Counties with the highest unemployment in Pennsylvania

Written by:
October 4, 2024
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Counties with the highest unemployment in Pennsylvania

Unemployment rates have continued to rise across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm throughout the nation and guiding the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates last month.

As of August, unemployment rates had increased from the previous year in 315 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 45 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Pennsylvania, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in August 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

The national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.1% in September, down slightly from the previous month. Still, it's up substantially from 3.8% during the same month last year and remains higher than it had otherwise been since December 2021. By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, cutting interest rates to alleviate economic strain and spur job growth.

Since last year, unemployment has spiked in half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing." The Fed plans to continue cutting rates to achieve this.

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Pennsylvania.

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#50. Wyoming County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 13,652 people (551 unemployed)

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#49. Bedford County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,855 people (983 unemployed)

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#48. Washington County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 105,463 people (4,254 unemployed)

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#47. York County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 240,974 people (9,756 unemployed)

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#46. Snyder County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,612 people (799 unemployed)

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#45. Mifflin County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,355 people (876 unemployed)

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#44. Blair County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 59,879 people (2,459 unemployed)

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#43. Dauphin County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 150,133 people (6,160 unemployed)

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#42. Northampton County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 167,271 people (6,918 unemployed)

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#41. Allegheny County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 639,070 people (26,323 unemployed)

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#40. Columbia County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,645 people (1,462 unemployed)

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#39. Lycoming County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 55,499 people (2,321 unemployed)

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#38. Westmoreland County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 177,249 people (7,464 unemployed)

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#37. Lehigh County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 200,671 people (8,496 unemployed)

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#36. Delaware County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 301,839 people (12,534 unemployed)

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#35. Juniata County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,661 people (540 unemployed)

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#34. Warren County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 17,113 people (742 unemployed)

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#33. Carbon County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,909 people (1,401 unemployed)

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#32. Clearfield County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,698 people (1,499 unemployed)

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#31. Erie County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 126,328 people (5,376 unemployed)

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#30. Berks County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 215,602 people (9,362 unemployed)

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#29. Tioga County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,693 people (828 unemployed)

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#28. Crawford County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 37,312 people (1,658 unemployed)

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#27. Northumberland County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 43,342 people (1,902 unemployed)

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#26. Sullivan County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,671 people (120 unemployed)

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#25. Elk County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,435 people (643 unemployed)

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#24. Armstrong County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 31,345 people (1,415 unemployed)

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#23. Lawrence County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 38,720 people (1,754 unemployed)

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#22. Beaver County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 82,213 people (3,673 unemployed)

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#21. Lackawanna County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 106,660 people (4,818 unemployed)

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#20. Potter County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,854 people (318 unemployed)

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#19. Clinton County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,315 people (802 unemployed)

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#18. Jefferson County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 19,117 people (880 unemployed)

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#17. Venango County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,583 people (951 unemployed)

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#16. Somerset County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,438 people (1,488 unemployed)

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#15. Mercer County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 47,560 people (2,218 unemployed)

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#14. McKean County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,501 people (785 unemployed)

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#13. Huntingdon County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,513 people (929 unemployed)

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#12. Schuylkill County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 65,935 people (3,132 unemployed)

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#11. Monroe County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 82,946 people (3,977 unemployed)

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#10. Greene County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,267 people (752 unemployed)

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#9. Clarion County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,519 people (766 unemployed)

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#8. Pike County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,856 people (1,267 unemployed)

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#7. Luzerne County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 160,359 people (8,014 unemployed)

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#6. Cambria County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 55,751 people (2,830 unemployed)

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#5. Indiana County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 35,650 people (1,852 unemployed)

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#4. Forest County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,681 people (91 unemployed)

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#3. Fayette County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 55,418 people (2,980 unemployed)

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#2. Philadelphia County/city

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 750,077 people (40,753 unemployed)

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#1. Cameron County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,932 people (114 unemployed)

This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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