Counties in Pennsylvania by covered employment (QCEW)

Allegheny County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 67 counties in 2017, at 694,921 jobs. Sullivan County had the lowest, at 1,648 jobs. The median was 29,743 jobs and the figure for Pennsylvania was 5,799,123 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest694,921Allegheny County
Lowest1,648Sullivan County
Median29,74367 counties
Pennsylvania5,799,123History

Map of counties, 2017

Adams County: 34,949 jobsAllegheny County: 694,921 jobsArmstrong County: 16,295 jobsBeaver County: 51,269 jobsBedford County: 15,445 jobsBerks County: 171,379 jobsBlair County: 58,487 jobsBradford County: 23,034 jobsBucks County: 263,466 jobsButler County: 85,291 jobsCambria County: 51,473 jobsCameron County: 1,933 jobsCarbon County: 16,620 jobsCentre County: 69,417 jobsChester County: 249,630 jobsClarion County: 13,301 jobsClearfield County: 29,743 jobsClinton County: 12,962 jobsColumbia County: 24,844 jobsCrawford County: 30,163 jobsCumberland County: 133,313 jobsDauphin County: 181,927 jobsDelaware County: 222,510 jobsElk County: 14,874 jobsErie County: 121,550 jobsFayette County: 39,108 jobsForest County: 1,996 jobsFranklin County: 58,172 jobsFulton County: 4,992 jobsGreene County: 12,818 jobsHuntingdon County: 12,567 jobsIndiana County: 29,803 jobsJefferson County: 15,632 jobsJuniata County: 6,666 jobsLackawanna County: 97,797 jobsLancaster County: 237,505 jobsLawrence County: 27,787 jobsLebanon County: 49,477 jobsLehigh County: 188,896 jobsLuzerne County: 144,773 jobsLycoming County: 51,171 jobsMcKean County: 15,128 jobsMercer County: 46,739 jobsMifflin County: 15,591 jobsMonroe County: 56,127 jobsMontgomery County: 492,934 jobsMontour County: 15,691 jobsNorthampton County: 114,392 jobsNorthumberland County: 27,966 jobsPerry County: 7,813 jobsPhiladelphia County: 673,048 jobsPike County: 11,403 jobsPotter County: 5,346 jobsSchuylkill County: 49,192 jobsSnyder County: 16,507 jobsSomerset County: 23,859 jobsSullivan County: 1,648 jobsSusquehanna County: 9,118 jobsTioga County: 12,499 jobsUnion County: 17,769 jobsVenango County: 17,953 jobsWarren County: 14,550 jobsWashington County: 86,777 jobsWayne County: 14,998 jobsWestmoreland County: 133,298 jobsWyoming County: 9,718 jobsYork County: 178,056 jobs
  • Under 13K
  • 13K to 16K
  • 16K to 30K
  • 30K to 56K
  • 56K to 140K
  • 140K and over
jobs, 2017. 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, 2017

