Counties in Pennsylvania by covered employment (QCEW)

Allegheny County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 67 counties in 2016, at 688,600 jobs. Sullivan County had the lowest, at 1,640 jobs. The median was 29,473 jobs and the figure for Pennsylvania was 5,737,759 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest688,600Allegheny County
Lowest1,640Sullivan County
Median29,47367 counties
Pennsylvania5,737,759History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 34,550 jobsAllegheny County: 688,600 jobsArmstrong County: 16,382 jobsBeaver County: 51,139 jobsBedford County: 15,330 jobsBerks County: 170,657 jobsBlair County: 58,532 jobsBradford County: 23,270 jobsBucks County: 259,721 jobsButler County: 84,971 jobsCambria County: 52,446 jobsCameron County: 1,942 jobsCarbon County: 17,038 jobsCentre County: 68,696 jobsChester County: 248,027 jobsClarion County: 13,391 jobsClearfield County: 29,473 jobsClinton County: 12,864 jobsColumbia County: 24,896 jobsCrawford County: 30,768 jobsCumberland County: 132,087 jobsDauphin County: 179,997 jobsDelaware County: 219,145 jobsElk County: 14,905 jobsErie County: 122,533 jobsFayette County: 39,259 jobsForest County: 2,021 jobsFranklin County: 57,941 jobsFulton County: 4,848 jobsGreene County: 13,047 jobsHuntingdon County: 12,349 jobsIndiana County: 29,862 jobsJefferson County: 15,246 jobsJuniata County: 6,374 jobsLackawanna County: 97,353 jobsLancaster County: 234,156 jobsLawrence County: 28,146 jobsLebanon County: 49,173 jobsLehigh County: 186,616 jobsLuzerne County: 143,619 jobsLycoming County: 51,113 jobsMcKean County: 15,223 jobsMercer County: 47,061 jobsMifflin County: 15,507 jobsMonroe County: 55,345 jobsMontgomery County: 484,289 jobsMontour County: 15,378 jobsNorthampton County: 111,869 jobsNorthumberland County: 27,719 jobsPerry County: 7,827 jobsPhiladelphia County: 663,398 jobsPike County: 11,227 jobsPotter County: 5,272 jobsSchuylkill County: 49,794 jobsSnyder County: 16,179 jobsSomerset County: 23,772 jobsSullivan County: 1,640 jobsSusquehanna County: 9,081 jobsTioga County: 12,675 jobsUnion County: 17,385 jobsVenango County: 18,167 jobsWarren County: 14,672 jobsWashington County: 85,474 jobsWayne County: 14,745 jobsWestmoreland County: 132,976 jobsWyoming County: 9,708 jobsYork County: 176,421 jobs
  • Under 13K
  • 13K to 16K
  • 16K to 29K
  • 29K to 55K
  • 55K to 140K
  • 140K and over
jobs, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Allegheny County: 688,600 jobsAllegheny County688,600Philadelphia County: 663,398 jobsPhiladelphia County663,398Montgomery County: 484,289 jobsMontgomery County484,289Bucks County: 259,721 jobsBucks County259,721Chester County: 248,027 jobsChester County248,027Lancaster County: 234,156 jobsLancaster County234,156Delaware County: 219,145 jobsDelaware County219,145Lehigh County: 186,616 jobsLehigh County186,616Dauphin County: 179,997 jobsDauphin County179,997York County: 176,421 jobsYork County176,421Berks County: 170,657 jobsBerks County170,657Luzerne County: 143,619 jobsLuzerne County143,619Westmoreland County: 132,976 jobsWestmoreland County132,976Cumberland County: 132,087 jobsCumberland County132,087Erie County: 122,533 jobsErie County122,533Northampton County: 111,869 jobsNorthampton County111,869Lackawanna County: 97,353 jobsLackawanna County97,353Washington County: 85,474 jobsWashington County85,474Butler County: 84,971 jobsButler County84,971Centre County: 68,696 jobsCentre County68,696Blair County: 58,532 jobsBlair County58,532Franklin County: 57,941 jobsFranklin County57,941Monroe County: 55,345 jobsMonroe County55,345Cambria County: 52,446 jobsCambria County52,446Beaver County: 51,139 jobsBeaver County51,139Lycoming County: 51,113 jobsLycoming County51,113Schuylkill County: 49,794 jobsSchuylkill County49,794Lebanon County: 49,173 jobsLebanon County49,173Mercer County: 47,061 jobsMercer County47,061Fayette County: 39,259 jobsFayette County39,259Adams County: 34,550 jobsAdams County34,550Crawford County: 30,768 jobsCrawford County30,768Indiana County: 29,862 jobsIndiana County29,862Clearfield County: 29,473 jobsClearfield County29,473Lawrence County: 28,146 jobsLawrence County28,146Northumberland County: 27,719 jobsNorthumberland County27,719Columbia County: 24,896 jobsColumbia County24,896Somerset County: 23,772 jobsSomerset County23,772Bradford County: 23,270 jobsBradford County23,270Venango County: 18,167 jobsVenango County18,167Allegheny County: 688,600 jobsAllegheny County688,600Philadelphia County: 663,398 jobsPhiladelphia County663,398Montgomery County: 484,289 jobsMontgomery County484,289Bucks County: 259,721 jobsBucks County259,721Chester County: 248,027 jobsChester County248,027Lancaster County: 234,156 jobsLancaster County234,156Delaware County: 219,145 jobsDelaware County219,145Lehigh County: 186,616 jobsLehigh County186,616Dauphin County: 179,997 jobsDauphin County179,997York County: 176,421 jobsYork County176,421Berks County: 170,657 jobsBerks County170,657Luzerne County: 143,619 jobsLuzerne County143,619Westmoreland County: 132,976 