Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH MSA — September 2026
Cleveland outpaces Ohio, but wages still trail the nation.
Cleveland metro employment hit 1.104 million in June, its highest since 2019, yet average weekly wages of $1,482 remain roughly 10% below the $1,654 national average, even as statewide Ohio labor force participation fell to 95,000 fewer workers than a year ago.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro nonfarm employment: 1.104 million — Highest since June 2019
- Metro average weekly wage: $1,482 — vs $1,654 U.S. average, Q1 2026
- Metro unemployment rate: 3.3% — June 2026, below 4.1% national rate
- Ohio labor force change: -95,000 workers — Year over year through August 2026
Key takeaways
Cleveland is Ohio's growth engine, but the comparison is relative.
PNC Economics identifies Cleveland as outperforming the state in job growth, and total nonfarm employment hit a seven-year high in June. That distinction matters most against a statewide backdrop of labor force contraction — Cleveland's advantage is partly a story of standing still less badly than peers, not uncomplicated expansion.
Wage levels still lag the national line despite employment gains.
Average weekly wages in the Cleveland metro ($1,482) sit roughly 10% below the U.S. average ($1,654) as of Q1 2026. Rising headcount without matching wage growth limits the consumer spending lift that typically accompanies a strengthening labor market.
Construction and manufacturing pay gains may reflect project-driven demand.
Construction laborer pay in the metro rose significantly this month and HVAC technician pay moved up moderately, consistent with statewide manufacturing and construction job growth tied to data-center and infrastructure buildout. Commerce leaders should watch whether this is a durable sectoral shift or a temporary project cycle before treating it as a permanent trend.
Healthcare wage strength stands apart from a cooling national pattern.
Registered Nurse pay in the metro rose significantly to $106,956, outpacing even the national median, while national data show overall wage growth slipping to its lowest annual rate since 2021. Cleveland's health system concentration — anchored by Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals — appears to be insulating a key sector from broader national wage softening.
Median advertised pay by role — Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $24,682 | $30,134 | $34,063 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $24,960 | $29,120 | $31,200 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $31,961 | $37,440 | $39,520 | Stable | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $59,201 | $82,481 | $96,969 | Moderate decline | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $31,026 | $34,723 | $40,469 | Stable | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $33,280 | $41,600 | $46,082 | Significant increase | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $66,511 | $73,861 | $80,319 | Stable | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $32,786 | $38,480 | $41,600 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $31,432 | $38,553 | $41,650 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,830 | $29,458 | $31,200 | Significant decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $31,200 | $37,440 | $40,560 | Stable | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $34,114 | $42,640 | $46,800 | Moderate increase | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $56,160 | $67,500 | $72,800 | Moderate increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $86,012 | $106,956 | $117,244 | Significant increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $89,443 | $121,152 | $144,516 | Stable | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer | $93,775 | $123,814 | $137,000 | Moderate increase | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $59,008 | $72,266 | $80,857 | Moderate increase | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $70,542 | $86,617 | $95,980 | Stable | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $55,000 | $65,238 | $72,800 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $50,949 | $65,000 | $73,012 | Significant increase | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager | $55,928 | $83,820 | $88,455 | Significant increase | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $33,280 | $44,413 | $48,206 | Significant increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $61,335 | $89,333 | $109,650 | Moderate increase | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $52,327 | $67,000 | $67,500 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $75,908 | $94,298 | $107,585 | Moderate increase | $98,279 |
* 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 | $65,000 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $65,884 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $35,360 | Moderate increase | Stable |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $57,200 | Moderate increase | Stable |
| Information | $76,872 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $74,801 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $78,767 | Significant increase | Moderate increase |
| Education & Health Services | $59,634 | Significant increase | Stable |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $33,280 | Stable | Moderate increase |
| Government | $68,417 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market conditions
Cleveland-Elyria metro employment reached 1.104 million in June 2026, its highest level since June 2019, with PNC Economics identifying Cleveland as outperforming Ohio statewide in job growth even as the state's labor force contracted by 95,000 workers over the past year. That contrast — a metro at a cyclical employment high inside a state losing labor force participants (Ohio's rate sits at 61.3% versus 61.6% nationally) — suggests Cleveland's momentum is currently driven more by local sector strength (manufacturing, construction, health services) than by a growing worker pool.
What it means
Metro-level job growth outpacing the state signals Cleveland currently holds a relative investment advantage within Ohio, particularly as construction and manufacturing activity statewide appears linked to data-center and infrastructure buildout that metro areas with available sites and skilled trades capacity are positioned to capture. At the same time, average weekly wages in Cleveland ($1,482) continue to trail the national average ($1,654), a gap that affects the metro's relative purchasing power and consumer spending capacity even as employment levels rise. Commerce leaders and economic development officials may want to track whether the metro's employment outperformance is translating into wage convergence with national levels, since job counts without wage growth tell an incomplete story about local economic health.
Looking ahead
Expected: September 2026 BLS unemployment data for the Cleveland-Elyria MSA should be released in early October, replacing the most recent official June figure of 3.3%. Government economists and commerce leaders will want this release to confirm whether metro employment momentum held through the summer or began converging with the state's slower August pace.
Emerging pressure point: Ohio recorded 18 WARN notices affecting 3,134 workers over the past 90 days, concentrated in manufacturing, transportation, and retail, though none of the largest filings (International Motors, Lowe's, SDH Services) are confirmed as Cleveland-metro specific. Tracking whether any of these notices touch Cuyahoga County directly will clarify whether the metro remains insulated from the state's manufacturing-sector layoff activity.
Worth watching: National wage growth has slowed to 3.0% annually against 3.4% inflation, the first sustained real-wage decline in two years. Whether Cleveland's locally strong sectors (healthcare, construction) can keep local wage growth ahead of inflation will shape near-term consumer spending capacity across the metro's retail and service economy.
Potential inflection point: Ohio's labor force shrank by 95,000 workers over the past year even as the unemployment rate fell, a pattern that reflects workers exiting the labor force rather than finding jobs. If this dynamic extends into the Cleveland metro's own labor force data, it would complicate the metro's current growth-leader narrative and warrants direct confirmation once county-level participation data updates.
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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