Overall unemployment rate moved up to 6.9% with the biggest shift in Government, which lost 21,300 roles, based on the most recently available information published in September 2021.

Total employment in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD market rose by 7,400 jobs in July and the unemployment rate increased compared to the prior month by 10 bps to 6.9%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 43 bps over the same time to 5.7%.

  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD unemployment rate is 124 bps above the national rate which is a negative sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 660 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in July versus prior month by 2.8% and are up compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Unemployment July 2021

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -0.7%. Key sectors include:

  • Education & Healthcare: 630,100; -6,000
  • Transportation & Utilities: 515,200; -2,000
  • Business Services: 463,100; -700
  • Government: 302,000; -21,300
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 236,500; +6,100
  • Financial Services: 218,800; +1,000
  • Manufacturing: 176,600; +1,400
  • Construction, Mining: 121,200; +1,500
  • Other Jobs: 107,700; +200
  • IT & Development: 52,800; +600
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Unemployment by Industry July 2021

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through July 2021 (Data published September 2021 and reports created on September 1, 2021).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.