jobsWestmoreland County132,976Cumberland County: 132,087 jobsCumberland County132,087Erie County: 122,533 jobsErie County122,533Northampton County: 111,869 jobsNorthampton County111,869Lackawanna County: 97,353 jobsLackawanna County97,353Washington County: 85,474 jobsWashington County85,474Butler County: 84,971 jobsButler County84,971Centre County: 68,696 jobsCentre County68,696Blair County: 58,532 jobsBlair County58,532Franklin County: 57,941 jobsFranklin County57,941Monroe County: 55,345 jobsMonroe County55,345Cambria County: 52,446 jobsCambria County52,446Beaver County: 51,139 jobsBeaver County51,139Lycoming County: 51,113 jobsLycoming County51,113Schuylkill County: 49,794 jobsSchuylkill County49,794Lebanon County: 49,173 jobsLebanon County49,173Mercer County: 47,061 jobsMercer County47,061Fayette County: 39,259 jobsFayette County39,259Adams County: 34,550 jobsAdams County34,550Crawford County: 30,768 jobsCrawford County30,768Indiana County: 29,862 jobsIndiana County29,862Clearfield County: 29,473 jobsClearfield County29,473Lawrence County: 28,146 jobsLawrence County28,146Northumberland County: 27,719 jobsNorthumberland County27,719Columbia County: 24,896 jobsColumbia County24,896Somerset County: 23,772 jobsSomerset County23,772Bradford County: 23,270 jobsBradford County23,270Venango County: 18,167 jobsVenango County18,167
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
jobs
Change on 2015
1Allegheny County688,600+0.5%
2Philadelphia County663,398+2%
3Montgomery County484,289+1.4%
4Bucks County259,721+1.8%
5Chester County248,027+1.7%
6Lancaster County234,156+2.1%
7Delaware County219,145+1%
8Lehigh County186,616+1.6%
9Dauphin County179,997+1.3%
10York County176,421+1.5%
11Berks County170,657+0.7%
12Luzerne County143,619+0.9%
13Westmoreland County132,976-0%
14Cumberland County132,087+1.1%
15Erie County122,533-1.7%
16Northampton County111,869+3.4%
17Lackawanna County97,353+0.5%
18Washington County85,474-2%
19Butler County84,971-0.1%
20Centre County68,696+1.7%
21Blair County58,5320%
22Franklin County57,941-0.1%
23Monroe County55,345+2.1%
24Cambria County52,446-1.7%
25Beaver County51,139-1.9%
26Lycoming County51,113-3.6%
27Schuylkill County49,794-0.2%
28Lebanon County49,173+1.3%
29Mercer County47,061-1.8%
30Fayette County39,259-2%
31Adams County34,550+1.2%
32Crawford County30,768-1%
33Indiana County29,862-5.1%
34Clearfield County29,473-0.8%
35Lawrence County28,146-2.1%
36Northumberland County27,719+0.8%
37Columbia County24,896-0.1%
38Somerset County23,772-0.9%
39Bradford County23,270-4.1%
40Venango County18,167-4%
41Union County17,385+2.7%
42Carbon County17,038+0.6%
43Armstrong County16,382-4.4%
44Snyder County16,179+3%
45Mifflin County15,507+0.2%
46Montour County15,378+0.9%
47Bedford County15,3300%
48Jefferson County15,246-2.5%
49McKean County15,223-2.7%
50Elk County14,905-0.4%
51Wayne County14,745+1.1%
52Warren County14,672-1.7%
53Clarion County13,391-1%
54Greene County13,047-9.6%
55Clinton County12,864-0.1%
56Tioga County12,675-2.8%
57Huntingdon County12,349+0.3%
58Pike County11,227+2.5%
59Wyoming County9,708-3.1%
60Susquehanna County9,081-3.3%
61Perry County7,827+1.3%
62Juniata County6,374+2.1%
63Potter County5,272+0.6%
64Fulton County4,848-3.4%
65Forest County2,021+1.6%
66Cameron County1,942-2.2%
67Sullivan County1,640-6.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, 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.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. 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. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

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 employment, 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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Pennsylvania by covered employment (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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Pennsylvania by covered employment (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/covered-employment/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Pennsylvania by covered employment (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/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Pennsylvania by covered employment (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Pennsylvania by covered employment (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/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, 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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Pennsylvania by covered employment (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/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, 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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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Allegheny County, with 688,600 jobs in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Sullivan County, with 1,640 jobs 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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Pennsylvania: more rankings