Northeast region · state data

Pennsylvania unemployment rate and jobs

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was 3.6% in Sep 2026, 0.6 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was down from 4.4% a year earlier.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics) via FRED®. Monthly data, seasonally adjusted. Latest observation Sep 2026; snapshot taken Oct 27, 2026, 2:15 AM EDT.

Unemployment rate (Sep 2026)

3.6%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

-0.6 pt

A year earlier

4.4%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

20th of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

6.21 million

Job growth, 12 months

+0.7%

Record low rate

3.5% (Jul 2023)

Unemployment rate: Pennsylvania vs. the U.S.

3.6% Sep 2026 · Percent

Pennsylvania unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

Percent of the labor force, seasonally adjusted. Pennsylvania data from Jan 1976 to Sep 2026; the dashed line is the national rate (UNRATE).

How Pennsylvania compares

In Sep 2026, Pennsylvania had the 20th lowest rate of the 51 states and DC (tied with Idaho, Missouri, Rhode Island, Virginia). Across the 9 states in the Northeast region, the simple average was 3.7%, so Pennsylvania was 0.1 points below it.

Since the state series began in 1976, Pennsylvania's rate has ranged from a low of 3.5% in Jul 2023 to a high of 16.1% in Apr 2020. The latest reading is within 0.1 points of the record low. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 4.6%, 1.0 points higher than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 4.1% and was above the national rate in 0 of them.

Jobs in Pennsylvania

Employers in Pennsylvania reported 6.21 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 45,000 more than a year earlier (+0.7%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 18th of 51. The record high was 6.21 million in Aug 2026. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 2.1%.

6,212.6K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons

Total nonfarm payroll jobs, thousands, seasonally adjusted, from the BLS survey of employers. Data from Jan 1990.

Last 12 months in Pennsylvania
Month	Unemployment rate	U.S. rate	Nonfarm jobs	Monthly job change
Sep 2026	3.6%	4.2%	6.21 million	-600
Aug 2026	3.7%	4.1%	6.21 million	+12,300
Jul 2026	3.9%	4.1%	6.20 million	-7,800
Jun 2026	4.1%	4.2%	6.21 million	+100
May 2026	4.2%	4.3%	6.21 million	+8,100
Apr 2026	4.2%	4.3%	6.20 million	+12,400
Mar 2026	4.2%	4.3%	6.19 million	+11,000
Feb 2026	4.2%	4.4%	6.18 million	-20,500
Jan 2026	4.3%	4.3%	6.20 million	+13,600
Dec 2025	4.4%	4.4%	6.18 million	+10,000
Nov 2025	4.4%	4.5%	6.17 million	+6,400
Sep 2025	4.4%	4.4%	6.17 million	-4,500

Record high unemployment rate: 16.1% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

Idaho · 3.6%Missouri · 3.6%Rhode Island · 3.6%Virginia · 3.6%

Other Northeast states

Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Rhode Island Vermont All 50 states and DC U.S. unemployment rate

This page shows public labor market data for general information. It is not financial or career advice and does not predict future values.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate in Pennsylvania [PAUR], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PAUR, Oct 27, 2026.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees: Total Nonfarm in Pennsylvania [PANA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PANA, Oct 27, 2026.
View PAUR on FRED® · View PANA on FRED® · BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · BLS State and Metro Area Employment

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