Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: PA NONMETROPOLITAN AREA — October 2026
Healthcare and logistics carry Williamsport while tech pay cools.
Pennsylvania unemployment sits at 3.6% — a three-year low — even as metro software engineer pay fell to $131,746 and CDL truck driver pay climbed to $83,343, underscoring a sector-divided local economy.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Pennsylvania unemployment rate: 3.6% — Sept. 2026, lowest since Sept. 2023; U.S. at 4.2%
- PA civilian labor force: 6,663,000 — Record high, Sept. 2026, +4,000 month-over-month
- PA job change, September: -600 jobs — Following +12,300 gain in August
- Metro software engineer pay: $131,746 — Down significantly vs. stable $154,403 national median
Key takeaways
Healthcare remains the state's most dependable growth engine.
Education and health services posted the largest year-over-year job gain statewide (+32,600) and metro registered nurse pay rose significantly to $98,989, reinforcing healthcare's role as the sector most insulated from the national softening in white-collar employment.
Technical and professional pay softness locally outpaces the national pattern.
Metro software engineer pay fell significantly to $131,746 (versus a stable national figure of $154,403), and data engineer, business analyst, and operations manager pay all declined moderately — a local divergence from national professional-services categories that held flat.
Transportation and skilled trades show the clearest wage momentum in the metro.
CDL truck driver pay rose to $83,343 (moderate increase, above the stable national median), and electrician and HVAC technician pay rose moderately — a pattern consistent with continued regional logistics and infrastructure activity even as white-collar categories cool.
Record state labor force hasn't translated into broad wage acceleration.
Pennsylvania's civilian labor force hit a record 6,663,000 in September, yet most metro advertised-pay categories were stable or declining — suggesting labor supply is currently adequate to meet demand across most of the basket, a condition economic development officials should track for durability.
Median advertised pay by role — PA NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,106 | $27,040 | $30,960 | Moderate decline | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $24,960 | $28,600 | $30,492 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $31,492 | $37,440 | $41,600 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $59,540 | $83,343 | $92,690 | Moderate increase | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $29,161 | $32,647 | $34,931 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $33,280 | $37,939 | $41,600 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $56,624 | $66,228 | $70,566 | Significant increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $33,280 | $37,325 | $40,549 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $30,170 | $36,643 | $40,775 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,302 | $29,640 | $31,200 | Moderate decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $33,280 | $41,808 | $45,760 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $32,312 | $38,480 | $41,600 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $56,160 | $65,504 | $72,285 | Moderate increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $84,276 | $98,989 | $107,796 | Significant increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $104,895 | $131,746 | $147,723 | Significant decline | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $100,821 | $121,671 | $140,370 | Moderate decline | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $56,958 | $65,531 | $72,746 | Stable | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $69,943 | $90,202 | $97,581 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $55,554 | $67,922 | $79,528 | Stable | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $49,662 | $58,127 | $63,711 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager | $62,300 | $71,725 | $72,917 | Moderate decline | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $32,331 | $50,596 | $57,400 | Moderate increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $56,571 | $81,460 | $111,585 | Stable | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager | $71,541 | $72,500 | $74,260 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $79,719 | $91,228 | $102,815 | Moderate decline | $98,302 |
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 | $57,200 | Moderate increase | Significant decline |
| Manufacturing | $84,192 | Moderate increase | Significant decline |
| Retail Trade | $34,324 | Stable | Significant decline |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $48,522 | Stable | Significant decline |
| Information | $73,145 | Significant decline | Significant decline |
| Financial Activities | $56,992 | Significant decline | Significant decline |
| Professional & Business Services | $56,093 | Stable | Significant decline |
| Education & Health Services | $52,507 | Stable | Significant decline |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,202 | Moderate decline | Significant decline |
| Government | $66,660 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market conditions
Williamsport-area labor market conditions continue to track Pennsylvania's broader resilience, with the commonwealth's unemployment rate at 3.6% in September — its lowest mark since 2023 and 29 consecutive months below the national rate — even as the state shed 600 jobs that month, a reminder that aggregate stability can mask sector-level softening. Metro advertised pay shows a split economy: registered nursing (+significant) and CDL truck driving (+moderate) posting notable gains while software engineering, data engineering, and operations management all show declining advertised pay, consistent with statewide education/health strength offset by softness in professional and technical categories.
What it means
Divergence between strengthening healthcare and logistics pay and weakening technical/professional pay locally suggests the metro's expansion capacity is uneven across sectors — commerce leaders evaluating site location, investment, or workforce partnerships should weigh healthcare and transportation infrastructure as areas of relative strength against a thinner technical talent pool. Pennsylvania's record civilian labor force (6,663,000 statewide) alongside flat or declining advertised pay in several metro roles points to adequate labor supply without acute wage pressure in most categories, a favorable condition for expansion-minded employers but one economic development officials should monitor for signs of underlying demand weakness. Consider evaluating sector-specific investment incentives that build on healthcare and logistics momentum, prioritizing these over broad-based workforce initiatives.
Looking ahead
Expected release: October 2026 metro and county-level labor force data for the Williamsport area will not be available until the December 2 BLS release; commerce leaders should treat September figures as the most current reliable baseline.
Emerging pressure point: Statewide WARN filings concentrated in manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation & logistics (66 notices combined over recent reporting) warrant local tracking, since those are the same sectors showing the metro's strongest advertised-pay momentum.
Worth watching: Pennsylvania Senate inaction on minimum wage legislation (stuck at $7.25 since 2009) keeps wage-floor policy unsettled; any 2027 legislative movement toward $11 would have outsized effect on metro retail and food-service advertised pay, both currently declining.
Potential inflection point: National real wage growth has turned negative (3.6% nominal versus roughly 3.7% CPI), and if that gap persists through year-end it could compress discretionary spending in a metro economy still anchored by retail and food service.
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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