Counties in Pennsylvania by unemployment rate

Forest County had the highest unemployment rate of 67 counties in February 2026, at 8.6%. Centre County had the lowest, at 3.2%. The median was 5.1% and the figure for Pennsylvania was 4.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest8.6Forest County
Lowest3.2Centre County
Median5.167 counties
Pennsylvania4.2History

Top 40 counties, February 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Forest CountyForest County: 8.6 %8.6Cameron CountyCameron County: 7.4 %7.4Potter CountyPotter County: 7.4 %7.4Fayette CountyFayette County: 6.5 %6.5Huntingdon CountyHuntingdon County: 6.3 %6.3Juniata CountyJuniata County: 6 %6Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 6 %6Armstrong CountyArmstrong County: 5.9 %5.9Pike CountyPike County: 5.9 %5.9Clinton CountyClinton County: 5.8 %5.8Luzerne CountyLuzerne County: 5.8 %5.8Susquehanna CountySusquehanna County: 5.8 %5.8Columbia CountyColumbia County: 5.7 %5.7Wayne CountyWayne County: 5.7 %5.7Schuylkill CountySchuylkill County: 5.6 %5.6Carbon CountyCarbon County: 5.5 %5.5Philadelphia CountyPhiladelphia County: 5.5 %5.5Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 5.4 %5.4Northumberland CountyNorthumberland County: 5.4 %5.4Somerset CountySomerset County: 5.4 %5.4Cambria CountyCambria County: 5.3 %5.3McKean CountyMcKean County: 5.3 %5.3Monroe CountyMonroe County: 5.3 %5.3Sullivan CountySullivan County: 5.3 %5.3Tioga CountyTioga County: 5.3 %5.3Venango CountyVenango County: 5.3 %5.3Clearfield CountyClearfield County: 5.2 %5.2Greene CountyGreene County: 5.2 %5.2Indiana CountyIndiana County: 5.2 %5.2Lycoming CountyLycoming County: 5.2 %5.2Warren CountyWarren County: 5.2 %5.2Wyoming CountyWyoming County: 5.2 %5.2Bedford CountyBedford County: 5.1 %5.1Clarion CountyClarion County: 5.1 %5.1Erie CountyErie County: 5.1 %5.1Mercer CountyMercer County: 5.1 %5.1Beaver CountyBeaver County: 5 %5Lackawanna CountyLackawanna County: 5 %5Crawford CountyCrawford County: 4.9 %4.9Lehigh CountyLehigh County: 4.9 %4.9
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesFebruary 2026 (%)Change on February 2025
1Forest County8.6+0.5 pts
2Cameron County7.4-0.2 pts
2Potter County7.4+0.7 pts
4Fayette County6.5+0.2 pts
5Huntingdon County6.3+0.1 pts
6Juniata County6-0.8 pts
6Lawrence County6-0.4 pts
8Armstrong County5.9+0.1 pts
8Pike County5.9+0.3 pts
10Clinton County5.8-0.1 pts
10Luzerne County5.8+0.2 pts
10Susquehanna County5.8-0.1 pts
13Columbia County5.7+0.2 pts
13Wayne County5.7-0.1 pts
15Schuylkill County5.6+0.5 pts
16Carbon County5.5+0.5 pts
16Philadelphia County5.5+0.3 pts
18Jefferson County5.4+0.1 pts
18Northumberland County5.40 pts
18Somerset County5.4-0.1 pts
21Cambria County5.30 pts
21McKean County5.3+0.2 pts
21Monroe County5.3+0.2 pts
21Sullivan County5.3-0.1 pts
21Tioga County5.30 pts
21Venango County5.3+0.4 pts
27Clearfield County5.2-0.5 pts
27Greene County5.20 pts
27Indiana County5.2-0.1 pts
27Lycoming County5.2-0.1 pts
27Warren County5.20 pts
27Wyoming County5.2-0.2 pts
33Bedford County5.1-0.4 pts
33Clarion County5.1+0.2 pts
33Erie County5.1+0.1 pts
33Mercer County5.1-0.1 pts
37Beaver County5-0.1 pts
37Lackawanna County50 pts
39Crawford County4.9+0.1 pts
39Lehigh County4.9+0.3 pts
41Westmoreland County4.8+0.1 pts
42Berks County4.7+0.2 pts
42Fulton County4.7+0.2 pts
42Washington County4.7+0.1 pts
45Bradford County4.6-0.3 pts
45Northampton County4.6+0.1 pts
47Dauphin County4.5+0.1 pts
47Elk County4.5-0.5 pts
47Mifflin County4.5-0.1 pts
50Blair County4.4-0.1 pts
50Delaware County4.4+0.3 pts
50Snyder County4.40 pts
50Union County4.4+0.2 pts
54Allegheny County4.3+0.1 pts
54Butler County4.3+0.1 pts
54Perry County4.3+0.1 pts
57Bucks County4.2+0.2 pts
57York County4.2+0.1 pts
59Lebanon County40 pts
60Franklin County3.9+0.1 pts
61Montgomery County3.8+0.1 pts
62Adams County3.7-0.2 pts
63Montour County3.6-0.2 pts
64Cumberland County3.5+0.1 pts
65Chester County3.4+0.2 pts
65Lancaster County3.4-0.1 pts
67Centre County3.2-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Forest County, with 8.6% in February 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Centre County, with 3.2% in February 2026.

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, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in Pennsylvania: more rankings