BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

06/08/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/08/2026 13:08

County Employment and Wages in Pennsylvania — Fourth Quarter 2025

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26-861-PHI
Monday, June 08, 2026

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County Employment and Wages in Pennsylvania - Fourth Quarter 2025

Employment rose in 9 of the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania from December 2024 to December 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Lori Keller noted that Northampton County (+1.4 percent) had the largest over-the-year increase in employment. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Pennsylvania, December 2025
County Percent change, December 2025

Northampton

1.4

Washington

1.2

Cumberland

1.1

Lancaster

1.0

Lehigh

0.8

Philadelphia

0.7

Chester

0.6

Butler

0.5

Montgomery

0.1

Erie

0.0

Delaware

-0.2

Lackawanna

-0.2

Allegheny

-0.3

Berks

-0.3

Dauphin

-0.5

Westmoreland

-0.5

York

-0.5

Bucks

-0.6

Luzerne

-0.8

Philadelphia County (732,600) had the highest employment level in Pennsylvania in December 2025. Together, the 19 largest counties accounted for 75.9 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter 2025

Average weekly wage changes in 10 of 19 large counties in Pennsylvania were below the national average of 4.2 percent. (See chart 2.) York had the largest gain (+5.2 percent). Over-the-year wage changes among the other 18 large Pennsylvania counties ranged from 5.1 percent to -0.9 percent.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Pennsylvania, fourth quarter 2025
County Percent change, fourth quarter 2025

York

5.2

Allegheny

5.1

Northampton

5.0

Berks

4.9

Washington

4.9

Lancaster

4.5

Dauphin

4.4

Butler

4.2

Erie

4.2

Luzerne

4.1

Westmoreland

4.1

Delaware

4.0

Philadelphia

4.0

Chester

3.7

Lackawanna

3.2

Montgomery

3.1

Lehigh

2.8

Bucks

2.4

Cumberland

-0.9

Weekly wages in 4 of the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania were above the national average of $1,569. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,778 in Montgomery to $1,102 in Lackawanna.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 48 smaller counties in Pennsylvania, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 47 of the 48 smaller counties were below the national average. Montour reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,626). Sullivan reported the lowest average weekly wage ($853) in the state.

Among all 67 Pennsylvania counties, 5 reported average weekly wages less than $950, 18 had wages from $950 to $1,074, 22 had wages from $1,075 to $1,199, 10 had wages from $1,200 to $1,324, and 12 had average weekly wages of $1,325 or higher. (See map 1. and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Pennsylvania, fourth quarter 2025

U.S. average = $1,569

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

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

The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 28, 2026.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania, fourth quarter 2025
Area Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
December
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		Fourth quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
fourth quarter
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,428.4 156,700.2 0.2 -- 1,569 -- 4.2 --

