BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

05/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/15/2026 09:18

Business Employment Dynamics in Pennsylvania — Third Quarter 2025

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26-756-PHI
Friday, May 15, 2026

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Business Employment Dynamics in Pennsylvania - Third Quarter 2025

From June 2025 to September 2025, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Pennsylvania were 276,261, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 266,124, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Lori Keller noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 10,137 jobs in the private sector during the third quarter of 2025. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 19,211. (See chart 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Pennsylvania, September 2020-September 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period Gross job losses Gross job gains

Sep 2020

232,336 486,263

Dec 2020

259,083 297,514

Mar 2021

230,142 323,884

Jun 2021

262,377 280,660

Sep 2021

252,717 312,787

Dec 2021

243,462 344,336

Mar 2022

249,610 325,958

Jun 2022

289,745 284,639

Sep 2022

267,071 316,426

Dec 2022

269,940 288,754

Mar 2023

244,409 292,991

Jun 2023

289,183 279,877

Sep 2023

271,557 273,849

Dec 2023

257,726 277,491

Mar 2024

244,819 274,483

Jun 2024

274,879 263,353

Sep 2024

265,818 272,006

Dec 2024

256,763 278,325

Mar 2025

253,024 265,984

Jun 2025

281,003 261,792

Sep 2025

276,261 266,124

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job losses

In the third quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Pennsylvania; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.7 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In Pennsylvania, contracting establishments lost 235,235 jobs in the third quarter of 2025, a decrease of 6,502 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 41,026 jobs, an increase of 1,760 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Pennsylvania, September 2020-September 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period United States Pennsylvania

Sep 2020

5.9 5.0

Dec 2020

5.7 5.3

Mar 2021

5.5 4.7

Jun 2021

5.9 5.3

Sep 2021

6.0 5.0

Dec 2021

5.4 4.8

Mar 2022

5.5 4.8

Jun 2022

6.2 5.6

Sep 2022

5.9 5.1

Dec 2022

5.9 5.2

Mar 2023

5.5 4.7

Jun 2023

5.9 5.4

Sep 2023

5.9 5.1

Dec 2023

5.7 4.8

Mar 2024

5.5 4.6

Jun 2024

5.9 5.2

Sep 2024

5.8 5.0

Dec 2024

5.7 4.8

Mar 2025

5.4 4.7

Jun 2025

6.0 5.2

Sep 2025

5.7 5.2
Gross job gains

In the third quarter of 2025, gross job gains represented 5.0 percent of private-sector employment in Pennsylvania; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.6 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In Pennsylvania, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 229,539 in the third quarter of 2025, an increase of 5,817 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 36,585 jobs gained in the third quarter of 2025, a decrease of 1,485 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data
Chart 3. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Pennsylvania, September 2020-September 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period United States Pennsylvania

Sep 2020

9.4 10.3

Dec 2020

7.4 6.2

Mar 2021

7.0 6.6

Jun 2021

6.8 5.7

Sep 2021

7.3 6.3

Dec 2021

7.7 6.8

Mar 2022

6.7 6.3

Jun 2022

6.5 5.5

Sep 2022

6.9 6.1

Dec 2022

6.3 5.5

Mar 2023

6.3 5.5

Jun 2023

6.2 5.3

Sep 2023

5.9 5.2

Dec 2023

6.0 5.2

Mar 2024

5.9 5.1

Jun 2024

5.8 4.9

Sep 2024

5.8 5.1

Dec 2024

5.9 5.2

Mar 2025

5.6 5.0

Jun 2025

5.7 4.9

Sep 2025

5.6 5.0
Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 8 of the 11 published industry sectors in Pennsylvania in the third quarter of 2025. Manufacturing had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 5,578 jobs. This was the result of 12,609 gross job gains and 18,187 gross job losses. The leisure and hospitality industry had a net loss of 5,329 jobs. Education and health services showed a net gain of 6,777 jobs, the largest gain of any sector in the state.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Fourth Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).


Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Pennsylvania, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains and losses
(3 months ended) 		Gross job gains and losses
as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Sept.
2024 		Dec.
2024 		Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Sept.
2024 		Dec.
2024 		Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025

Total private (1)

Gross job gains

272,006 278,325 265,984 261,792 266,124 5.1 5.2 5.0 4.9 5.0

At expanding establishments

232,701 236,229 229,795 223,722 229,539 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.3

At opening establishments

39,305 42,096 36,189 38,070 36,585 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7

Gross job losses

265,818 256,763 253,024 281,003 276,261 5.0 4.8 4.7 5.2 5.2

At contracting establishments

228,180 219,725 212,602 241,737 235,235 4.3 4.1 3.9 4.5 4.4

At closing establishments

37,638 37,038 40,422 39,266 41,026 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.8

Net employment change (2)

