Counties in Pennsylvania by average weekly wage (QCEW)

Chester County had the highest average weekly wage (QCEW) of 67 counties in 2016, at $1,286. Perry County had the lowest, at $618. The median was $775 and the figure for Pennsylvania was $1,009. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,286Chester County
Lowest618Perry County
Median77567 counties
Pennsylvania1,009History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 752 USDAllegheny County: 1,103 USDArmstrong County: 740 USDBeaver County: 805 USDBedford County: 671 USDBerks County: 917 USDBlair County: 747 USDBradford County: 824 USDBucks County: 963 USDButler County: 942 USDCambria County: 710 USDCameron County: 729 USDCarbon County: 665 USDCentre County: 915 USDChester County: 1,286 USDClarion County: 661 USDClearfield County: 715 USDClinton County: 782 USDColumbia County: 743 USDCrawford County: 719 USDCumberland County: 913 USDDauphin County: 999 USDDelaware County: 1,091 USDElk County: 790 USDErie County: 786 USDFayette County: 712 USDForest County: 852 USDFranklin County: 786 USDFulton County: 837 USDGreene County: 997 USDHuntingdon County: 713 USDIndiana County: 824 USDJefferson County: 716 USDJuniata County: 660 USDLackawanna County: 775 USDLancaster County: 846 USDLawrence County: 743 USDLebanon County: 770 USDLehigh County: 1,009 USDLuzerne County: 795 USDLycoming County: 788 USDMcKean County: 762 USDMercer County: 757 USDMifflin County: 721 USDMonroe County: 790 USDMontgomery County: 1,273 USDMontour County: 1,272 USDNorthampton County: 877 USDNorthumberland County: 746 USDPerry County: 618 USDPhiladelphia County: 1,204 USDPike County: 632 USDPotter County: 750 USDSchuylkill County: 753 USDSnyder County: 673 USDSomerset County: 704 USDSullivan County: 645 USDSusquehanna County: 698 USDTioga County: 741 USDUnion County: 817 USDVenango County: 716 USDWarren County: 749 USDWashington County: 1,021 USDWayne County: 728 USDWestmoreland County: 809 USDWyoming County: 875 USDYork County: 880 USD
  • Under 710
  • 710 to 740
  • 740 to 780
  • 780 to 820
  • 820 to 940
  • 940 and over
USD, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Chester County: 1,286 USDChester County1,286Montgomery County: 1,273 USDMontgomery County1,273Montour County: 1,272 USDMontour County1,272Philadelphia County: 1,204 USDPhiladelphia County1,204Allegheny County: 1,103 USDAllegheny County1,103Delaware County: 1,091 USDDelaware County1,091Washington County: 1,021 USDWashington County1,021Lehigh County: 1,009 USDLehigh County1,009Dauphin County: 999 USDDauphin County999Greene County: 997 USDGreene County997Bucks County: 963 USDBucks County963Butler County: 942 USDButler County942Berks County: 917 USDBerks County917Centre County: 915 USDCentre County915Cumberland County: 913 USDCumberland County913York County: 880 USDYork County880Northampton County: 877 USDNorthampton County877Wyoming County: 875 USDWyoming County875Forest County: 852 USDForest County852Lancaster County: 846 USDLancaster County846Fulton County: 837 USDFulton County837Bradford County: 824 USDBradford County824Indiana County: 824 USDIndiana County824Union County: 817 USDUnion County817Westmoreland County: 809 USDWestmoreland County809Beaver County: 805 USDBeaver County805Luzerne County: 795 USDLuzerne County795Elk County: 790 USDElk County790Monroe County: 790 USDMonroe County790Lycoming County: 788 USDLycoming County788Erie County: 786 USDErie County786Franklin County: 786 USDFranklin County786Clinton County: 782 USDClinton County782Lackawanna County: 775 USDLackawanna County775Lebanon County: 770 USDLebanon County770McKean County: 762 USDMcKean County762Mercer County: 757 USDMercer County757Schuylkill County: 753 USDSchuylkill County753Adams County: 752 USDAdams County752Potter County: 750 USDPotter County750Chester County: 1,286 USDChester County1,286Montgomery County: 1,273 USDMontgomery County1,273Montour County: 1,272 USDMontour County1,272Philadelphia County: 1,204 USDPhiladelphia County1,204Allegheny County: 1,103 USDAllegheny County1,103Delaware County: 1,091 USDDelaware County1,091Washington County: 1,021 USDWashington County1,021Lehigh County: 1,009 USDLehigh County1,009Dauphin County: 999 USDDauphin County999Greene County: 997 USDGreene County997Bucks County: 963 USDBucks County963Butler