Glens Falls' low jobless rate hides a shrinking payroll base.
3.4%
Metro unemployment rate
vs 4.1% U.S., 4.3% New York State
-0.4%
Metro nonfarm payroll change
Private jobs grew +0.9% over same period
$1,231
Average weekly wage
vs $1,654 U.S. average, Q1 2026
3.0% y/y
National wage growth
Below 3.4% inflation; lowest since May 2021
This Month's Takeaways
01
Low unemployment is masking a shrinking job base.
A 3.4% unemployment rate looks healthy against the 4.1% national figure, but total nonfarm payrolls fell 0.4% over the latest full year even as private employment rose 0.9%. The gap points to public-sector contraction and a tightening labor pool rather than robust economic expansion.
02
Healthcare remains the metro's clearest growth engine.
Registered Nurse pay is up significantly both locally ($112,034) and nationally, and Glens Falls Hospital and Hudson Headwaters together employ over 3,500 people in the region. This concentration makes local economic health increasingly tied to the stability of a handful of health systems.
03
White-collar pay is diverging sharply from the national trend.
Software Engineer and Account Manager advertised pay fell locally while national figures held stable or rose, a pattern distinct from the Capital Region's broader strength in finance and professional services. This may reflect limited corporate-sector depth rather than cooling demand, a distinction that matters for how the metro positions itself to prospective employers.
04
Skilled trades are quietly outperforming the wider wage picture.
CDL Truck Driver pay rose significantly ($81,207) and Electrician pay moderately, both above national medians, even as broader metro wages trail the U.S. average by over $400 a week. Transportation and construction activity appear to be the pockets of genuine local wage momentum.
Local Economic Conditions
Glens Falls MSA unemployment held at 3.4% in August 2026, well below the 4.1% national rate, but the metro's nonfarm payrolls still contracted 0.4% over the year ending December 2025 even as private-sector jobs grew 0.9% -- a split consistent with public-sector softness offsetting modest private gains. Average weekly wages of $1,231 in Q1 2026 trail the U.S. average of $1,654 by roughly 26%, a gap that persists even as healthcare and leisure/hospitality continue adding positions locally.
Open Threads in the Data
Low local unemployment paired with flat-to-negative overall payroll growth suggests a labor market constrained by available workers rather than demand -- a dynamic economic development leaders should factor into any pitch to employers considering expansion here. Widening local-to-national wage gaps in white-collar roles (Account Manager, Software Engineer both down locally while rising nationally) may reflect a thinner regional base of large corporate employers rather than weak demand, which matters for how commerce groups frame the metro's competitive position. Current conditions suggest regional economic development messaging should lean on sector strengths that are outperforming -- healthcare wage growth and skilled trades -- rather than broad wage comparisons that disadvantage the narrative.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Glens Falls, NY 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 |
$33,077 |
↓ Moderate decline |
1,704 |
| Retail Cashier |
$35,360 |
↓ Moderate decline |
165 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$40,058 |
↓ Moderate decline |
221 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$81,207 |
↑ Significant increase |
492 |
| Delivery Driver |
$33,719 |
↓ Moderate decline |
1,096 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$42,150 |
↓ Moderate decline |
26 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$72,915 |
↑ Moderate increase |
38 |
| HVAC Technician |
$68,712 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,548 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$39,520 |
→ Stable |
77 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$40,880 |
↓ Significant decline |
74 |
| Operations Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$34,505 |
→ Stable |
15 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$41,870 |
→ Stable |
518 |
| Registered Nurse |
$112,034 |
↑ Significant increase |
1,766 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$46,384 |
→ Stable |
72 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$180,123 |
↓ Moderate decline |
17 |
| Data Engineer |
$142,396 |
↑ Moderate increase |
12,567 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$83,200 |
↑ Significant increase |
40 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$72,500 |
↑ Significant increase |
20 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$59,470 |
→ Stable |
2,935 |
| Business Analyst |
$93,526 |
→ Stable |
11 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$94,295 |
↑ Moderate increase |
4,073 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$52,225 |
↑ Significant increase |
261 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$57,500 |
↓ Significant decline |
27 |
Industry Snapshot · Glens Falls, NY 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 |
→ −0.5% |
↑ +262.5% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +31.7% |
↑ +247.8% |
| Retail Trade |
↓ −7.3% |
↑ +185.7% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↓ −18.0% |
↑ +352.0% |
| Information |
↑ +6.5% |
↑ +43.5% |
| Financial Activities |
↓ −15.4% |
↑ +280.6% |
| Professional & Business Services |
→ −2.1% |
↑ +171.8% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +11.3% |
↑ +117.0% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
→ +2.3% |
↑ +108.0% |
| Government |
↑ +88.2% |
↑ +775.6% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Worth watching
September 2026 BLS data for Glens Falls will be the first full read since the national payroll report showed just 29,000 jobs added and a 3.0% wage-growth slowdown. Watch whether the metro's 3.4% unemployment rate holds or drifts toward the state's 4.3%.
Emerging pressure point
New York's local government shed 13,000 jobs statewide in September outside education, and Glens Falls nonfarm payrolls already contracted in the prior year. Any further public-sector pullback would land on a metro with limited private-sector depth to absorb it.
Early indicator
Statewide labor force participation slipped from 61.5% to 61.3% in July, and national participation is flat at 61.8%. A similar drift locally would suggest the metro's low unemployment rate reflects fewer job-seekers rather than a strengthening economy.
Potential inflection point
Construction and manufacturing wage pressure flagged in the Federal Reserve's September Beige Book for New York aligns with the metro's standout local gains in CDL driver and electrician pay. Continued momentum in these trades could be a leading signal for regional infrastructure and housing activity.
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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