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Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.9% in May. ABLOKHIN/GETTY IMAGES
PA unemployment holds at 3.9% as jobs hit record high
Ed Gruver//June 20, 2025//
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Pennsylvania‘s unemployment rate held steady at 3.9% in May.
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Nonfarm jobs hit a 13th straight monthly record at 6.22 million.
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Leisure and hospitality led May’s job growth with 2,500 new jobs.
Pennsylvania’s jobless rate stayed at 3.9% in May as nonfarm jobs hit a record high for the 13th month, led by gains in leisure and health sectors, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry announced Friday.
The commonwealth’s rate remains below the U.S. unemployment rate, which was also unchanged over the month at 4.2 percent. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was three-tenths of a percentage point above the May 2024 level of 3.6 percent, mirroring the US rate increase from last May.
Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force, which is the estimated number of residents working or looking for work, decreased by 4,000 over the month to 6,545,000. Employment, down 6,000 from April, drove the decline while unemployment rose 2,000 over the month.
The commonwealth’s total nonfarm jobs increased by 2,000 over the month to 6,223,400, the 13th consecutive record high. Jobs increased from April in four of the 11 industry supersectors. Leisure and hospitality saw the largest gain, with an increase of 2,500 jobs in May. Leisure and hospitality and other services rose to record high levels over the month.
Over the year, jobs were up 89,200 with gains in seven of the 11 supersectors. Education and health services, which saw an increase of 46,300, had the largest volume increase since May 2024.