County: 942 USDButler County942Berks County: 917 USDBerks County917Centre County: 915 USDCentre County915Cumberland County: 913 USDCumberland County913York County: 880 USDYork County880Northampton County: 877 USDNorthampton County877Wyoming County: 875 USDWyoming County875Forest County: 852 USDForest County852Lancaster County: 846 USDLancaster County846Fulton County: 837 USDFulton County837Bradford County: 824 USDBradford County824Indiana County: 824 USDIndiana County824Union County: 817 USDUnion County817Westmoreland County: 809 USDWestmoreland County809Beaver County: 805 USDBeaver County805Luzerne County: 795 USDLuzerne County795Elk County: 790 USDElk County790Monroe County: 790 USDMonroe County790Lycoming County: 788 USDLycoming County788Erie County: 786 USDErie County786Franklin County: 786 USDFranklin County786Clinton County: 782 USDClinton County782Lackawanna County: 775 USDLackawanna County775Lebanon County: 770 USDLebanon County770McKean County: 762 USDMcKean County762Mercer County: 757 USDMercer County757Schuylkill County: 753 USDSchuylkill County753Adams County: 752 USDAdams County752Potter County: 750 USDPotter County750
USD. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
USD
Change on 2015
1Chester County1,286-1.9%
2Montgomery County1,273+1%
3Montour County1,272+3.8%
4Philadelphia County1,204+0.1%
5Allegheny County1,103-0.5%
6Delaware County1,091+0.9%
7Washington County1,021-2.4%
8Lehigh County1,009+1.7%
9Dauphin County999-0.8%
10Greene County997-7%
11Bucks County963+1.4%
12Butler County942+0.6%
13Berks County917+1.6%
14Centre County915+1%
15Cumberland County913+0.1%
16York County880+2%
17Northampton County877+0.2%
18Wyoming County875-1.6%
19Forest County852-2.3%
20Lancaster County846+1.3%
21Fulton County837+2.1%
22Bradford County824-2.5%
22Indiana County824-1.8%
24Union County817+2.1%
25Westmoreland County809+0.5%
26Beaver County805-0.6%
27Luzerne County795+1.1%
28Elk County790+2.7%
28Monroe County790+0.6%
30Lycoming County788-3%
31Erie County7860%
31Franklin County786+1.8%
33Clinton County782+1.3%
34Lackawanna County775+2%
35Lebanon County770+2%
36McKean County762-2.4%
37Mercer County757+0.7%
38Schuylkill County753+0.7%
39Adams County752+0.9%
40Potter County750+1.5%
41Warren County749+1.9%
42Blair County747+0.1%
43Northumberland County746+4%
44Columbia County743+0.7%
44Lawrence County743-0.5%
46Tioga County741-2.1%
47Armstrong County740-2.6%
48Cameron County729+0.1%
49Wayne County728+2.2%
50Mifflin County721+0.6%
51Crawford County719+0.3%
52Jefferson County716-0.1%
52Venango County716+0.6%
54Clearfield County715+0.4%
55Huntingdon County713+1.1%
56Fayette County712+2.6%
57Cambria County710+0.4%
58Somerset County704-0.4%
59Susquehanna County698-4.3%
60Snyder County673+6.3%
61Bedford County671-0.1%
62Carbon County665-0.4%
63Clarion County661-1.3%
64Juniata County660-2.1%
65Sullivan County645-3.4%
66Pike County632+1.6%
67Perry County618+1.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages paid during the year divided by the average number of covered jobs and by 52, in US dollars, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

In current dollars, not adjusted for inflation. An average per job, so part-time jobs pull it down and high earners pull it up; for the typical job use median_annual_wage. Wages include bonuses, stock options exercised, severance pay and tips, which makes counties with corporate headquarters stand out. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Pennsylvania by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Pennsylvania by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Pennsylvania by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Pennsylvania by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_pennsylvania_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Pennsylvania by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Pennsylvania by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Pennsylvania by average weekly wage (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Chester County, with $1,286 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Perry County, with $618 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average weekly wage (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Pennsylvania: more rankings