{"schema_version": 1, "id": "scranton-wilkes-barre-pa-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 480, "label": "Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA", "slug": "scranton-wilkes-barre-pa-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T08:01:46.001887+00:00", "headline": "Scranton metro lags state's labor market strength, unevenly", "headline_summary": "Pennsylvania's unemployment rate fell to a near three-year low of 3.6% in September, but Scranton-Wilkes-Barre's most recent reading of 4.7% and Hazleton's climb to 7.5% show the metro diverging from the state trend.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "PA statewide unemployment", "value": "3.6%", "context": "September 2026, lowest since Sept. 2023"}, {"label": "Scranton-Wilkes-Barre MSA unemployment", "value": "4.7%", "context": "July 2026, most recent available; lags PA release"}, {"label": "Hazleton unemployment", "value": "7.5%", "context": "May 2026, up from 6.1% a year earlier"}, {"label": "PA labor force size", "value": "6,663,000", "context": "Record high, Sept. 2026"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Metro unemployment data lags the story commerce leaders need.", "body": "The most recent Scranton-Wilkes-Barre MSA figure available is from July (4.7%), three months behind Pennsylvania's September release of 3.6%. Public statements on local momentum should caveat this lag explicitly rather than implying current parity with the state trend."}, {"headline": "Hazleton's unemployment climb outpaces the rest of the metro.", "body": "Hazleton rose from 6.1% to 7.5% between June 2025 and May 2026, nearly double Scranton's own rate over the same stretch. A metro-wide economic health claim that doesn't separate these sub-areas risks overstating conditions in the hardest-hit communities."}, {"headline": "Healthcare wage strength is the clearest bright spot in the data.", "body": "Registered nurse pay locally rose to $98,763 (up moderately), tracking the statewide pattern where education and health services added 32,600 jobs year-over-year \u2014 the largest gain of any supersector. This is consistent with national healthcare hiring strength carrying through to the metro level."}, {"headline": "Pay softness in professional roles may reflect national white-collar pullback.", "body": "Local software engineer pay fell significantly to $122,247 and business analyst pay fell moderately to $77,023, consistent with national declines in information and professional/business services employment. Commerce leaders tracking the region's professional-services base should watch whether this softness is cyclical or signals a longer repositioning."}], "local_conditions": "Pennsylvania's unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in September \u2014 a near three-year low and 29th consecutive month below the national rate \u2014 while the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metro's most recent available reading of 4.7% (July) and Luzerne County's 5.2% (August) show the region running measurably looser than the commonwealth as a whole. That gap, concentrated in Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton where unemployment climbed to 6.2% and 7.5% respectively over the prior year, points to a labor market where statewide strength is not distributing evenly across the metro's constituent labor sheds.", "implications": "Divergence between a tightening state labor market and a looser, uneven metro picture complicates any single narrative about business conditions here \u2014 commerce leaders weighing expansion or investment should treat Scranton proper, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton as distinct labor sheds rather than one metro statistic. Locally, pay softness in software engineering ($122,247, down significantly) and business analysis ($77,023, down moderately) alongside gains in financial analysis ($96,469, up significantly) and registered nursing ($98,763, up) suggests the region's growth is concentrated in healthcare and finance rather than broad-based. Economic development groups and chambers may find value in citing sub-metro unemployment detail, not the headline MSA figure, when assessing which communities are positioned for near-term investment.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Data gap to monitor", "body": "October's Scranton-Wilkes-Barre MSA unemployment figure has not yet posted; watch for the BLS Mid-Atlantic release to confirm whether the metro is narrowing or widening its gap with Pennsylvania's 3.6% state rate."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Pennsylvania WARN filings concentrated in manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation/logistics statewide \u2014 three sectors with meaningful metro presence given transportation and material moving's 15.4% share of local employment. A local filing in any of these would be a material signal given current ad trends."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "CDL truck driver pay locally is down moderately to $80,184 even as the role remains above the $78,872 national median, a combination worth tracking given the metro's outsized reliance on transportation and warehousing employment."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Statewide minimum wage legislation (proposed increases to $11 in 2027, $13 in 2028, $15 by 2029) remains stalled in the Senate; any movement would affect a meaningful share of the metro's retail, food service, and hospitality employers given Pennsylvania's current $7.25 floor."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 22987.0, "metro_p50": 28365.0, "metro_p75": 31740.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33340.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 24225.75, "metro_p50": 28080.0, "metro_p75": 30363.0, "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": 32425.0, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "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": 57844.0, "metro_p50": 80184.0, "metro_p75": 88081.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29972.0, "metro_p50": 34736.0, "metro_p75": 45500.0, "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": 35788.5, "metro_p50": 43680.0, "metro_p75": 43680.0, "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": 58849.0, "metro_p50": 69680.0, "metro_p75": 72800.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 71835.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32837.0, "metro_p50": 34701.0, "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": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33176.0, "metro_p50": 35749.0, "metro_p75": 37960.0, "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": 27040.0, "metro_p50": 29500.0, "metro_p75": 30465.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "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": 30690.0, "metro_p50": 37222.4, "metro_p75": 42795.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41600.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32828.0, "metro_p50": 38480.0, "metro_p75": 41855.0, "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": 58573.0, "metro_p50": 67854.4, "metro_p75": 72800.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 84691.75, "metro_p50": 98763.0, "metro_p75": 109200.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 107334.0, "metro_p50": 122247.0, "metro_p75": 156000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 94217.0, "metro_p50": 137500.0, "metro_p75": 144663.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 138000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 52125.0, "metro_p50": 62500.0, "metro_p75": 67500.0, "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": 75000.0, "metro_p50": 96469.0, "metro_p75": 120000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 52500.0, "metro_p50": 65821.0, "metro_p75": 75560.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 42999.0, "metro_p50": 55296.4, "metro_p75": 57476.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 70204.0, "metro_p50": 85277.0, "metro_p75": 98803.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "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": 31460.0, "metro_p50": 43680.0, "metro_p75": 54121.25, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 55908.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 70000.0, "metro_p50": 80199.0, "metro_p75": 90000.0, "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": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 52917.0, "metro_p50": 72500.0, "metro_p75": 80000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 77022.0, "metro_p50": 77023.0, "metro_p75": 96689.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 98302.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 57059.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 75000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 34840.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 62295.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 56482.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 55000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 61950.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 45760.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 31242.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 66660.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "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": "scranton-wilkes-barre-pa-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "scranton-wilkes-barre-pa-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "scranton-wilkes-barre-pa-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:30:04.585704+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/scranton-wilkes-barre-pa-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/scranton-wilkes-barre-pa-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}