Counties in Pennsylvania by unemployment rate

Forest County had the highest unemployment rate of 67 counties in March 2026, at 6.9%. Lancaster County had the lowest, at 3.1%. The median was 4.5% and the figure for Pennsylvania was 4.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest6.9Forest County
Median4.567 counties
Pennsylvania4.2History

Top 40 counties, March 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Forest CountyForest County: 6.9 %6.9Potter CountyPotter County: 6.2 %6.2Cameron CountyCameron County: 5.9 %5.9Fayette CountyFayette County: 5.3 %5.3Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 5.1 %5.1Luzerne CountyLuzerne County: 5.1 %5.1Pike CountyPike County: 5.1 %5.1Columbia CountyColumbia County: 5 %5Huntingdon CountyHuntingdon County: 5 %5Philadelphia CountyPhiladelphia County: 5 %5Wayne CountyWayne County: 4.9 %4.9Carbon CountyCarbon County: 4.8 %4.8Clarion CountyClarion County: 4.8 %4.8Juniata CountyJuniata County: 4.8 %4.8Monroe CountyMonroe County: 4.8 %4.8Somerset CountySomerset County: 4.8 %4.8Susquehanna CountySusquehanna County: 4.8 %4.8Armstrong CountyArmstrong County: 4.7 %4.7Cambria CountyCambria County: 4.7 %4.7Clinton CountyClinton County: 4.7 %4.7McKean CountyMcKean County: 4.7 %4.7Schuylkill CountySchuylkill County: 4.7 %4.7Tioga CountyTioga County: 4.7 %4.7Venango CountyVenango County: 4.7 %4.7Erie CountyErie County: 4.6 %4.6Indiana CountyIndiana County: 4.6 %4.6Lehigh CountyLehigh County: 4.6 %4.6Mercer CountyMercer County: 4.6 %4.6Northumberland CountyNorthumberland County: 4.6 %4.6Warren CountyWarren County: 4.6 %4.6Greene CountyGreene County: 4.5 %4.5Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 4.5 %4.5Lackawanna CountyLackawanna County: 4.5 %4.5Lycoming CountyLycoming County: 4.5 %4.5Sullivan CountySullivan County: 4.5 %4.5Wyoming CountyWyoming County: 4.5 %4.5Clearfield CountyClearfield County: 4.4 %4.4Beaver CountyBeaver County: 4.3 %4.3Bedford CountyBedford County: 4.3 %4.3Berks CountyBerks County: 4.3 %4.3
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesMarch 2026 (%)Change on March 2025
1Forest County6.9+0.5 pts
2Potter County6.2+0.5 pts
3Cameron County5.9-0.1 pts
4Fayette County5.3-0.1 pts
5Lawrence County5.1-0.4 pts
5Luzerne County5.10 pts
5Pike County5.1-0.1 pts
8Columbia County5-0.1 pts
8Huntingdon County5-0.3 pts
8Philadelphia County50 pts
11Wayne County4.9-0.1 pts
12Carbon County4.8+0.3 pts
12Clarion County4.8+0.1 pts
12Juniata County4.8-0.8 pts
12Monroe County4.8+0.1 pts
12Somerset County4.8+0.3 pts
12Susquehanna County4.8-0.2 pts
18Armstrong County4.7-0.2 pts
18Cambria County4.7-0.1 pts
18Clinton County4.7-0.6 pts
18McKean County4.7-0.1 pts
18Schuylkill County4.7-0.1 pts
18Tioga County4.7-0.1 pts
18Venango County4.7+0.2 pts
25Erie County4.6-0.1 pts
25Indiana County4.6-0.4 pts
25Lehigh County4.6+0.2 pts
25Mercer County4.6-0.2 pts
25Northumberland County4.6-0.3 pts
25Warren County4.6-0.1 pts
31Greene County4.5-0.2 pts
31Jefferson County4.5-0.1 pts
31Lackawanna County4.5-0.1 pts
31Lycoming County4.5-0.3 pts
31Sullivan County4.50 pts
31Wyoming County4.5-0.3 pts
37Clearfield County4.4-0.4 pts
38Beaver County4.3-0.1 pts
38Bedford County4.3-0.2 pts
38Berks County4.30 pts
38Crawford County4.30 pts
42Fulton County4.2+0.3 pts
42Northampton County4.20 pts
44Dauphin County4.1+0.1 pts
44Washington County4.10 pts
44Westmoreland County4.10 pts
47Blair County40 pts
47Bradford County4-0.4 pts
47Delaware County4+0.1 pts
47Elk County4-0.4 pts
51Union County3.9-0.2 pts
52Allegheny County3.8-0.1 pts
52Butler County3.8-0.1 pts
52Perry County3.8+0.2 pts
52Snyder County3.8-0.4 pts
56Bucks County3.70 pts
56York County3.70 pts
58Franklin County3.60 pts
58Mifflin County3.6-0.4 pts
60Lebanon County3.5-0.1 pts
61Adams County3.4-0.1 pts
61Montgomery County3.40 pts
63Montour County3.30 pts
64Centre County3.2-0.3 pts
64Cumberland County3.2-0.1 pts
66Chester County3.10 pts
66Lancaster County3.1-0.1 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 6.9% in March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Lancaster County, with 3.1% in March 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