How many jobs were lost in Pennsylvania last month?
Refreshed monthly
Pennsylvania lost 7,600 jobs in July 2026, ranking it 45th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 7,100 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-7.6K
month to month change in number of jobs (July 2026)
45th
rank among states in monthly job growth (July 2026)
Pennsylvania’s job loss of 7,600 in July 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was down from the 100 gain in June 2026.
During the latest five year period (August 2021 to July 2026), Pennsylvania gained jobs in 47 out of 60 months. July 2026 had the second-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (54,500) while job growth was weakest in February 2026 (-20,500).
There were 7,600 fewer jobs in July 2026 in Pennsylvania than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, August 2021–July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Pennsylvania sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in July 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in July 2026 were accommodation and food services, private educational services, and finance and insurance. Accommodation and food services added 3,400 jobs, more than the entire economy. Private educational services gained 2,000 jobs, while finance and insurance added 1,500. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were health care and social assistance, local government, and professional, scientific, and technical services. Health care and social assistance lost 6,000 jobs in July 2026, while local government lost 4,700 jobs and professional, scientific, and technical services lost 2,800 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 6,000 jobs during July 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Pennsylvania (July 2026)
How has Pennsylvania's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Pennsylvania gained an average of 1,900 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 3,908, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as 15th-highest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 13,400 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 6,500 on average every month in 2023.
In 2025, Pennsylvania gained an average of 1,900 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among 16 metro areas primarily in Pennsylvania during July 2026 ranged from a loss of 5,600 jobs in the Philadelphia, PA area to a gain of 1,200 jobs in the Harrisburg, PA area metro area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Pennsylvania
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +1,200 | |
| 2. | +500 | |
| 3. | +200 | |
| 4. | +100 | |
| 5. | +100 | |
| 6. | +0 | |
| 7. | +0 | |
| 8. | +0 | |
| 9. | -100 | |
| 10. | -100 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
