Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Akron, OH MSA — October 2026
Akron's steady jobless rate hides a shrinking labor force.
Summit County unemployment sits at a stable 3.7%, but Ohio's labor force participation rate of 61.2% trails the national 61.8% and has been falling since mid-2025, raising questions about the durability of the metro's low-unemployment read.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Summit County unemployment: 3.7% — Sept. 2026, vs. 3.4% Ohio, 4.1% national
- Ohio labor force participation: 61.2% — vs. 61.8% national; declining since June 2025
- Akron avg. hourly wage: $30.49 — vs. $33.54 national (BLS, most recent)
- Ohio jobs lost, September: -5,000 — Statewide, per ODJFS/Policy Matters Ohio
Key takeaways
Low unemployment is coexisting with a shrinking labor pool.
Summit County's 3.7% unemployment rate looks stable, but Ohio's labor force participation rate of 61.2% trails the national 61.8% and has been declining since June 2025. A steady jobless rate paired with fewer people searching for work is a weaker signal of economic health than the headline number alone suggests.
Manufacturing pay gains diverge from the metro's consumer-facing wage picture.
Manufacturing Production Worker pay rose moderately to $40,859 locally, outpacing the national figure, while Food Service Worker ($29,053) and CNA/Home Health Aide ($35,360) advertised pay both declined. The split points to uneven momentum — production and logistics segments holding ground while consumer-service segments show softening demand or compressed margins.
Delivery Driver pay surge stands out against a flat hourly-wage backdrop.
Delivery Driver advertised pay climbed significantly to $41,600 locally, well above the $34,826 national median, even as most other hourly categories in the metro held flat or declined. Measured by job ads, which track demand and often cover several openings each, this looks like a logistics-specific signal worth distinguishing from broader retail or food-service trends.
Real wage erosion is a statewide drag affecting markets beyond Akron.
Ohio's inflation-adjusted wages have fallen over the past year as CPI rose to 3.7% while nominal wage growth lagged, consistent with the national pattern of 1.5% earnings growth against 3.5% CPI. Commerce leaders assessing consumer demand locally should treat this as a structural, multi-metro pressure affecting markets well beyond Akron.
Median advertised pay by role — Akron, OH MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $24,081 | $28,416 | $32,916 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $24,354 | $29,127 | $31,200 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $33,280 | $39,520 | $41,600 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $58,240 | $82,500 | $93,600 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $31,525 | $41,600 | $49,640 | Significant increase | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $33,280 | $37,440 | $41,600 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $66,380 | $74,504 | $83,000 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $34,285 | $40,859 | $42,640 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,727 | $37,467 | $42,195 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,830 | $29,053 | $31,200 | Significant decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $35,360 | $35,360 | $37,440 | Moderate decline | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $33,280 | $40,519 | $44,720 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $56,160 | $68,640 | $71,171 | Moderate increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $84,705 | $103,084 | $113,643 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $102,790 | $143,872 | $154,742 | Significant increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $91,898 | $123,222 | $141,398 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $58,809 | $67,500 | $75,000 | Stable | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $69,590 | $83,286 | $88,084 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $42,130 | $58,374 | $61,503 | Significant decline | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $47,511 | $57,793 | $62,841 | Moderate decline | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $71,747 | $82,821 | $93,502 | Moderate increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $31,193 | $40,069 | $46,750 | Significant increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $55,000 | $73,595 | $90,315 | Moderate decline | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $51,862 | $65,000 | $67,500 | Moderate decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $73,600 | $90,314 | $103,505 | Significant increase | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $60,000 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $59,575 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $37,003 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $67,306 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $58,000 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $66,568 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $49,920 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $40,040 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $32,167 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $65,279 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Summit County unemployment held at 3.7% in September, close to the statewide 3.4% rate, while Ohio shed 5,000 jobs and labor force participation slipped to 61.2% against 61.8% nationally — a pattern consistent with workers exiting the labor pool without necessarily losing jobs outright. Akron's advertised pay continues to trail the nation on average hourly wages ($30.49 vs. $33.54 nationally as of the most recent occupational data), even as manufacturing-linked roles like Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler ($40,859, up moderate) and Operations Manager ($82,821, up moderate) post gains that buck the metro's broader wage lag.
What it means
Labor force participation below the national rate, paired with flat-to-declining advertised pay in consumer-facing roles like Food Service Worker (down significant) and CNA/Home Health Aide (down moderate), points to softening household spending capacity that commerce leaders should weigh against expansion timing. Manufacturing and operations-adjacent pay strength — alongside Business Analyst (up significant) and Administrative Assistant (up moderate) — suggests the metro's momentum is concentrated in production and operational efficiency roles, with broad-based consumer demand lagging behind. Current conditions suggest economic development and chamber leaders track labor force participation alongside unemployment, since a stable jobless rate can mask erosion in the size of the available workforce.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Ohio's labor force participation has declined for several consecutive months; whether Summit County follows that statewide trend in October data (released late November) will clarify if Akron's stable unemployment rate reflects workforce health or just fewer active job seekers.
Early indicator: Manufacturing WARN notices led Ohio's 2026 filings (23 notices, 3,159 workers statewide), but October saw a slowdown in manufacturing layoffs. Track whether that moderation holds locally given Akron's manufacturing-heavy employment base.
Emerging pressure point: Advertised pay for Food Service Worker and CNA/Home Health Aide both declined this month even as CPI rose, compounding pressure on lower-wage household budgets. Commerce and civic leaders focused on downtown and retail-district vitality may want to watch consumer spending indicators alongside these figures.
Potential inflection point: National job postings growth turned positive year-over-year (+2.8%) for the first time since late 2025, breaking a long stretch of declines. Whether that national inflection reaches Akron's advertised-pay and posting-volume data in November will help distinguish a broad recovery from a national-only trend.
Sources
- Ohio Workforce Development, Bureau of Labor Market Information — Summit County unemployment rate of 3.7% in September 2026
- Ohio Capital Journal / Policy Matters Ohio — Ohio shed 5,000 jobs in September 2026
- Ohio Department of Job and Family Services — Ohio labor force participation rate of 61.2% vs. 61.8% national
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Akron average hourly wage $30.49 vs. national $33.54
- layoffdata.com — Manufacturing led Ohio WARN filings with 23 notices, 3,159 workers in 2026
- Indeed Hiring Lab — National Job Postings Index up 2.8% year-over-year in October
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. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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