Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ MSA — October 2026
Vineland unemployment improves but still trails the state by wide margin.
Cumberland County's jobless rate fell to 6.1% in September from 7.4% in August, yet remains well above New Jersey's 4.2% statewide rate, even as local wages in manufacturing, healthcare, and construction trades moved higher.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Cumberland County unemployment: 6.1% — Down from 7.4% in August 2026
- NJ statewide unemployment: 4.2% — Lowest since May 2023; gap vs. metro persists
- Vineland MSA unemployment (seasonally adj.): 6.8% — August 2026; down from 8.6% a year earlier
- NJ nonfarm job growth: +14,900 — September 2026, statewide month-over-month
Key takeaways
Metro unemployment gap with the state is narrowing.
Cumberland County's drop to 6.1% in September from 7.4% in August is a meaningful one-month move, but the metro still trails New Jersey's 4.2% rate by roughly 1.9 points on a comparable basis and far more on the MSA's seasonally adjusted 6.8% August reading. Local economic development messaging should distinguish directional improvement from parity with state conditions.
Health care and manufacturing remain the metro's two load-bearing sectors.
Advertised pay for Certified Nursing Assistants/Home Health Aides rose moderately to $45,240 and Manufacturing Production Worker pay rose moderately to $37,016, both outperforming their national medians in direction. That consistency across two sectors reduces single-industry concentration risk relative to the state's reliance on education and health services alone for recent job gains.
Construction and skilled trades show the sharpest local wage movement.
Construction Laborer pay rose significantly to $41,975 locally, outpacing the national moderate increase, while HVAC Technician pay rose significantly to $74,540 against a national moderate gain. Either signal is consistent with active building or infrastructure activity in the metro worth confirming against permit and project data.
Office and professional pay gains diverge from the metro's blue-collar identity.
Operations Manager pay rose significantly to $102,500 (versus a stable national figure) and Accountant pay rose moderately to $83,644, both outpacing national trends despite the metro's traditional manufacturing and agriculture base. That pattern may suggest administrative and management functions tied to local food production and logistics operations are commanding a local premium.
Median advertised pay by role — Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $26,124 | $33,550 | $35,194 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $26,981 | $32,756 | $33,602 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $35,274 | $38,324 | $40,261 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $61,773 | $80,600 | $92,659 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $32,939 | $33,837 | $37,357 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $40,560 | $41,975 | $47,060 | Significant increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $62,400 | $67,600 | $72,800 | Moderate decline | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $34,320 | $37,016 | $39,101 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $37,357 | $44,868 | $45,760 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $30,616 | $33,259 | $33,280 | Moderate decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $37,157 | $45,240 | $47,840 | Moderate increase | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $38,480 | $44,720 | $50,960 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $69,680 | $74,540 | $81,500 | Significant increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $84,831 | $104,188 | $120,640 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer * | $129,382 | $170,000 | $185,762 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $102,461 | $135,979 | $157,590 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $67,435 | $83,644 | $87,500 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $67,474 | $73,339 | $82,894 | Significant decline | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $49,993 | $64,981 | $70,000 | Moderate decline | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $50,452 | $70,000 | $80,000 | Moderate increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $70,000 | $102,500 | $121,957 | Significant increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $39,000 | $57,297 | $64,000 | Moderate decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $38,492 | $62,400 | $93,214 | Moderate increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $69,041 | $90,000 | $90,000 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $84,687 | $103,732 | $116,352 | 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 | $58,240 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $85,026 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $38,272 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $47,320 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $46,155 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $51,740 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $57,200 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $59,083 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $32,071 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $71,392 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Cumberland County's unemployment rate fell to 6.1% in September from 7.4% in August, continuing a multi-month improvement, though the Vineland-Bridgeton MSA remains the highest-unemployment metro in New Jersey by a wide margin against the state's 4.2% rate. Local economic momentum appears concentrated in healthcare and food manufacturing, consistent with Cumberland County's establishment mix (31% of businesses in health care and social assistance), while advertised pay for manufacturing production workers and nursing/home health roles both moved up this month, pointing to sustained demand in the metro's traditional economic base.
What it means
Metro unemployment nearly 2.7 points above the state rate signals a local economy still working through labor-force slack even as statewide and national conditions tighten, which matters for how commerce leaders read local consumer spending capacity and site-selection conversations with prospective employers. Public-sector stability appears intact locally even as New Jersey's state government payrolls shed 1,100 jobs in September, and the October 7 Legislative District 1 Job Fair Expo drawing healthcare, manufacturing, law enforcement, and casino employers suggests cross-sector demand spans multiple industries. Commerce leaders and economic development officials should consider evaluating whether the county's improving unemployment trend and healthcare/manufacturing wage gains represent a durable base for business investment pitches, or a lagging recovery still catching up to statewide conditions.
Looking ahead
Expected data release: Full October BLS employment data for the Vineland MSA is expected late October or early November; confirming whether the county's unemployment improvement continued into October will clarify whether September's drop was a trend or a single-month swing.
Worth watching: New Jersey's statewide WARN activity is on pace for its heaviest year since 2020, concentrated in manufacturing and financial services elsewhere in the state; no major Cumberland-area filings have surfaced yet, but commerce leaders should watch whether that activity reaches South Jersey food and manufacturing employers.
Emerging pressure point: Trade, transportation, and utilities lost 5,100 jobs statewide in September, a sector relevant to Vineland's food distribution and logistics base; a local pullback here would test whether the metro's manufacturing wage gains can hold.
Policy to monitor: New Jersey's minimum wage rises to $16.48 on January 1, 2027, adding a defined, scheduled cost input for retail, food service, and hospitality employers across the metro; commerce leaders can plan around this known date.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics — Cumberland County unemployment rate fell to 6.1% in September 2026
- FRED / Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis — Vineland-Bridgeton MSA unemployment rate 6.8% seasonally adjusted, August 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — New Jersey statewide unemployment fell to 4.2% in September, lowest since May 2023
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — New Jersey public sector lost 1,100 jobs in September 2026
- New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development — New Jersey minimum wage rises to $16.48 effective January 1, 2027
- Layoff Atlas / NJ WARN registry — 2026 on pace to be heaviest WARN notice year in New Jersey since 2020
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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