Cape Cod's jobless rate falls for the season, not the year.
5.50%
Barnstable County unemployment
Down from 5.80% in July, up from 4.30% a year ago
4.3%
Massachusetts unemployment rate
vs 4.1% national rate in August
3.0% vs 3.4%
National wage vs inflation gap
Average hourly earnings growth trails CPI
72 notices, 7,343 workers
Massachusetts WARN notices (2026)
Down 11% from 2025 statewide
This Month's Takeaways
01
Cape Cod's jobless rate swings are seasonal, not sudden deterioration.
County unemployment fell month-over-month to 5.50% but sits a full point above last August, a pattern consistent with the tourism economy's annual staffing cycle rather than a new shock. Commerce leaders should weigh this against the statewide trend, where all twelve Massachusetts labor market areas also improved month-over-month in August.
02
Healthcare wages are doing the heavy lifting locally.
Registered Nurse pay climbed to $123,984 even as six other tracked roles posted declines, mirroring the statewide pattern where health care and education remain the only sectors adding jobs while professional services contract. For a metro anchored by Cape Cod Healthcare, this suggests institutional employers are insulating a meaningful share of local wage growth from broader softness.
03
Trades and logistics pay softening may track tourism-season wind-down.
Construction Laborer, HVAC Technician, Delivery Driver, and Warehouse pay all moved down this month, a combination consistent with the seasonal contraction in Cape Cod's visitor-driven economy rather than a broad local slowdown. Commerce leaders should watch whether these figures stabilize once October data isolates post-season baseline conditions.
04
National wage-inflation gap adds a layer of caution to local reads.
National wage growth slowed to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation, meaning real purchasing power is under pressure even in metros like Barnstable where nominal pay in some roles is rising. A healthcare pay gain locally does not guarantee real income growth once inflation is factored in.
Local Economic Conditions
Barnstable County unemployment eased to 5.50% in August from 5.80% in July but remains well above the 4.30% reading a year earlier, consistent with the seasonal tourism cycle that drives Cape Cod payrolls down as summer staffing winds back. Advertised pay across the metro's basket skews toward modest declines — construction, HVAC, delivery, and manufacturing roles all trended down this month — while healthcare wages (Registered Nurse up to $123,984) and customer service pay continued to climb, pointing to a bifurcated local economy where institutional employers add ground while tourism-adjacent and trades sectors soften.
Open Threads in the Data
Cape Cod's unemployment rate running 1.2 points above the national rate, paired with declining advertised pay across six of the metro's trades and logistics roles, suggests the seasonal contraction this year is sharper than typical and worth distinguishing from a structural slowdown before drawing conclusions about business climate. Commerce leaders weighing expansion or investment timing should note that healthcare and public-sector-adjacent employers (Cape Cod Healthcare, Woods Hole Oceanographic, Cape Cod Community College) continue to anchor wage growth even as consumer-facing sectors retreat, a pattern that argues for watching October's unemployment release before treating August softness as a trend. Consider reviewing sector-level advertised pay data alongside the October 20 state release to confirm whether the seasonal pullback is tracking prior years or deepening.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Barnstable Town, MA MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$36,400 |
→ Stable |
1,478 |
| Retail Cashier |
$36,400 |
↓ Moderate decline |
414 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$39,353 |
↓ Moderate decline |
164 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$65,000 |
↑ Moderate increase |
598 |
| Delivery Driver |
$34,898 |
↓ Significant decline |
1,904 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$45,760 |
↓ Moderate decline |
116 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$83,317 |
→ Stable |
126 |
| HVAC Technician |
$74,119 |
↓ Significant decline |
39 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$40,772 |
↓ Moderate decline |
85 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$47,726 |
↑ Moderate increase |
144 |
| Operations Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$39,000 |
↓ Moderate decline |
95 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$48,620 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,771 |
| Registered Nurse |
$123,984 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,775 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$51,126 |
→ Stable |
410 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$130,678 |
→ Stable |
10 |
| Data Engineer |
$100,271 |
↓ Moderate decline |
11 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$70,000 |
↓ Moderate decline |
133 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$66,560 |
↑ Moderate increase |
21 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$66,000 |
→ Stable |
2,396 |
| Business Analyst |
$101,853 |
→ Stable |
9,016 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$100,000 |
→ Stable |
4,223 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$63,308 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,193 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$70,823 |
→ Stable |
48 |
Industry Snapshot · Barnstable Town, MA MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
→ 0.0% |
↑ +55.1% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +8.0% |
↑ +158.6% |
| Retail Trade |
→ −1.4% |
↑ +112.2% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↓ −36.1% |
↑ +734.3% |
| Information |
↓ −15.8% |
↓ −23.9% |
| Financial Activities |
↓ −4.5% |
↑ +161.7% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↓ −15.6% |
↑ +190.3% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +18.0% |
↑ +127.0% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −5.0% |
↑ +95.6% |
| Government |
↓ −25.4% |
↑ +166.7% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Expected release
Massachusetts releases September county-level unemployment data October 20, which will show whether Barnstable's seasonal unemployment decline continues or whether the gap versus last year's 4.30% reading widens further.
Worth watching
Statewide professional, scientific, and technical services employment fell 5.8% in 2026 — a trend with limited direct Cape Cod footprint today but relevant if Boston-area contraction spills into remote or hybrid roles tied to the Cape's growing year-round population.
Early indicator
Massachusetts WARN notices are down 11% year over year statewide, with no major Barnstable-area filings reported this cycle; continued absence of local notices would support a seasonal rather than structural read on the county's unemployment uptick.
Potential inflection point
National payroll growth has slowed sharply (29,000 in September against a 45,000 trailing average), a signal commerce leaders should track for whether Cape Cod's winter off-season proves deeper than typical given softer national consumer demand heading into 2027.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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