Labor Market Pulse · Human Resources · October 2026
Human Resources Labor Market Report: Johnstown, PA MSA — October 2026
Johnstown jobs rebound outpaces its wage recovery.
Metro unemployment fell to 4.6% and job postings climbed 36.6% year-over-year, yet average weekly wages near $1,002 remain roughly 40% below the national figure.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 4.6% — Down 1.6 pts YoY; Aug 2026 (USAFacts/BLS)
- Cambria County avg weekly wage: $1,002 — vs. $1,654 U.S. average (BLS)
- Online job postings, Cambria County: 1,907 — Up 36.6% YoY, March 2026
- Pennsylvania unemployment rate: 3.6% — 0.6 pts below 4.2% U.S. rate, Sept 2026
Key takeaways
Job counts are recovering faster than paychecks.
Unemployment fell 1.6 points year-over-year to 4.6% while average weekly wages sit near $1,002, about 40% below the national average. Compensation strategy built on local wage comparisons alone risks underpricing roles against the regional and national candidates employers increasingly compete against.
Recruiter pay is falling against a tightening market — a signal worth investigating.
Metro Recruiter pay dropped significantly even as job postings, a signal of hiring demand that often cover several openings each, rose 36.6% year-over-year, an unusual pairing that may point to a narrower, more localized hiring pipeline. Compare recruiting capacity needs against this pay trend before assuming the role is becoming less critical.
HR Coordinator and HRBP pay gains outpace the broader metro wage picture.
Both roles show significant upward movement locally, a contrast to the metro's otherwise sluggish average weekly wage growth. This points to employers specifically competing for HR execution and generalist talent, likely to support compliance and documentation demands tied to new state-level employment law changes.
Healthcare hiring demand concentrates around a single employer.
Conemaugh Health System's position as the top local employer, combined with statewide WARN data showing healthcare among the highest-filing sectors, suggests wage and retention pressure is likely sharper in healthcare and adjacent logistics roles than elsewhere in the metro.
Median advertised pay by role — Johnstown, PA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation Analyst * | $70,654 | $95,484 | $111,191 | Stable | $100,798 |
| HR Business Partner | $54,080 | $75,336 | $93,655 | Significant increase | $83,900 |
| Benefits Manager * | $78,064 | $121,500 | $125,604 | Significant increase | $118,618 |
| HRIS Analyst * | $77,809 | $97,578 | $109,359 | Moderate increase | $95,000 |
| HR Coordinator | $43,394 | $51,792 | $53,145 | Significant increase | $50,460 |
| Recruiter | $47,313 | $53,564 | $56,979 | Significant decline | $67,234 |
| Payroll Specialist * | $50,208 | $60,906 | $67,691 | Moderate increase | $61,103 |
* 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
Local market conditions
Johnstown MSA unemployment held at 4.6% in August, down 1.6 points year-over-year even as Cambria County's average weekly wage of $1,002 remains roughly 40% below the national figure, pointing to a market where job counts are recovering faster than pay levels. Online job postings (a signal of hiring demand; one ad often covers several openings) jumped 36.6% year-over-year to 1,907 in March, concentrated around healthcare (Conemaugh Health System) and logistics employers, signaling demand growth that has yet to translate into broad wage pressure for a historically lower-wage metro.
What it means
Falling local unemployment paired with flat wages creates a compensation disconnect: candidates have more leverage on availability of roles, but employers haven't yet needed to raise pay to fill them, which can mask emerging retention risk in roles where regional or remote competitors offer more. HR Coordinator and HR Business Partner pay are both up significantly locally, a sign that support and generalist talent is tightening faster than the broader market data suggests. Consider reviewing total rewards for administrative and generalist HR roles now, before advertised pay gaps with Pittsburgh or Harrisburg metros widen further.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Track whether Cambria County's average weekly wage begins closing the gap with the state and national figures as job postings remain elevated; a continued gap despite demand growth would suggest employers are filling roles without raising pay, a condition unlikely to hold if postings keep climbing.
Emerging pressure point: Pennsylvania's skilled trades shortage — electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers — tied to data-center and infrastructure buildout statewide may extend into Cambria County given Lockheed Martin Aeroparts' local presence; expect longer vacancy cycles for technical and maintenance roles.
Potential inflection point: Statewide WARN filings in healthcare (22 notices, 3,813 workers over 24 months) warrant monitoring locally given Conemaugh's dominant share of metro employment; a single large healthcare layoff or hiring freeze would have outsized local labor market effects given limited employer diversity.
Compliance deadline: Pennsylvania's CROWN Act took effect January 26, and Pittsburgh's expanded paid sick leave accrual standards may signal similar municipal action spreading to other PA metros; review policy language now, ahead of any local ordinances that follow.
Sources
- USAFacts/BLS — Johnstown MSA unemployment at 4.6% in August, down 1.6 points year-over-year
- BLS County Employment and Wages — Cambria County average weekly wage of $1,002 in Q1 2026
- PA Department of Labor & Industry — Online job postings in Cambria County up 36.6% year-over-year to 1,907
- PA Department of Labor & Industry / BLS — Pennsylvania unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in September 2026
- Pennsylvania WARN Notice tracker — Statewide healthcare WARN filings: 22 notices affecting 3,813 workers over 24 months
- Johnstown Tribune-Democrat / PA Dept of Labor & Industry — Conemaugh Health System is Cambria County's largest employer by headcount
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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