Allegheny County: 694,921 jobsAllegheny County694,921Philadelphia County: 673,048 jobsPhiladelphia County673,048Montgomery County: 492,934 jobsMontgomery County492,934Bucks County: 263,466 jobsBucks County263,466Chester County: 249,630 jobsChester County249,630Lancaster County: 237,505 jobsLancaster County237,505Delaware County: 222,510 jobsDelaware County222,510Lehigh County: 188,896 jobsLehigh County188,896Dauphin County: 181,927 jobsDauphin County181,927York County: 178,056 jobsYork County178,056Berks County: 171,379 jobsBerks County171,379Luzerne County: 144,773 jobsLuzerne County144,773Cumberland County: 133,313 jobsCumberland County133,313Westmoreland County: 133,298 jobsWestmoreland County133,298Erie County: 121,550 jobsErie County121,550Northampton County: 114,392 jobsNorthampton County114,392Lackawanna County: 97,797 jobsLackawanna County97,797Washington County: 86,777 jobsWashington County86,777Butler County: 85,291 jobsButler County85,291Centre County: 69,417 jobsCentre County69,417Blair County: 58,487 jobsBlair County58,487Franklin County: 58,172 jobsFranklin County58,172Monroe County: 56,127 jobsMonroe County56,127Cambria County: 51,473 jobsCambria County51,473Beaver County: 51,269 jobsBeaver County51,269Lycoming County: 51,171 jobsLycoming County51,171Lebanon County: 49,477 jobsLebanon County49,477Schuylkill County: 49,192 jobsSchuylkill County49,192Mercer County: 46,739 jobsMercer County46,739Fayette County: 39,108 jobsFayette County39,108Adams County: 34,949 jobsAdams County34,949Crawford County: 30,163 jobsCrawford County30,163Indiana County: 29,803 jobsIndiana County29,803Clearfield County: 29,743 jobsClearfield County29,743Northumberland County: 27,966 jobsNorthumberland County27,966Lawrence County: 27,787 jobsLawrence County27,787Columbia County: 24,844 jobsColumbia County24,844Somerset County: 23,859 jobsSomerset County23,859Bradford County: 23,034 jobsBradford County23,034Venango County: 17,953 jobsVenango County17,953Allegheny County: 694,921 jobsAllegheny County694,921Philadelphia County: 673,048 jobsPhiladelphia County673,048Montgomery County: 492,934 jobsMontgomery County492,934Bucks County: 263,466 jobsBucks County263,466Chester County: 249,630 jobsChester County249,630Lancaster County: 237,505 jobsLancaster County237,505Delaware County: 222,510 jobsDelaware County222,510Lehigh County: 188,896 jobsLehigh County188,896Dauphin County: 181,927 jobsDauphin County181,927York County: 178,056 jobsYork County178,056Berks County: 171,379 jobsBerks County171,379Luzerne County: 144,773 jobsLuzerne County144,773Cumberland County: 133,313 jobsCumberland County133,313Westmoreland County: 133,298 jobsWestmoreland County133,298Erie County: 121,550 jobsErie County121,550Northampton County: 114,392 jobsNorthampton County114,392Lackawanna County: 97,797 jobsLackawanna County97,797Washington County: 86,777 jobsWashington County86,777Butler County: 85,291 jobsButler County85,291Centre County: 69,417 jobsCentre County69,417Blair County: 58,487 jobsBlair County58,487Franklin County: 58,172 jobsFranklin County58,172Monroe County: 56,127 jobsMonroe County56,127Cambria County: 51,473 jobsCambria County51,473Beaver County: 51,269 jobsBeaver County51,269Lycoming County: 51,171 jobsLycoming County51,171Lebanon County: 49,477 jobsLebanon County49,477Schuylkill County: 49,192 jobsSchuylkill County49,192Mercer County: 46,739 jobsMercer County46,739Fayette County: 39,108 jobsFayette County39,108Adams County: 34,949 jobsAdams County34,949Crawford County: 30,163 jobsCrawford County30,163Indiana County: 29,803 jobsIndiana County29,803Clearfield County: 29,743 jobsClearfield County29,743Northumberland County: 27,966 jobsNorthumberland County27,966Lawrence County: 27,787 jobsLawrence County27,787Columbia County: 24,844 jobsColumbia County24,844Somerset County: 23,859 jobsSomerset County23,859Bradford County: 23,034 jobsBradford County23,034Venango County: 17,953 jobsVenango County17,953
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

RankCounties2017
jobs
Change on 2016
1Allegheny County694,921+0.9%
2Philadelphia County673,048+1.5%
3Montgomery County492,934+1.8%
4Bucks County263,466+1.4%
5Chester County249,630+0.6%
6Lancaster County237,505+1.4%
7Delaware County222,510+1.5%
8Lehigh County188,896+1.2%
9Dauphin County181,927+1.1%
10York County178,056+0.9%
11Berks County171,379+0.4%
12Luzerne County144,773+0.8%
13Cumberland County133,313+0.9%
14Westmoreland County133,298+0.2%
15Erie County121,550-0.8%
16Northampton County114,392+2.3%
17Lackawanna County97,797+0.5%
18Washington County86,777+1.5%
19Butler County85,291+0.4%
20Centre County69,417+1%
21Blair County58,487-0.1%
22Franklin County58,172+0.4%
23Monroe County56,127+1.4%
24Cambria County51,473-1.9%
25Beaver County51,269+0.3%
26Lycoming County51,171+0.1%
27Lebanon County49,477+0.6%
28Schuylkill County49,192-1.2%
29Mercer County46,739-0.7%
30Fayette County39,108-0.4%
31Adams County34,949+1.2%
32Crawford County30,163-2%
33Indiana County29,803-0.2%
34Clearfield County29,743+0.9%
35Northumberland County27,966+0.9%
36Lawrence County27,787-1.3%
37Columbia County24,844-0.2%
38Somerset County23,859+0.4%
39Bradford County23,034-1%
40Venango County17,953-1.2%
41Union County17,769+2.2%
42Carbon County16,620-2.5%
43Snyder County16,507+2%
44Armstrong County16,295-0.5%
45Montour County15,691+2%
46Jefferson County15,632+2.5%
47Mifflin County15,591+0.5%
48Bedford County15,445+0.8%
49McKean County15,128-0.6%
50Wayne County14,998+1.7%
51Elk County14,874-0.2%
52Warren County14,550-0.8%
53Clarion County13,301-0.7%
54Clinton County12,962+0.8%
55Greene County12,818-1.8%
56Huntingdon County12,567+1.8%
57Tioga County12,499-1.4%
58Pike County11,403+1.6%
59Wyoming County9,718+0.1%
60Susquehanna County9,118+0.4%
61Perry County7,813-0.2%
62Juniata County6,666+4.6%
63Potter County5,346+1.4%
64Fulton County4,992+3%
65Forest County1,996-1.2%
66Cameron County1,933-0.5%
67Sullivan County1,648+0.5%

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/2017/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), 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/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), 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2017. 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), 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2017.

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), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_pennsylvania_by_2017,
  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), 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2017. 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/2017/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), 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/pennsylvania-counties?period=2017.
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/2017/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 694,921 jobs in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Sullivan County, with 1,648 jobs in 2017.

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