BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

09/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/04/2026 10:32

County Employment and Wages in Pennsylvania — First Quarter 2026

errata

As initially published, first sentence included incorrect numbers and dates. The release was reissued to correct the errors on September 3, 2026.

News Release Information

26-1448-PHI
Thursday, September 03, 2026

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

County Employment and Wages in Pennsylvania - First Quarter 2026

Employment declined in 11 of the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania from March 2025 to March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Pennsylvania employment decreased 0.1 percent over the year to 6,002,100 in March 2026, as measured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Lori Keller noted that Bucks County (-1.3 percent) had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment. (See chart 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Pennsylvania, March 2026
County Percent change, March 2026

Bucks

-1.3

Delaware

-1.0

Berks

-0.5

Dauphin

-0.5

Westmoreland

-0.5

Allegheny

-0.4

Butler

-0.3

Montgomery

-0.3

Chester

-0.1

Erie

-0.1

Washington

-0.1

Lehigh

0.0

Luzerne

0.2

Philadelphia

0.2

Lackawanna

0.5

York

0.6

Cumberland

0.7

Lancaster

0.8

Northampton

1.6

Philadelphia County (720,800) had the highest employment level in Pennsylvania in March 2026. Together, the 19 largest counties accounted for 75.8 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 376 largest counties comprise 73.5 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 2025.)

Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2026

Average weekly wage gains in 13 of the 18 large counties in Pennsylvania with published data were below the national average of 3.9 percent. (See chart 2.) Delaware had the largest gain (+5.9 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among the other 17 large Pennsylvania counties ranged from 4.8 percent to 0.8 percent.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Pennsylvania, first quarter 2026
County Percent change, first quarter 2026

Delaware

5.9

Northampton

4.8

Butler

4.3

Chester

4.3

Montgomery

3.9

Dauphin

3.5

Philadelphia

3.3

Allegheny

3.2

Washington

3.0

Lancaster

2.7

Cumberland

2.5

Westmoreland

2.4

Luzerne

2.2

Lackawanna

2.0

Bucks

1.7

Berks

1.4

Lehigh

1.3

Erie

0.8

Weekly wages in 5 of the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania were above the national average of $1,654. Average weekly wages ranged from $2,064 in Montgomery to $1,086 in Lackawanna.

Statewide, average weekly wages increased 3.3 percent over the year to $1,550. Pennsylvania ranked 16th in average weekly wages among the 50 states and the District of Columbia and 34th in wage growth.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2026

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 2025. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 47 of the 48 smaller counties were below the national average. Montour reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,812) among small counties. Perry reported the lowest average weekly wage ($842) in the state.

Among all 67 Pennsylvania counties, 8 reported average weekly wages less than $950, 19 had wages from $950 to $1,074, 18 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, first quarter 2026

U.S. average = $1,654

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for all 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 second quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 2, 2026.

County Changes for the 2026 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2025 are included in this release and will be included in future 2026 releases. Five counties have been added to the publication tables: Kenton, KY; Union, NC; Licking, OH; Gregg, TX; and Kenosha, WI. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Wood, OH.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania, first quarter 2026
Area Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2026
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2025-26 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		First quarter
2026 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
first quarter
2025-26 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,381.8 154,771.9 0.1 -- 1,654 -- 3.9 --

