How many jobs were lost in Pennsylvania last month?
Refreshed monthly
Pennsylvania lost 600 jobs in September 2026, ranking it 31st 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 7,000 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-600
month to month change in number of jobs (September 2026)
31st
rank among states in monthly job growth (September 2026)
Pennsylvania’s job loss of 600 in September 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was down from the 12,300 gain in August 2026.
During the latest five year period (October 2021 to September 2026), Pennsylvania gained jobs in 47 out of 60 months. September 2026 had the 11th-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 600 fewer jobs in September 2026 in Pennsylvania than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, October 2021–September 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Pennsylvania sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in September 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in September 2026 were administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, health care and social assistance, and transportation, warehousing, and utilities. Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services added 4,600 jobs, more than the entire economy. Health care and social assistance gained 4,300 jobs, while transportation, warehousing, and utilities added 2,200. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were accommodation and food services, professional, scientific, and technical services, and real estate and rental and leasing. Accommodation and food services lost 8,200 jobs in September 2026, while professional, scientific, and technical services lost 1,900 jobs and real estate and rental and leasing lost 1,800 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 4,300 jobs during September 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Pennsylvania (September 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 highest 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 12,100 on average every month in 2022.
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 September 2026 ranged from a loss of 1,600 jobs in the Pittsburgh, PA area to a gain of 200 jobs in the Philadelphia, PA 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. | +200 | |
| 2. | +0 | |
| 3. | +0 | |
| 4. | +0 | |
| 5. | -100 | |
| 6. | -100 | |
| 7. | -100 | |
| 8. | -200 | |
| 9. | -200 | |
| 10. | -300 |
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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.
