The Metropolitan School District of Steuben County serves students who live in Angola and middle and high school students from Pleasant Lake. Kindergartners to high school seniors progress from Carlin Park, Pleasant Lake Elementary, or Hendry Elementary schools through Angola Middle School and onto Angola High School. Built in 1990, Angola High School was named Indiana’s only "Blue Ribbon School" in 1997, and with the support of school staff, high school students excel; their SAT scores average 1006 and their ISTEP test scores are the highest in northern Indiana. Depending on where they reside, students from smaller towns in Steuben County are served by Hamilton Community Schools, DeKalb Central United School District, Fremont Community Schools, and Prairie Heights Community Schools. Public libraries in Angola, Fremont, and Orland provide residents with a wealth of reference materials that help support students’ academic endeavors.

Graduating seniors often choose to further their studies at Tri-State University, a four-year private university located in Angola, which grants bachelor’s and associate degrees and offers continuing education programs. In operation since 1884, Tri-State’s programs of study include engineering, education, business, and arts and sciences. Tri-State is the only school in the country with an enrollment under 2,000 to be accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology for their programs in chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Commuting students also register for courses at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne and the Indiana Vocational-Technical College, also in Fort Wayne. Kellogg Community College offers a wide range of general education classes, and is recognized by the National Alliance of Business as one of the nation’s top two customized training departments. KCC teaches team-building, problem-solving, costing principles and more for employees of manufacturing businesses.

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Thriving downtowns in Angola, Ashley, Fremont, Hamilton, Hudson, and Orland supply shoppers with a variety of gift, antiques, and clothing stores, as well as a variety of services. Shopping centers and strip malls, housing small specialty shops and major department and discount stores, like J.C. Penney, Wal-Mart, and Kmart, operate throughout the county. Prime Outlets, in Fremont, boasts more than 50 stores which offer at least a day’s worth of shopping. Shoppers find name brands like Bass, Mikasa, Bugle boy, and OshKosh B’Gosh, while searching for clothing, shoes, books, toys, cosmetics, home furnishings, housewares, and luggage. Buyers in search of timeworn treasures will find a wealth of antiquities in downtown Angola and Fremont, where old-fashioned mercantiles stock their shelves with an eclectic mix of antique furnishings and collectibles.

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Attracted by favorable tax programs and a strong labor pool, the towns of Angola, Fremont, Orland, Hamilton, Ashley, and Hudson are the county’s major industrial and commercial centers.

More than half of Steuben County’s jobs are in manufacturing, where companies like Amcast, Moore Business Forms, EPIC Technology, and Vestil Manufacturing employ part of the 8,030 people in the manufacturing sector. Non-manufacturing jobs average 7,530 employees, while state and local government weigh in with 1,380 jobs.

Local businesses employ almost 18,000 people; about 7,000 more than were employed in 1987. But even as more businesses move into the area, the farming community remains strong as small family-owned farms successfully raise beans, corn, dairy cattle, and other livestock.

Other major employers in the area include Bundy Corporation, EMF Corporation, Cameron Memorial Hospital, Tenneco Automotive, and Hudson Industries.

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