6,188 21,562 12,960 -19,211 -10,137 0.1 0.4 0.3 -0.3 -0.2

Construction

Gross job gains

17,410 21,460 22,142 19,647 17,185 6.8 8.3 8.3 7.4 6.6

At expanding establishments

14,278 18,276 18,515 16,832 14,346 5.6 7.1 6.9 6.3 5.5

At opening establishments

3,132 3,184 3,627 2,815 2,839 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.1 1.1

Gross job losses

20,053 19,517 17,355 19,008 19,677 7.8 7.6 6.5 7.1 7.6

At contracting establishments

17,314 16,228 13,979 15,575 16,314 6.7 6.3 5.2 5.8 6.3

At closing establishments

2,739 3,289 3,376 3,433 3,363 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3

Net employment change (2)

-2,643 1,943 4,787 639 -2,492 -1.0 0.7 1.8 0.3 -1.0

Manufacturing

Gross job gains

13,115 14,876 13,721 14,320 12,609 2.4 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.3

At expanding establishments

12,215 13,888 12,843 13,353 11,985 2.2 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.2

At opening establishments

900 988 878 967 624 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1

Gross job losses

16,580 15,559 15,386 16,725 18,187 2.9 2.8 2.7 3.0 3.2

At contracting establishments

15,249 14,391 13,990 15,852 16,938 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.8 3.0

At closing establishments

1,331 1,168 1,396 873 1,249 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Net employment change (2)

-3,465 -683 -1,665 -2,405 -5,578 -0.5 -0.1 -0.2 -0.4 -0.9

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains

8,111 7,694 8,471 7,920 7,550 3.7 3.5 3.9 3.7 3.5

At expanding establishments

6,785 6,518 7,284 6,665 6,193 3.1 3.0 3.4 3.1 2.9

At opening establishments

1,326 1,176 1,187 1,255 1,357 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6

Gross job losses

7,836 7,921 7,597 8,422 7,765 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.9 3.6

At contracting establishments

6,420 6,593 6,189 7,078 6,326 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.3 2.9

At closing establishments

1,416 1,328 1,408 1,344 1,439 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7

Net employment change (2)

275 -227 874 -502 -215 0.0 -0.1 0.4 -0.2 -0.1

Retail trade

Gross job gains

27,855 25,944 29,387 29,346 30,773 4.7 4.4 5.1 5.0 5.2

At expanding establishments

24,855 22,462 26,626 25,867 27,007 4.2 3.8 4.6 4.4 4.6

At opening establishments

3,000 3,482 2,761 3,479 3,766 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6

Gross job losses

30,956 30,629 24,141 33,664 34,395 5.2 5.2 4.2 5.7 5.8

At contracting establishments

27,964 27,645 20,803 29,353 28,949 4.7 4.7 3.6 5.0 4.9

At closing establishments

2,992 2,984 3,338 4,311 5,446 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.9

Net employment change (2)

-3,101 -4,685 5,246 -4,318 -3,622 -0.5 -0.8 0.9 -0.7 -0.6

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains

19,806 23,451 12,019 11,686 16,389 6.7 7.6 3.8 3.8 5.4

At expanding establishments

17,846 19,746 11,006 10,461 15,521 6.0 6.4 3.5 3.4 5.1

At opening establishments

1,960 3,705 1,013 1,225 868 0.7 1.2 0.3 0.4 0.3

Gross job losses

11,922 11,788 18,834 19,390 14,642 4.0 3.8 6.1 6.4 4.8

At contracting establishments

10,756 10,325 17,307 17,670 13,407 3.6 3.3 5.6 5.8 4.4

At closing establishments

1,166 1,463 1,527 1,720 1,235 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.4

Net employment change (2)

7,884 11,663 -6,815 -7,704 1,747 2.7 3.8 -2.3 -2.6 0.6

Information

Gross job gains

4,195 3,923 4,721 4,933 4,186 4.7 4.3 5.2 5.4 4.6

At expanding establishments

3,309 2,990 3,784 4,108 3,427 3.7 3.3 4.2 4.5 3.8

At opening establishments

886 933 937 825 759 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.8

Gross job losses

4,073 4,445 4,627 5,366 5,230 4.5 4.9 5.1 5.9 5.8

At contracting establishments

3,101 3,535 3,863 3,931 3,948 3.4 3.9 4.3 4.3 4.4

At closing establishments

972 910 764 1,435 1,282 1.1 1.0 0.8 1.6 1.4

Net employment change (2)

122 -522 94 -433 -1,044 0.2 -0.6 0.1 -0.5 -1.2

Financial activities

Gross job gains

11,221 10,364 10,933 12,011 12,215 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.6

At expanding establishments

9,343 8,122 9,188 9,742 10,629 2.7 2.4 2.7 2.9 3.1

At opening establishments

1,878 2,242 1,745 2,269 1,586 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.7 0.5