Pennsylvania

394.1 6,002.1 -0.1 -- 1,550 16 3.3 34

Allegheny

36.7 662.1 -0.4 205 1,711 71 3.2 201

Berks

9.0 172.7 -0.5 220 1,299 237 1.4 330

Bucks

21.5 272.8 -1.3 321 1,306 228 1.7 314

Butler

5.5 88.5 -0.3 185 1,368 197 4.3 107

Chester

17.0 251.0 -0.1 166 1,969 35 4.3 107

Cumberland

7.2 137.8 0.7 79 1,336 215 2.5 260

Dauphin

7.6 187.9 -0.5 220 1,432 168 3.5 176

Delaware

14.6 217.3 -1.0 288 1,625 92 5.9 37

Erie

6.8 117.8 -0.1 166 1,109 350 0.8 349

Lackawanna

5.6 98.6 0.5 104 1,086 357 2.0 295

Lancaster

14.8 252.5 0.8 73 1,239 282 2.7 243

Lehigh

9.1 199.0 0.0 152 1,403 180 1.3 336

Luzerne

7.6 144.1 0.2 127 1,147 338 2.2 283

Montgomery

29.3 502.6 -0.3 185 2,064 27 3.9 141

Northampton

7.2 123.0 1.6 22 1,300 235 4.8 75

Philadelphia

33.7 720.8 0.2 127 1,761 62 3.3 196

Washington

5.8 88.6 -0.1 166 1,670 77 3.0 223

Westmoreland

9.1 126.7 -0.5 220 1,160 332 2.4 270

York

9.5 183.1 0.6 93 1,306 228 (5) -

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.
(5) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

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, first quarter 2026
Area Establishments Employment March 2026 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,381,750 154,771,941 1,654

Pennsylvania

394,057 6,002,061 1,550

Adams

2,298 33,333 1,098

Allegheny

36,709 662,112 1,711

Armstrong

1,457 15,379 1,031

Beaver

3,629 48,414 1,261

Bedford

1,264 16,143 987

Berks

8,980 172,669 1,299

Blair

3,497 57,035 1,082

Bradford

1,499 22,242 1,236

Bucks

21,515 272,783 1,306

Butler

5,542 88,482 1,368

Cambria

3,250 46,084 1,002

Cameron

152 1,392 909

Carbon

1,346 16,982 875

Centre

3,682 68,570 1,279

Chester

16,951 250,992 1,969

Clarion

1,074 12,238 946

Clearfield

1,993 29,051 1,052

Clinton

922 12,587 1,098

Columbia

1,576 23,492 995

Crawford

2,109 28,408 1,006

Cumberland

7,195 137,827 1,336

Dauphin

7,585 187,911 1,432

Delaware

14,625 217,338 1,625

Elk

931 12,798 1,053

Erie

6,756 117,823 1,109

Fayette

2,714 36,867 1,040

Forest

141 1,781 1,210

Franklin

3,571 60,847 1,154

Fulton

329 5,149 1,063

Greene

783 11,905 1,399

Huntingdon

1,035 12,521 1,017

Indiana

1,899 27,809 1,164

Jefferson

1,166 13,896 995

Juniata

580 6,091 928

Lackawanna

5,552 98,622 1,086

Lancaster

14,802 252,516 1,239

Lawrence

1,982 26,709 1,069

Lebanon

2,999 53,556 1,129

Lehigh

9,129 199,049 1,403

Luzerne

7,564 144,145 1,147

Lycoming

2,996 49,511 1,107

Mckean

1,054 13,626 1,007

Mercer

2,858 42,143 1,114

Mifflin

1,096 17,424 1,062

Monroe

3,754 56,422 1,118

Montgomery

29,287 502,556 2,064

Montour

487 17,413 1,812

Northampton

7,216 123,040 1,300

Northumberland

1,864 25,938 1,102

Perry

910 8,218 842

Philadelphia

33,685 720,758 1,761

Pike

1,159 11,766 898

Potter

480 4,619 1,073

Schuylkill

2,980 49,557 1,079

Snyder

1,022 15,346 893

Somerset

1,828 22,748 1,040

Sullivan

181 1,430 862

Susquehanna

950 8,425 1,097

Tioga

990 12,004 1,025

Union

1,032 16,805 1,198

Venango

1,210 15,718 1,004

Warren

912 12,537 1,041

Washington

5,818 88,595 1,670

Wayne

1,477 15,077 1,112

Westmoreland

9,137 126,728 1,160

Wyoming

709 9,396 1,293

York

9,503 183,070 1,306

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, first quarter 2026
State Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2026
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2025-26 		First quarter
2026 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
first quarter
2025-26 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,381.8 154,771.9 0.1 1,654 -- 3.9 --

