How many jobs were added in Pennsylvania last month?
Refreshed monthly
Pennsylvania gained 5,800 jobs in August 2026, ranking it ninth 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 6,900 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+5.8K
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
9th
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
Pennsylvania’s job growth of 5,800 in August 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was up from the 7,800 jobs lost in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), Pennsylvania gained jobs in 47 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the 28th-highest 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 5,800 more jobs in August 2026 in Pennsylvania than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Pennsylvania sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in August 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in August 2026 were accommodation and food services, private educational services, and local government. Accommodation and food services added 2,800 jobs. Private educational services gained 2,000 jobs, while local government added 1,700. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were arts, entertainment, and recreation, non-durable goods, and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services. arts, entertainment, and recreation lost 1,500 jobs in August 2026, while non-durable goods lost 1,200 jobs and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services lost 1,100 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 1,000 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Pennsylvania (August 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 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 August 2026 ranged from a loss of 500 jobs in the Harrisburg, PA area to a gain of 3,700 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. | +3,700 | |
| 2. | +1,300 | |
| 3. | +700 | |
| 4. | +600 | |
| 5. | +300 | |
| 6. | +300 | |
| 7. | +300 | |
| 8. | +200 | |
| 9. | +200 | |
| 10. | +200 |
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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.