Pennsylvania

398.1 6,094.8 0.2 -- 1,470 18 4.0 31

Allegheny

37.1 672.7 -0.3 208 1,599 79 5.1 79

Berks

9.0 176.3 -0.3 208 1,315 227 4.9 99

Bucks

21.8 278.4 -0.6 254 1,350 203 2.4 309

Butler

5.6 89.3 0.5 101 1,352 201 4.2 166

Chester

17.1 255.4 0.6 89 1,746 45 3.7 232

Cumberland

7.2 141.0 1.1 55 1,278 264 -0.9 348

Dauphin

7.6 190.9 -0.5 236 1,366 190 4.4 138

Delaware

14.8 221.9 -0.2 195 1,494 118 4.0 195

Erie

6.8 119.3 0.0 170 1,111 350 4.2 166

Lackawanna

5.6 99.6 -0.2 195 1,102 354 3.2 269

Lancaster

14.9 257.5 1.0 61 1,257 278 4.5 128

Lehigh

9.3 204.6 0.8 76 1,500 115 2.8 294

Luzerne

7.6 146.7 -0.8 282 1,156 338 4.1 182

Montgomery

29.5 508.8 0.1 152 1,778 37 3.1 280

Northampton

7.3 125.3 1.4 43 1,256 281 5.0 91

Philadelphia

34.3 732.6 0.7 84 1,731 47 4.0 195

Washington

5.8 89.6 1.2 51 1,424 163 4.9 99

Westmoreland

9.2 129.1 -0.5 236 1,179 329 4.1 182

York

9.6 184.9 -0.5 236 1,291 248 5.2 74

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Pennsylvania, fourth quarter 2025
Area Establishments Employment December 2025 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,428,415 156,700,218 1,569

Pennsylvania

398,124 6,094,837 1,470

Adams

2,294 33,223 1,151

Allegheny

37,084 672,697 1,599

Armstrong

1,460 15,384 1,085

Beaver

3,639 48,401 1,214

Bedford

1,259 16,456 1,030

Berks

9,040 176,295 1,315

Blair

3,521 57,997 1,100

Bradford

1,529 22,154 1,290

Bucks

21,834 278,448 1,350

Butler

5,564 89,287 1,352

Cambria

3,283 47,140 1,061

Cameron

155 1,402 924

Carbon

1,342 16,997 925

Centre

3,705 69,051 1,286

Chester

17,067 255,359 1,746

Clarion

1,071 12,294 995

Clearfield

2,017 29,038 1,078

Clinton

926 12,630 1,055

Columbia

1,588 23,976 1,046

Crawford

2,130 28,733 1,069

Cumberland

7,205 140,962 1,278

Dauphin

7,644 190,894 1,366

Delaware

14,798 221,860 1,494

Elk

948 12,891 1,096

Erie

6,797 119,344 1,111

Fayette

2,738 37,375 1,061

Forest

144 1,851 1,085

Franklin

3,582 62,696 1,148

Fulton

332 5,317 1,181

Greene

783 11,774 1,385

Huntingdon

1,051 12,502 1,012

Indiana

1,928 28,430 1,141

Jefferson

1,189 14,140 1,051

Juniata

585 6,114 996

Lackawanna

5,635 99,643 1,102

Lancaster

14,899 257,530 1,257

Lawrence

2,019 27,248 1,135

Lebanon

3,006 54,303 1,170

Lehigh

9,279 204,603 1,500

Luzerne

7,622 146,652 1,156

Lycoming

3,036 49,642 1,138

Mckean

1,057 13,827 1,067

Mercer

2,868 42,669 1,092

Mifflin

1,097 17,188 1,078

Monroe

3,791 57,164 1,092

Montgomery

29,539 508,767 1,778

Montour

496 17,255 1,626

Northampton

7,260 125,291 1,256

Northumberland

1,867 26,455 1,054

Perry

905 8,336 878

Philadelphia

34,260 732,566 1,731

Pike

1,175 12,073 930

Potter

480 4,688 1,067

Schuylkill

2,989 50,542 1,120

Snyder

1,040 15,558 957

Somerset

1,856 23,089 1,015

Sullivan

179 1,463 853

Susquehanna

963 8,522 1,039

Tioga

998 12,049 1,058

Union

1,036 17,111 1,211

Venango

1,231 15,867 1,025

Warren

912 12,691 1,091

Washington

5,824 89,597 1,424

Wayne

1,488 15,403 1,123

Westmoreland

9,172 129,071 1,179

Wyoming

725 9,419 1,238

York

9,567 184,903 1,291

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, fourth quarter 2025
State Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
December
2024-25 		Fourth quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
fourth quarter
2024-25 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,428.4 156,700.2 0.2 1,569 -- 4.2 --

