Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Elmira, NY MSA — October 2026
Elmira's healthcare wages climb as manufacturing pay cools
Chemung County unemployment rose to 4.2% in August while local Registered Nurse pay jumped to $119,130, even as manufacturing and HVAC wages moved lower against national trends.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Chemung County unemployment: 4.2% — Up from 4.0% in July 2026
- Metro avg weekly wage: $1,248 — vs $1,654 national average
- Metro RN advertised pay: $119,130 — Up significantly, above $102,252 national
- National unemployment rate: 4.1% — Stable since March 2026, per BLS
Key takeaways
Healthcare wages are pulling away from the rest of the local economy.
Registered Nurse pay rose sharply to $119,130 and Certified Nursing Assistant pay held at $47,424, both outperforming most other tracked occupations locally. This tracks the national and state pattern of healthcare absorbing the bulk of job growth, a trend that concentrates wage gains in that sector.
Manufacturing pay softness breaks from the national script.
Metro Manufacturing Production Worker pay fell moderately while the national figure held stable, and metro HVAC Technician pay dropped significantly against a national increase. Divergence from national manufacturing wage trends, even as national manufacturing employment grew by roughly 9,000 jobs in September, suggests local production-sector demand is cooling independently of the broader national recovery.
CDL driver pay signals logistics remains a bright spot.
Metro CDL Truck Driver pay rose sharply to $87,500, nearly $9,000 above the national median, pointing to continued freight and distribution demand tied to the region's manufacturing and glass industry supply chains. This outlier against an otherwise soft goods-producing wage picture may reflect a distinct, more resilient logistics niche worth tracking separately from broader manufacturing trends.
Elmira's wage gap below the national average remains a double-edged signal.
Average weekly wages in Chemung County ($1,248) trail the national figure ($1,654) by roughly 25%, a gap that can support cost-competitive business siting while simultaneously constraining local consumer spending amid inflation running above wage growth nationally. Commerce leaders should weigh this gap as both an investment-attraction asset and a demand-side constraint on local retail and service spending.
Median advertised pay by role — Elmira, NY MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $30,656 | $34,320 | $35,235 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $33,280 | $34,030 | $35,688 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $35,235 | $37,440 | $38,272 | Significant decline | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $56,002 | $87,500 | $96,356 | Significant increase | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $31,146 | $35,019 | $37,440 | Stable | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $37,440 | $41,600 | $41,600 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $58,872 | $65,874 | $73,840 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $35,880 | $44,720 | $52,520 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $37,440 | $39,520 | $39,520 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $31,759 | $34,840 | $34,840 | Moderate increase | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $42,250 | $47,424 | $52,000 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $37,419 | $39,520 | $44,208 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $58,892 | $64,792 | $70,487 | Significant decline | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $96,787 | $119,130 | $126,408 | Significant increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $117,636 | $142,482 | $144,902 | Significant increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,179 | $141,076 | $159,241 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $62,500 | $62,500 | $70,000 | Moderate decline | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $90,000 | $90,000 | $95,478 | Moderate decline | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $59,523 | $82,486 | $92,656 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $45,127 | $59,170 | $70,338 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $70,618 | $88,240 | $100,600 | Stable | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $37,015 | $41,478 | $52,000 | Significant decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $72,469 | $84,502 | $90,000 | Moderate increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $44,913 | $72,172 | $75,063 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $81,507 | $96,019 | $107,500 | Stable | $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 | $54,080 | Significant increase | Stable |
| Manufacturing | $91,697 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $36,088 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $49,834 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $37,440 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $45,000 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $61,516 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $54,043 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $34,387 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $68,502 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Elmira metro unemployment edged up to 4.2% in Chemung County as of August 2026, from 4.0% in July, tracking a national pattern where modest payroll growth masks slower labor force expansion tied to demographic shifts and reduced immigration-driven population growth. Manufacturing wages locally diverged from national trends — metro Manufacturing Production Worker pay fell moderately even as national figures held flat — while Registered Nurse pay rose sharply to $119,130, consistent with regional healthcare labor pressure echoing statewide and national hiring strength in that sector.
What it means
Divergence between metro manufacturing pay softening and healthcare pay climbing sharply signals a local economy rebalancing toward health services employment, a shift consistent with statewide patterns where healthcare has driven nearly all net job growth while other private sectors stagnate or contract. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion or investment decisions should weigh that Elmira's average weekly wage ($1,248 as of March 2026) remains well below the national average ($1,654), a gap that may support cost-competitive siting decisions even as it constrains local consumer spending power. Current conditions suggest monitoring whether healthcare wage strength translates into broader household income gains, or remains concentrated enough to leave overall metro purchasing power exposed to inflation.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Watch whether Chemung County's unemployment rate, which rose from 4.0% to 4.2% between July and August, continues climbing into fall data releases, as a sustained rise would mark a departure from the metro's historically tight labor conditions.
Worth watching: The November 11 Corning Center job fair, centered on LPN and long-term-care roles, offers a visible local test of whether healthcare job ads, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings), are converting into filled positions at a pace that matches reported wage strength.
Emerging pressure point: New York State's minimum wage freeze, triggered by statewide job losses through July, creates a policy backdrop commerce leaders should track for any workaround Governor Hochul's administration proposes, given its direct bearing on lower-wage retail and hospitality pay floors in the metro.
Potential inflection point: National wage-vs-inflation compression — nominal wages up 3.6% against roughly 3.7% CPI — has yet to show a distinct local read; the next Chemung County average weekly wage update (expected with Q3 QCEW data) will clarify whether local households are losing ground at a similar pace.
Sources
- Federal Reserve Economic Data / BLS — Chemung County unemployment rose to 4.2% in August 2026 from 4.0% in July
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages — Chemung County average weekly wage of $1,248 vs national average of $1,654
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National manufacturing employment grew roughly 9,000 jobs in September 2026
- Washington Post — New York minimum wage increase frozen for January 2027 due to employment trigger
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National unemployment rate stable at 4.1% in October 2026
- RegionalHelpWanted.com — Corning Center job fair scheduled Nov 11 featuring LPN/LTC roles
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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