Gross job losses

12,128 10,787 11,475 12,056 12,488 3.6 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.7

At contracting establishments

10,078 8,903 8,859 9,661 10,237 3.0 2.6 2.6 2.8 3.0

At closing establishments

2,050 1,884 2,616 2,395 2,251 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.7

Net employment change (2)

-907 -423 -542 -45 -273 -0.3 -0.1 -0.2 0.1 -0.1

Professional and business services

Gross job gains

53,666 49,002 46,830 47,167 50,916 6.4 5.9 5.7 5.6 6.1

At expanding establishments

43,417 39,127 38,866 39,417 42,558 5.2 4.7 4.7 4.7 5.1

At opening establishments

10,249 9,875 7,964 7,750 8,358 1.2 1.2 1.0 0.9 1.0

Gross job losses

47,785 49,925 47,622 53,773 49,942 5.7 5.9 5.7 6.5 6.0

At contracting establishments

39,228 41,467 37,901 45,526 40,676 4.7 4.9 4.5 5.5 4.9

At closing establishments

8,557 8,458 9,721 8,247 9,266 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.1

Net employment change (2)

5,881 -923 -792 -6,606 974 0.7 0.0 0.0 -0.9 0.1

Education and health services

Gross job gains

49,838 48,637 47,537 46,284 49,350 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.7

At expanding establishments

45,293 44,073 43,453 42,194 44,548 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3

At opening establishments

4,545 4,564 4,084 4,090 4,802 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4

Gross job losses

41,741 38,852 38,320 44,974 42,573 3.2 3.0 2.9 3.4 3.2

At contracting establishments

36,428 33,706 32,512 38,764 36,986 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.9 2.8

At closing establishments

5,313 5,146 5,808 6,210 5,587 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4

Net employment change (2)

8,097 9,785 9,217 1,310 6,777 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.1 0.5

Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains

48,059 56,765 52,906 51,757 49,746 8.4 10.0 9.2 9.0 8.8

At expanding establishments

39,327 47,282 43,312 41,169 40,233 6.9 8.3 7.5 7.2 7.1

At opening establishments

8,732 9,483 9,594 10,588 9,513 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.7

Gross job losses

56,785 47,950 51,210 50,969 55,075 10.0 8.4 8.9 8.9 9.7

At contracting establishments

48,031 40,174 43,728 44,270 47,574 8.5 7.0 7.6 7.7 8.4

At closing establishments

8,754 7,776 7,482 6,699 7,501 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.3

Net employment change (2)

-8,726 8,815 1,696 788 -5,329 -1.6 1.6 0.3 0.1 -0.9

Other services (3)

Gross job gains

15,004 12,231 11,854 12,581 11,553 7.4 6.0 5.8 6.3 5.7

At expanding establishments

12,740 10,404 9,982 10,253 9,767 6.3 5.1 4.9 5.1 4.8

At opening establishments

2,264 1,827 1,872 2,328 1,786 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.2 0.9

Gross job losses

12,027 15,102 12,476 12,220 12,296 5.9 7.4 6.2 6.1 6.1

At contracting establishments

10,265 13,005 10,225 10,029 10,460 5.0 6.4 5.1 5.0 5.2

At closing establishments

1,762 2,097 2,251 2,191 1,836 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1 0.9

Net employment change (2)

2,977 -2,871 -622 361 -743 1.5 -1.4 -0.4 0.2 -0.4

Footnotes:
(1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately.
(2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses.
(3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains as a percent of employment
(3 months ended) 		Gross job losses as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Sept.
2024 		Dec.
2024 		Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Sept.
2024 		Dec.
2024 		Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025

United States(1)

