{"schema_version": 1, "id": "atlantic-city-nj-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 107, "label": "Atlantic City, NJ MSA", "slug": "atlantic-city-nj-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T07:25:55.483170+00:00", "headline": "Atlantic City jobless rate improves while casino payrolls keep shrinking.", "headline_summary": "Atlantic County unemployment fell to 4.8% in September from 5.4% in August, even as leisure and hospitality \u2014 still roughly a third of metro payrolls \u2014 posted a 2.3% year-over-year job decline.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Atlantic County unemployment rate", "value": "4.8%", "context": "Down from 5.4% in August 2026"}, {"label": "Leisure & hospitality payroll change", "value": "-2.3% YoY", "context": "Sector is ~32% of metro nonfarm payrolls"}, {"label": "Education & health services growth", "value": "+3.1%", "context": "~800 jobs added, aided by AtlantiCare expansion"}, {"label": "Metro avg. weekly wage, Q1 2026", "value": "$1,165", "context": "Below U.S. average weekly wage"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Unemployment improvement outpaces the underlying payroll story.", "body": "Atlantic County's rate fell 0.6 points in a single month, from 5.4% to 4.8%, but July's -3.9% year-over-year payroll decline suggests part of the drop reflects labor-force movement that occurred alongside continued hospitality weakness. Economists should treat the rate alone as an incomplete signal in a metro this concentrated in one cyclical sector."}, {"headline": "Health and education carry the metro's job growth almost alone.", "body": "The AtlantiCare-driven 3.1% gain in education and health services is the only sector cited with clear expansion in the available metro data, mirroring the statewide pattern where that sector supplied nearly all of New Jersey's job gains over the past year. A metro this dependent on one growth sector has limited cushion if health-system investment slows."}, {"headline": "Casino-sector softness is a structural watch item spanning multiple months.", "body": "Leisure and hospitality shed 5,200 jobs year-over-year as of March and lost another 1,400 positions (2.3%) in subsequent data, in a sector that still represents roughly a third of metro payrolls. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion or investment timing should distinguish seasonal casino-industry noise from this multi-month contraction."}, {"headline": "Local wage signals diverge sharply by occupation, complicating any single inflation narrative.", "body": "CDL truck driver pay rose to $84,764 (significant increase) while registered nurse pay fell to $101,348 and software engineer pay declined to $109,936 locally even as national figures moved the opposite direction. That dispersion points to metro-specific demand shifts shaping household purchasing power here."}], "local_conditions": "Atlantic County's unemployment rate improved to 4.8% in September from 5.4% in August, continuing a recovery after a weak summer in which July metro payrolls fell 3.9% year-over-year, driven largely by casino and leisure sector softness. Education and health services provided the metro's clearest offsetting momentum, adding roughly 800 jobs and 3.1% growth, aided by the $75 million AtlantiCare expansion completed in 2025 \u2014 a pattern consistent with statewide trends where health and education accounted for nearly all New Jersey job gains over the past year.", "implications": "Casino-driven leisure and hospitality employment \u2014 still roughly 32% of metro nonfarm payrolls \u2014 remains the single largest swing factor in the metro's economic trajectory, meaning local business-climate assessments should weight that sector's volatility more heavily than headline unemployment improvement suggests. Advertised pay gains in warehouse/fulfillment (+moderate), construction labor (+moderate), and administrative roles (+significant) point to pockets of local demand outside the casino core that commerce leaders can point to as diversification evidence. Current conditions suggest commerce and economic development leaders should track the leisure and hospitality payroll count alongside the unemployment rate before characterizing the metro's recovery as broad-based.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Expected release", "body": "BLS has not yet published October metro-level unemployment or payroll data for Atlantic City; the next release will clarify whether September's improvement to 4.8% held or reversed. Government economists should treat September figures as provisional until confirmed."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Leisure and hospitality's multi-quarter payroll decline, against a backdrop of statewide manufacturing and financial-services WARN activity (Prudential, JP Morgan Chase among filers), raises the question of whether casino-adjacent suppliers or vendors in the metro face comparable notices in coming months."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "New Jersey's minimum wage rises again to $16.48 on January 1, 2027, a constitutionally mandated CPI adjustment that will affect metro employers in retail, food service, and hospitality disproportionately given the local sector mix."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "AtlantiCare's completed expansion has already shown up in local job counts; watch whether education and health services sustain 3%-plus growth or whether that gain reflects a one-time absorption from the capital project that will not continue as an ongoing hiring trend."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33113.0, "metro_p50": 35388.2, "metro_p75": 37918.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33340.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32224.0, "metro_p50": 34320.0, "metro_p75": 36400.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 31268.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 36547.0, "metro_p50": 40731.0, "metro_p75": 44629.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 38480.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 61493.0, "metro_p50": 84764.0, "metro_p75": 96850.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32939.0, "metro_p50": 34186.0, "metro_p75": 39520.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34826.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 39520.0, "metro_p50": 44720.0, "metro_p75": 45760.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 40726.6, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58365.0, "metro_p50": 72503.0, "metro_p75": 75303.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71835.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 37064.5, "metro_p50": 50000.0, "metro_p75": 52000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34237.0, "metro_p50": 37357.0, "metro_p75": 37440.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33067.0, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "metro_p75": 39988.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 33764.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 37440.0, "metro_p50": 44783.6, "metro_p75": 47840.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 41600.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 39520.0, "metro_p50": 44720.0, "metro_p75": 50960.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 44552.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 65970.0, "metro_p50": 69680.0, "metro_p75": 69680.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 86873.0, "metro_p50": 101348.0, "metro_p75": 110000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 68081.0, "metro_p50": 109936.0, "metro_p75": 119442.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 102461.0, "metro_p50": 135979.4, "metro_p75": 157590.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 138000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55518.0, "metro_p50": 64811.2, "metro_p75": 75132.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 72000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 79177.0, "metro_p50": 97500.0, "metro_p75": 104000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 64061.0, "metro_p50": 80000.0, "metro_p75": 88915.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 50452.0, "metro_p50": 70000.0, "metro_p75": 80000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 70000.0, "metro_p50": 102500.0, "metro_p75": 121957.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 86294.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 35638.75, "metro_p50": 60647.0, "metro_p75": 75580.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 55908.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58727.5, "metro_p50": 87300.0, "metro_p75": 87563.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94009.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 69041.25, "metro_p50": 90000.0, "metro_p75": 90000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 83000.0, "metro_p50": 84716.0, "metro_p75": 84716.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 98302.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 53040.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 89149.5, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 38016.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 40353.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 41080.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 54902.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 72503.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 59345.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 37378.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 69845.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "atlantic-city-nj-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "atlantic-city-nj-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "atlantic-city-nj-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:18:09.966485+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/atlantic-city-nj-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/atlantic-city-nj-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}