Alabama

167.4 2,135.3 0.5 1,301 36 3.7 37

Alaska

25.3 317.3 -0.3 1,497 16 4.7 14

Arizona

227.4 3,278.3 0.0 1,446 20 3.0 47

Arkansas

113.0 1,318.2 0.4 1,213 49 5.0 8

California

2,013.7 18,351.7 0.6 1,954 4 4.6 16

Colorado

258.5 2,896.4 -0.6 1,683 8 5.6 3

Connecticut

149.8 1,706.5 0.1 1,801 6 5.0 8

Delaware

47.3 481.0 0.1 1,502 15 4.7 14

District of Columbia

51.0 726.1 -4.5 2,587 1 4.1 24

Florida

886.2 10,013.2 0.3 1,471 17 4.8 12

Georgia

398.7 4,925.4 0.1 1,440 21 3.5 40

Hawaii

63.0 650.0 -0.2 1,411 25 5.0 8

Idaho

104.3 875.7 1.8 1,303 35 5.8 2

Illinois

387.7 6,089.5 -0.1 1,588 11 3.3 42

Indiana

195.6 3,211.2 0.1 1,276 40 4.5 17

Iowa

110.6 1,560.0 -0.2 1,282 39 3.7 37

Kansas

101.8 1,443.2 -0.1 1,268 44 4.1 24

Kentucky

161.3 2,008.7 -0.1 1,235 46 3.8 34

Louisiana

159.2 1,927.3 -0.5 1,267 45 3.2 44

Maine

67.6 644.7 -0.1 1,332 33 4.2 21

Maryland

199.5 2,754.6 -1.1 1,616 10 3.0 47

Massachusetts

298.5 3,625.5 -0.9 1,980 2 4.9 11

Michigan

316.9 4,412.7 0.0 1,427 23 4.2 21

Minnesota

215.2 2,948.0 0.0 1,505 14 3.7 37

Mississippi

92.2 1,180.9 0.3 1,075 51 5.1 7

Missouri

259.9 2,920.8 -0.1 1,324 34 4.4 18

Montana

62.3 512.3 -0.1 1,296 38 3.3 42

Nebraska

78.5 1,024.0 -0.2 1,275 42 4.0 31

Nevada

111.0 1,592.1 1.7 1,395 27 3.2 44

New Hampshire

67.9 688.8 -0.6 1,652 9 4.8 12

New Jersey

343.1 4,343.1 0.2 1,691 7 3.9 33

New Mexico

69.7 875.3 -0.3 1,275 42 4.1 24

New York

719.1 9,907.5 0.4 1,975 3 5.4 4

North Carolina

392.1 4,991.1 0.9 1,409 26 3.8 34

North Dakota

37.0 430.4 -0.2 1,350 31 2.7 49

Ohio

348.5 5,554.4 0.0 1,358 30 4.1 24

Oklahoma

129.3 1,717.1 0.1 1,217 48 4.1 24

Oregon

177.9 1,975.8 -1.0 1,468 19 3.2 44

Pennsylvania

398.1 6,094.8 0.2 1,470 18 4.0 31

Rhode Island

49.1 500.3 -0.1 1,429 22 6.0 1

South Carolina

192.4 2,344.7 1.5 1,276 40 4.3 20

South Dakota

41.2 458.9 -0.2 1,230 47 4.1 24

Tennessee

225.2 3,281.6 -0.3 1,424 24 3.8 34

Texas

860.8 14,255.2 0.8 1,549 13 4.2 21

Utah

144.6 1,761.6 1.4 1,389 28 4.1 24

Vermont

34.5 309.3 -0.9 1,378 29 5.3 5

Virginia

324.0 4,166.9 0.5 1,585 12 2.6 50

Washington

242.1 3,590.3 -0.3 1,948 5 2.4 51

West Virginia

62.8 698.3 -0.6 1,203 50 3.5 40

Wisconsin

213.9 2,946.2 -0.1 1,346 32 5.3 5

Wyoming

31.7 278.4 -0.8 1,297 37 4.4 18

Puerto Rico

53.5 974.7 -0.2 735 (3) 2.8 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.0 34.7 0.3 1,068 (3) 2.7 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on June 08, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 08, 2026 at 19:08 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]