5.8 5.9 5.6 5.7 5.6 5.8 5.7 5.4 6.0 5.7

Alabama

5.8 5.8 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.9 5.3 5.6 5.6 5.5

Alaska

8.0 10.3 10.0 9.9 7.5 9.6 9.5 8.1 10.3 10.0

Arizona

6.4 6.1 5.8 5.3 5.8 5.7 5.9 5.3 6.3 5.5

Arkansas

5.5 5.8 5.1 5.1 5.3 5.2 4.8 5.1 5.5 5.3

California

6.3 6.7 6.0 6.6 6.2 6.2 6.4 6.2 6.7 6.0

Colorado

6.3 6.2 6.2 6.4 6.5 6.4 6.5 6.8 7.1 6.5

Connecticut

5.5 5.5 5.6 5.8 5.3 5.6 5.5 5.3 5.8 5.9

Delaware

6.8 6.1 5.9 5.9 5.3 6.4 6.3 5.3 6.1 6.1

District of Columbia

4.9 5.0 4.8 5.7 4.6 5.0 5.5 5.8 5.9 5.9

Florida

6.5 6.0 5.8 5.7 5.9 5.7 6.2 5.5 5.8 6.0

Georgia

5.8 6.0 5.5 5.5 5.7 6.1 5.4 5.7 5.6 5.8

Hawaii

5.7 5.3 4.9 4.8 5.1 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.2 4.8

Idaho

7.1 8.2 7.3 7.7 6.7 7.5 6.8 7.3 7.2 7.6

Illinois

4.9 5.1 5.0 5.2 4.7 5.0 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.0

Indiana

5.3 5.5 5.4 5.0 5.1 5.3 5.1 5.2 5.6 5.1

Iowa

5.3 5.6 5.8 5.6 4.8 6.0 5.6 5.5 5.8 5.9

Kansas

5.3 5.9 5.5 5.4 5.8 5.6 5.2 5.4 6.3 5.8

Kentucky

5.4 5.3 5.2 5.0 5.3 5.4 5.5 4.8 5.4 5.6

Louisiana

6.1 6.2 5.6 5.5 5.9 5.8 5.5 5.6 6.3 6.0

Maine

6.2 7.0 7.4 7.2 6.2 7.1 7.1 6.3 7.4 7.0

Maryland

5.9 6.0 5.9 5.7 5.7 6.1 5.9 5.7 6.2 6.5

Massachusetts

5.0 5.3 5.0 5.5 5.3 5.8 5.5 5.1 5.8 5.9

Michigan

5.3 5.4 5.2 5.8 4.9 5.8 5.9 5.3 5.5 5.9

Minnesota

5.1 5.5 5.1 5.8 5.3 5.8 5.1 5.5 5.5 5.6

Mississippi

6.3 6.3 5.7 6.3 6.4 5.7 6.2 6.1 6.5 6.1

Missouri

5.6 5.7 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.8 5.3 5.2 6.1 5.9

Montana

7.2 8.4 8.0 7.7 7.0 8.0 7.8 7.5 8.3 7.9

Nebraska

5.6 5.6 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.3 5.5 5.8

Nevada

6.2 6.1 5.4 6.2 6.9 5.9 5.6 5.9 6.3 5.2

New Hampshire

5.6 6.3 6.5 6.3 5.6 6.7 5.9 6.1 6.7 6.8

New Jersey

5.4 6.0 5.6 5.8 5.3 5.8 5.5 5.4 5.5 5.8

New Mexico

6.3 6.1 5.9 5.9 5.8 6.2 5.9 5.8 6.0 6.2

New York

5.7 5.7 6.6 5.9 5.9 5.8 5.5 5.0 7.0 5.8

North Carolina

5.5 6.1 5.4 5.6 5.4 5.8 5.5 5.5 5.4 5.7

North Dakota

6.5 6.5 6.7 6.4 6.2 6.5 6.6 6.5 6.7 6.6

Ohio

5.2 5.4 5.2 5.3 5.1 5.4 5.1 4.9 5.4 5.3

Oklahoma

6.1 6.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 5.5 5.5 5.3 6.2 6.4

Oregon

6.3 6.2 5.8 6.4 5.7 6.6 6.6 6.2 6.5 6.7

Pennsylvania

5.1 5.2 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.0 4.8 4.7 5.2 5.2

Rhode Island

6.2 7.3 6.6 6.3 6.0 6.4 6.3 5.9 6.7 6.7

South Carolina

6.2 6.4 6.1 5.8 6.3 5.9 5.9 5.5 6.6 6.5

South Dakota

5.9 6.7 6.2 6.0 5.9 5.9 5.9 6.5 6.1 6.0

Tennessee

5.6 5.5 5.4 5.1 5.7 5.7 6.2 5.1 5.9 5.2

Texas

5.7 5.8 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.3 5.2 5.1 5.4 5.3

Utah

6.8 6.8 6.6 6.6 6.7 6.2 6.3 6.0 6.6 6.4

Vermont

6.6 6.7 6.9 6.9 6.6 7.1 6.7 6.8 7.5 7.8

Virginia

5.8 5.8 5.6 5.8 5.9 5.7 5.5 5.1 5.8 6.1

Washington

5.8 5.8 5.7 6.0 5.2 5.8 5.7 5.5 5.4 5.6

West Virginia

5.9 6.5 6.4 5.5 5.8 6.6 6.1 5.7 6.3 6.0

Wisconsin

5.1 5.3 5.0 5.3 4.9 5.5 5.2 4.9 5.5 5.6

Wyoming

8.9 8.9 8.1 8.3 7.7 8.5 8.3 8.7 8.9 8.4

Puerto Rico

5.4 4.3 6.3 7.0 5.4 5.0 5.4 5.4 6.1 5.7

Virgin Islands

4.7 5.2 5.4 15.0 7.1 7.5 10.8 7.6 9.5 8.4

Footnotes
(1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on May 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 15, 2026 at 15:18 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]