Alabama

168.7 2,121.2 0.7 1,292 38 3.6 28

Alaska

25.4 320.1 -1.3 1,519 18 4.8 6

Arizona

227.8 3,249.1 -0.6 1,495 21 4.5 10

Arkansas

109.4 1,305.2 -0.1 1,291 39 4.6 8

California

1,990.7 18,211.8 0.9 1,986 6 2.7 44

Colorado

264.7 2,848.5 -0.7 1,774 8 5.4 4

Connecticut

150.0 1,668.2 -0.4 2,080 4 5.2 5

Delaware

47.1 473.6 -0.3 1,606 15 3.1 39

District of Columbia

51.4 715.8 -4.5 2,725 1 4.5 10

Florida

894.1 9,962.8 0.0 1,518 19 4.3 13

Georgia

397.4 4,865.2 0.0 1,539 17 3.3 34

Hawaii

64.6 643.9 -0.3 1,387 29 1.7 51

Idaho

100.8 867.9 1.9 1,254 44 6.2 2

Illinois

389.4 5,992.4 0.0 1,731 9 4.1 16

Indiana

197.7 3,160.7 -0.1 1,356 30 2.7 44

Iowa

110.8 1,537.5 -0.1 1,301 36 3.9 22

Kansas

102.2 1,425.3 0.0 1,286 41 3.1 39

Kentucky

163.0 1,979.1 -0.4 1,248 45 2.9 43

Louisiana

159.6 1,917.2 -0.5 1,274 42 4.0 17

Maine

67.5 629.1 -0.5 1,327 34 3.5 30

Maryland

201.1 2,700.3 -1.7 1,676 10 2.7 44

Massachusetts

296.4 3,552.9 -0.9 2,201 3 4.8 6

Michigan

312.6 4,357.5 0.3 1,445 24 3.9 22

Minnesota

213.9 2,878.1 -0.3 1,630 14 3.8 24

Mississippi

93.3 1,162.9 -0.2 1,051 51 3.3 34

Missouri

263.5 2,890.5 0.1 1,354 31 3.4 32

Montana

63.2 506.6 0.6 1,229 48 3.5 30

Nebraska

78.9 1,008.2 -0.1 1,274 42 3.7 26

Nevada

112.8 1,575.7 2.0 1,391 28 2.1 50

New Hampshire

66.1 675.0 -1.2 1,656 12 3.0 41

New Jersey

343.4 4,247.8 0.0 1,879 7 3.3 34

New Mexico

67.1 867.4 -0.4 1,235 46 2.7 44

New York

710.5 9,743.6 -0.3 2,363 2 6.5 1

North Carolina

375.3 4,942.7 0.8 1,515 20 3.3 34

North Dakota

36.9 420.7 -0.5 1,333 33 2.4 49

Ohio

344.6 5,458.3 -0.2 1,417 26 4.0 17

Oklahoma

130.2 1,700.6 0.0 1,235 46 3.6 28

Oregon

173.5 1,952.3 -1.3 1,481 23 4.6 8

Pennsylvania

394.1 6,002.1 -0.1 1,550 16 3.3 34

Rhode Island

49.1 486.9 -0.6 1,487 22 4.2 14

South Carolina

193.1 2,326.6 0.7 1,296 37 4.0 17

South Dakota

41.1 451.7 0.2 1,211 49 4.2 14

Tennessee

228.1 3,254.1 -0.2 1,426 25 4.4 12

Texas

868.8 14,124.6 0.6 1,646 13 3.8 24

Utah

140.6 1,737.8 0.9 1,415 27 4.0 17

Vermont

33.4 304.2 -1.0 1,322 35 3.0 41

Virginia

324.8 4,118.7 -0.2 1,665 11 4.0 17

Washington

240.6 3,558.6 -0.2 1,998 5 2.7 44

West Virginia

63.0 693.3 -0.4 1,188 50 3.4 32

Wisconsin

208.0 2,902.6 0.0 1,353 32 3.7 26

Wyoming

31.8 275.2 -0.1 1,287 40 5.8 3

Puerto Rico

52.9 944.5 -0.8 724 (3) 3.4 (3)

Virgin Islands

2.9 34.9 1.2 1,054 (3) 1.5 (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 September 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 04, 2026 at 16:32 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]