Employment increased in 11 of the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania from September 2024 to September 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that Lehigh County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 1.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Pennsylvania, September 2025

County	Percent change, September 2025
Lehigh	1.4
Philadelphia	1.1
Lancaster	0.7
Northampton	0.7
Chester	0.6
Berks	0.5
Cumberland	0.2
Montgomery	0.2
Washington	0.2
Dauphin	0.1
Lackawanna	0.1
Butler	-0.1
Allegheny	-0.2
Bucks	-0.3
Erie	-0.3
York	-0.3
Delaware	-0.4
Luzerne	-0.5
Westmoreland	-0.5

Among the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania, employment was highest in Philadelphia (728,100) in September 2025. Together, the 19 largest counties accounted for 75.7 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.2 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

All 19 large Pennsylvania counties reported average weekly wage increases over the year. (See chart 2.) Chester had the largest increase (+6.3 percent). Over-the-year wage changes for Pennsylvania's other 18 large counties ranged from 5.2 percent to 1.7 percent.

  

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Pennsylvania, third quarter 2025

County	Percent change, third quarter 2025
Chester	6.3
Erie	5.2
Allegheny	5.1
Berks	5.1
Butler	5.0
York	4.9
Northampton	4.6
Luzerne	4.3
Lancaster	4.2
Westmoreland	3.7
Dauphin	3.6
Montgomery	3.5
Delaware	2.9
Lackawanna	2.9
Philadelphia	2.8
Washington	2.7
Bucks	2.4
Lehigh	2.4
Cumberland	1.7

Weekly wages in 4 of the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania were above the national average of $1,459. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,645 in Chester to $1,060 in Lackawanna.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 48 small counties in Pennsylvania, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 47 of the 48 smaller counties were below the national average. Montour reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,774). Sullivan reported the lowest average weekly wage ($829) in the state.

Among all 67 Pennsylvania counties, 20 reported average weekly wages of less than $1,000, 21 had wages from $1,000 to $1,099, 9 had wages from $1,100 to $1,199, and 17 had average weekly wages of $1,200 or higher. (See map 1. and table 2.)