{"schema_version": 1, "id": "philadelphia-camden-wilmington-pa-nj-de-md-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 289, "label": "Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA", "slug": "philadelphia-camden-wilmington-pa-nj-de-md-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T08:01:14.118138+00:00", "headline": "Philadelphia stalls as Pennsylvania hits a record-low jobless rate.", "headline_summary": "Pennsylvania's unemployment fell to 3.6% in September, its lowest since 2023, while Philadelphia added just 200 jobs that month and professional-services employment grew only 0.7% over four years.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Philadelphia job growth, Sept 2026", "value": "+200 jobs", "context": "vs Pittsburgh's -1,600 same month"}, {"label": "Pennsylvania unemployment rate", "value": "3.6%", "context": "Lowest since Sept 2023; 29th month below US rate"}, {"label": "Professional services growth, 2022-2026", "value": "0.7%", "context": "Four-year cumulative, Philadelphia MSA"}, {"label": "Metro unemployment claims, YoY change", "value": "+19.7%", "context": "Layoffs/terminations drove ~75% of increase"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Philadelphia's job growth has stalled while Pennsylvania's has not.", "body": "Statewide unemployment hit 3.6% in September, the lowest since 2023, yet Philadelphia added just 200 jobs for the month against a 1,600-job loss in Pittsburgh. Metro-level stagnation inside a strengthening state points to localized drag, worth distinguishing in any public commentary on the area's economic trajectory."}, {"headline": "Professional services weakness looks structural.", "body": "Professional and business services employment grew only 0.7% across the four years from June 2022 to June 2026, a historically weak stretch outside recession periods, while information-sector jobs fell 7.9% through June. That multi-year pattern, paired with national information-sector losses of 23,000 in September, points to a durable realignment in white-collar demand."}, {"headline": "Healthcare concentration is both the region's strength and its exposure.", "body": "Health care and social assistance account for 27% of Philadelphia employment versus 16% nationally, and education & health services drove Pennsylvania's largest year-over-year sector gain at 32,600 jobs. Advertised pay for registered nurses (metro median $103,133, up significantly) confirms sustained demand, but an economy this reliant on one sector carries concentration risk that diversification-minded commerce leaders should track."}, {"headline": "Real wages are falling even as headline numbers look stable.", "body": "National median weekly earnings rose 1.5% in Q3 against 3.5% CPI inflation over the same period, meaning real purchasing power is eroding despite a 4.1% national unemployment rate holding steady. Locally stable advertised pay across retail, food service, and warehouse roles compounds that effect, with consumer spending power likely softer than static job numbers suggest."}], "local_conditions": "Philadelphia metro employment held roughly flat over the past year even as the nation added jobs at a roughly 175,000-per-month pace, with professional and business services growing just 0.7% across the entire 2022-2026 period and information-sector employment contracting 7.9% through June 2026. Pennsylvania's statewide unemployment rate fell to a record-low 3.6% in September \u2014 29 straight months below the national rate \u2014 while Philadelphia itself added only 200 jobs that month, a divergence that points to a state economy outperforming a metro economy still working through sector-specific softness in tech, media, and professional services.", "implications": "Flat metro employment alongside record-low state unemployment suggests Philadelphia's labor market tightness reflects a shrinking available workforce more than fresh job creation, a distinction that matters for any economic development or expansion case built on hiring ease. Healthcare and education continue to anchor the region's job base \u2014 accounting for 27% of metro employment versus 16% nationally \u2014 meaning the local economy's resilience is concentrated in a few sectors. Commerce leaders evaluating the health of the local business climate should weigh sector concentration risk alongside headline unemployment figures, since a low jobless rate built on eds-and-meds dominance behaves differently than one built on diversified private investment.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Comcast Technology Center's WARN filing for 634 workers, effective December 31, lands squarely in the metro's information and professional-services soft spot. Watch whether displaced talent is absorbed locally or exits the region, a signal of whether Philadelphia's professional-services contraction is cyclical or permanent."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "New unemployment claims in the metro rose 19.7% year-over-year, with layoffs and terminations driving roughly three-quarters of that increase. A second consecutive month of rising claims would sharpen the case that metro-level softness is broadening beyond information and professional services."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "November's BLS release will bring the first official October metro-level data, filling a reporting gap that currently limits confidence in real-time local readings. Expect that release to clarify whether Philadelphia's flat employment trend persisted or began reversing."}, {"category": "Policy to monitor", "body": "Pennsylvania's minimum wage remains frozen at $7.25, unchanged since 2009, while Democratic lawmakers have proposed phased increases to $15 by 2029 with no Senate action to date. Any legislative movement would directly affect advertised pay floors across the region's large retail, food service, and hospitality employment base."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 27594.75, "metro_p50": 34320.0, "metro_p75": 36962.0, "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": 27586.0, "metro_p50": 32835.0, "metro_p75": 34320.0, "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": 33976.0, "metro_p50": 38750.0, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 38480.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58776.0, "metro_p50": 79643.0, "metro_p75": 90000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32768.0, "metro_p50": 35868.2, "metro_p75": 40326.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 34826.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 35963.0, "metro_p50": 41600.0, "metro_p75": 45760.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 40726.6, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 60522.25, "metro_p50": 72800.0, "metro_p75": 76332.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "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": 34993.0, "metro_p50": 40560.0, "metro_p75": 44720.0, "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": 35360.0, "metro_p50": 41600.0, "metro_p75": 45760.0, "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": 29900.0, "metro_p50": 33280.0, "metro_p75": 35360.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33764.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34320.0, "metro_p50": 41600.0, "metro_p75": 45240.0, "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": 37440.0, "metro_p50": 45760.0, "metro_p75": 50000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 44552.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 63404.0, "metro_p50": 78000.0, "metro_p75": 83200.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 86145.0, "metro_p50": 103132.6, "metro_p75": 112320.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 112586.0, "metro_p50": 144012.0, "metro_p75": 159811.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 99840.0, "metro_p50": 129950.2, "metro_p75": 147838.5, "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": 63500.0, "metro_p50": 73876.2, "metro_p75": 82500.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 72000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 72514.0, "metro_p50": 92500.0, "metro_p75": 101250.0, "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": "metro", "metro_p25": 59832.0, "metro_p50": 70000.0, "metro_p75": 81467.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 51849.0, "metro_p50": 66077.0, "metro_p75": 73275.75, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 67667.0, "metro_p50": 100600.0, "metro_p75": 105000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 86294.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 36400.0, "metro_p50": 57500.0, "metro_p75": 67016.5, "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": 65759.5, "metro_p50": 90000.0, "metro_p75": 105000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94009.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 52917.0, "metro_p50": 79000.0, "metro_p75": 80000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 83203.0, "metro_p50": 97220.6, "metro_p75": 108564.0, "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": 69706.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 115350.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 38292.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "stable", "postings_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 43680.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 102373.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 98511.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 69396.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 59280.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 34424.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "stable", "postings_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 67151.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "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": "philadelphia-camden-wilmington-pa-nj-de-md-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "philadelphia-camden-wilmington-pa-nj-de-md-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "philadelphia-camden-wilmington-pa-nj-de-md-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:28:12.963254+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/philadelphia-camden-wilmington-pa-nj-de-md-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/philadelphia-camden-wilmington-pa-nj-de-md-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}