Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH MSA — October 2026
Weirton-Steubenville's labor pool shrinks as healthcare pay carries the metro.
Brooke County unemployment sits at 5.3% and Jefferson County at 4.2%, both above Ohio's 3.4% statewide rate, while local Registered Nurse pay climbed to $110,677 against a national median of $102,252.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Brooke County, WV unemployment: 5.3% — vs 3.4% Ohio, 4.1% national
- Jefferson County, OH unemployment: 4.2% — 1.3-pt decrease vs August 2025
- Ohio labor force participation: 61.2% — vs 61.8% national rate
- Metro employment, July 2026: 38,400 — up 100 from June, modest gain
Key takeaways
County-level unemployment tells a different story than the metro average.
Brooke County's 5.3% and Jefferson County's 4.2% sit well above Ohio's 3.4% and the national 4.1%, suggesting the metro's aggregate employment gain in July masks uneven conditions across its two halves. Commerce leaders benchmarking regional competitiveness should treat the MSA figure with caution until more current county data confirms the trend.
Healthcare pay strength looks like the metro's clearest bright spot.
Registered Nurse advertised pay climbed to $110,677 locally, above the $102,252 national median, tracking a national pattern of healthcare leading private hiring. That divergence is consistent with the metro's long-standing reliance on healthcare and education employment as a stabilizing sector amid broader contraction.
Skilled-trade pay is retreating even as construction labor firms up.
Electrician advertised pay fell significantly to $62,924 and HVAC Technician to $68,975, both well below national medians, while Construction Laborer pay rose significantly to $40,560. The pattern may suggest softening demand for specialized trade work even as general construction activity holds, a distinction worth flagging for local infrastructure and development planning.
Technology-sector pay divergence raises questions about where investment lands.
Software Engineer advertised pay fell significantly to $109,124 against a stable $154,403 nationally, while Data Engineer pay rose significantly to $106,997. Ohio's broader data-center and technology investment appears concentrated in specific pockets, and this metro's mixed signal is consistent with that statewide pattern.
Median advertised pay by role — Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $21,739 | $27,026 | $29,120 | Moderate decline | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $22,920 | $25,462 | $26,936 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $31,866 | $36,457 | $39,845 | Moderate increase | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $61,158 | $83,067 | $92,690 | Moderate decline | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $30,346 | $32,030 | $37,421 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $33,280 | $40,560 | $42,640 | Significant increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $57,103 | $62,924 | $70,384 | Significant decline | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $30,950 | $34,278 | $36,529 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $31,200 | $37,787 | $52,499 | Significant decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $28,622 | $28,622 | $28,665 | Moderate decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $33,200 | $39,000 | $41,600 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $29,903 | $36,604 | $41,600 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $46,800 | $68,975 | $73,488 | Significant decline | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $85,108 | $110,677 | $117,689 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $109,124 | $109,124 | $109,124 | Significant decline | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $94,708 | $106,997 | $116,254 | Significant increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $52,468 | $57,395 | $66,348 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $82,471 | $90,610 | $105,920 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $51,725 | $65,734 | $76,519 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $38,681 | $54,200 | $54,861 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $71,747 | $82,821 | $93,502 | Moderate increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $40,591 | $50,371 | $53,736 | Significant increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $54,482 | $64,482 | $65,078 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $51,862 | $65,000 | $67,500 | Moderate decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $80,926 | $101,194 | $118,500 | Moderate increase | $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 | $45,001 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $79,400 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $33,212 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $78,342 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $44,200 | Moderate decline | Significant decline |
| Financial Activities | $48,692 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $49,230 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $60,065 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $35,894 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Government | $66,338 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Weirton-Steubenville's labor force remains constrained by demographic contraction, with Brooke County unemployment at 5.3% and Jefferson County, Ohio at 4.2% in recent readings, both exceeding the Ohio statewide rate of 3.4% and the national rate of 4.1%. Metro employment inched up to 38,400 in July, a modest gain consistent with Ohio's broader pattern of healthcare strength and manufacturing softness, even as the state shed 5,000 jobs in September and labor force participation slipped to 61.2%.
What it means
Elevated county-level unemployment alongside a shrinking labor pool points to a metro economy where worker availability is the binding constraint on local business expansion. Registered Nurse advertised pay rose to a metro median of $110,677, outpacing the national figure, which is consistent with continued healthcare-sector momentum even as Software Engineer and Electrician pay moved down significantly locally -- a divergence worth tracking for commerce leaders weighing where local investment dollars go furthest. Current conditions suggest economic development offices evaluate sector-specific labor availability data before courting employers in roles where advertised pay is already retreating locally.
Looking ahead
Data gap to monitor: October metro-level unemployment and wage figures for Weirton-Steubenville were not yet published at filing, with the most recent complete reading from February. Commerce leaders should expect a lag before BLS metro data catches up to current conditions.
Worth watching: Ohio's labor force participation has declined since June 2025, and September marked the first unemployment uptick since July 2025. Watch whether this metro's two counties follow the statewide softening or continue to diverge.
Emerging pressure point: Manufacturing accounted for the largest share of Ohio WARN notices this year (23 filings, 3,159 workers), though statewide manufacturing layoffs eased in mid-October. Local economic development contacts should watch whether any filings touch Weirton-Steubenville's manufacturing base directly.
Potential inflection point: National wage growth is running behind CPI inflation (1.5% vs 3.5% in Q3), and Ohio's inflation-adjusted wages have fallen over the past year. Sustained real-wage erosion could weigh on consumer spending in a metro already carrying an aging, shrinking labor force.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) — Brooke County, WV unemployment at 5.3%
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) — Jefferson County, OH unemployment at 4.2% in August/September 2026
- Ohio Department of Job and Family Services — Ohio labor force participation at 61.2% vs 61.8% national
- Ohio Department of Job and Family Services — Ohio shed 5,000 jobs in September, first uptick in unemployment since July 2025
- layoffdata.com WARN tracker — Manufacturing led Ohio WARN filings with 23 notices, 3,159 workers in 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Median weekly earnings rose 1.5% vs 3.5% CPI gain in Q3 2026
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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