Hoosiers by the Numbers
EGR 6 consists of Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Henry, Jay, Randolph, Rush, Union and Wayne counties.
Economic Growth Region 6 Analysis
Region 6 is in east-central Indiana, nestled between Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Cincinnati, Ohio.
At the core of the region is Muncie, affectionately known as Middletown, USA, because of its inclusion in a landmark study in the 1920s in which a husband-and-wife duo of sociologists examined a “typical” small American city. Anchoring the southern part of EGR 6 is historic Richmond. Sitting on I-70, Richmond is considered one of the gateways to Indiana.
The region has large health care and manufacturing sectors, with IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie and food manufacturing firms throughout the region. New Castle is home to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the largest high school gym in the country, New Castle Fieldhouse. EGR 6 has one of the four American towns that cross two states, Union City, located in Randolph County on the Indiana-Ohio border.
The region’s educational institutions include Ball State, Indiana University East, Ivy Tech and Earlham College. Its largest employers include Ball State, Reid Health, and Draper, Inc.
Recent Analysis
Labor Market
Review
March 2025 
Industry Sector Snapshot
Third Quarter 2024
Occupational Employment Statistics
2023 Annual
Real-Time
Job Demand
First Quarter 2025 
Unemployment Claimant Profile
First Quarter 2025
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Quick Stats
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Contact your regional analyst
Need help? Knowledgable regional analysts are available to offer assistance.Alex Corn
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (260) 255-5098
Articles by this analyst
- Middle of the pack: A Steuben County spotlight (Nov-Dec 2024)
- Indiana college graduates and the question of brain drain (July-Aug 2024)
Top 10 Occupation Groups by Growth
(2022-2032 long-term projections)
- Healthcare support occupations
- Computer and mathematical occupations
- Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
- Community and social services occupations
- Personal care and service occupations
- Architecture and engineering occupations
- Life, physical, and social science occupations
- Education, training, and library occupations
- Business and financial operations occupations
- Transportation and material moving occupations
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Indiana Department of Workforce Development
Dive into the long-term occupation projections with the Employment Outlook Projections Tool.
Top 10 Industry Sectors
(Based on 2023 annual average employment)
- Manufacturing
- Health Care and Social Services
- Retail Trade
- Educational Services
- Accommodation and Food Services
- Public Administration
- Construction
- Admin, Support, Waste Management
- Transportation & Warehousing
- Other Services (Except Public Administration)
Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Access multiple data sets on the Industry topic page.
Major Employers (Based on number of employees)
Explore even more employers by location, size class or industry with the Business Lookup Tool.
EGR 6
- Ball State University
- Reid Health
- Draper Inc.
- Lifeline Personal Response
- Henry Community Health
- FCC Indiana Inc.
- Premium Enterprises Inc.
- New Castle Correctional Facility
- Tyson Foods - Mexican Original
- Ivy Tech Community College
About the data
Note: The list of regional employers on this page was updated September 2024 to include local insights.
This database contains listings of nearly 12 million U.S. employers. Employer information is provided by Data Axle®, Omaha, NE, (866)-DATAXLE. Copyright © 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Major Educational Institutions
Name |
Type |
City |
|---|---|---|
| Ball State University | Four-year | Muncie |
| Indiana University East | Four-year | Richmond |
| Ivy Tech - Muncie | Two-year | Muncie |
| Ivy Tech - Richmond | Two-year | Richmond |
| Bethany Theological Seminary | Independent | Richmond |
| Earlham College | Independent | Richmond |
Source: Indiana Commission for Higher Education
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Largest Cities and Towns in Economic Growth Region 6
| Name | Population in 2023 | Percent of region | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muncie | 65,081 | 19.7% | Delaware |
| Richmond | 35,425 | 10.7% | Wayne |
| New Castle | 17,329 | 5.2% | Henry |
| Connersville | 13,298 | 4.0% | Fayette |
| Yorktown | 11,740 | 3.6% | Delaware |
| Rushville | 6,191 | 1.9% | Rush |
| Portland | 6,187 | 1.9% | Jay |
| Hartford City | 5,974 | 1.8% | Blackford |
| Winchester | 4,778 | 1.4% | Randolph |
| Union City | 3,423 | 1.0% | Randolph |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau annual population estimates
Helpful Regional Tools and Resources
EGR 6 IN Depth Regional Profile
At-a-glance details about the region's population, labor force, housing and more.
County Highlights
Get a snapshot of critical population and workforce statistics for each county in the region.
INDemand Jobs
Find job postings and training for the jobs that are both high wage and high demand.
Regional Labor Mix
Discover the regional mix of occupations and/or industries to gain insight into strengths or identify gaps.
Regionizer
Build a region to view demographics, commuting patterns, industry clusters and occupation clusters, including the ability to include counties that border Indiana.
Labor Force Projections
These are the official labor force projections to 2050 released in September 2018 by the Indiana Business Research Center.
Commuting
The commuting data page provides easy access to multiple commuting data sets and visualizations.
Regional Links
View A to Z Guide for a list of external links statewide.