroom may quote it with attribution to the source named in each line.

  • Indianapolis metro unemployment rate: 3.4% in September 2026, unchanged from 3.4% in September 2025; prior reading 3.3% (August 2026). Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (metro), via FRED; not seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro civilian labor force: 1,164,494 in September 2026, down 0.6% from 1,171,054 in September 2025; prior reading 1,160,679 (August 2026). Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (metro), via FRED; not seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro nonfarm payroll employment: 1,168.7 thousand in September 2026, down 1.1% from 1,181.8 thousand in September 2025; prior reading 1,170.4 thousand (August 2026). Source: BLS Current Employment Statistics (metro), via FRED; seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro payroll employment, year over year: -1.1% in September 2026, down 1.7 percentage points from 0.6% in September 2025; prior reading -1.2% (August 2026). Source: BLS Current Employment Statistics (metro), via FRED; year-over-year change computed by MarketIntelLabs; seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro housing units authorized by building permits: 1,285 in September 2026, up 22.9% from 1,046 in September 2025; prior reading 966 (August 2026). Source: Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (metro), via FRED; not seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro FHFA house price index (all transactions): 319.6 in Q2 2026, up 3.5% from 308.9 in Q2 2025; prior reading 315.7 (Q1 2026). Source: FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index (metro), via FRED; not seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro house prices, year over year: 3.5% in Q2 2026, down 1.1 percentage points from 4.6% in Q2 2025; prior reading 3.3% (Q1 2026). Source: FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index (metro), via FRED; year-over-year change computed by MarketIntelLabs; not seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro median listing price: $310,000 in September 2026, down 4.1% from $323,250 in September 2025; prior reading $310,000 (August 2026). Source: Realtor.com Housing Inventory (metro), via FRED; not seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro active listings: 6,869 in September 2026, up 19.9% from 5,730 in September 2025; prior reading 6,422 (August 2026). Source: Realtor.com Housing Inventory (metro), via FRED; not seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro median days on market: 53 in September 2026, up 12.8% from 47 in September 2025; prior reading 51 (August 2026). Source: Realtor.com Housing Inventory (metro), via FRED; not seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro average weekly wages, all covered employment: $1,418 in Q1 2026, up 1.3% from $1,400 in Q1 2025; prior reading $1,409 (Q4 2025). Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (metro), via FRED; seasonally adjusted.
  • Indianapolis metro consumer prices, Midwest region, year over year: 4.5% in September 2026, up 1.4 percentage points from 3.1% in September 2025; prior reading 3.9% (August 2026). Source: BLS Consumer Price Index, Midwest region, all items, via FRED; year-over-year change computed by MarketIntelLabs; not seasonally adjusted.
  • Marion County unemployment rate: 3.7% in September 2026, unchanged from a year earlier. Source: BLS LAUS (county), not seasonally adjusted.
  • Hamilton County unemployment rate: 3.1% in September 2026, up 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier. Source: BLS LAUS (county), not seasonally adjusted.
  • Hendricks County unemployment rate: 3.1% in September 2026, up 0.1 percentage points from a year earlier. Source: BLS LAUS (county), not seasonally adjusted.
  • Johnson County unemployment rate: 3.2% in September 2026, up 0.1 percentage points from a year earlier. Source: BLS LAUS (county), not seasonally adjusted.

Fact sheet id ce2b65e3c1f8 · data through Sep 2026

Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (metro); BLS Current Employment Statistics (metro); Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (metro); FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index (metro); Realtor.com Housing Inventory (metro); BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (metro); BLS Consumer Price Index, Midwest region, all items. Official statistics retrieved from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED database; MarketIntelLabs computes the changes shown. Nothing on this page is estimated.

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