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Job Losses in Pennsylvania Counties
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released data on county employment and wages today. It is a little dated (March 2009) relative to national data, but does offer a profile of the local effects of the recession.
Here is the data from Pennsylvania largest counties. An interesting trend is that the percentage decline tends to be higher in those counties that had previously been growing, and slower in areas previously stagnant. This actually mirror a national trend, and likely is tied to the “bubble” and “bust” in housing.
| County | Establishments | March 2009 Employment | Per. Change Since March 2008 | Avg Weekly Wage | Change Since 1st Quarter 2008 |
| PA Statewide | 342.4 | 5449.4 | -2.9 | 862 | -0.7 |
| Allegheny | 35.2 | 664.9 | -1.8 | 953 | 0.5 |
| Berks | 9.1 | 160.9 | -4.2 | 764 | -0.7 |
| Bucks | 19.8 | 249.5 | -4.8 | 845 | -0.7 |
| Butler | 4.8 | 77.3 | -1.9 | 736 | -0.7 |
| Chester | 15.2 | 235.7 | -2.3 | 1,114 | -0.4 |
| Cumberland | 6 | 121 | -3.7 | 797 | 1.1 |
| Dauphin | 7.4 | 176.6 | -2.2 | 848 | 0.6 |
| Delaware | 13.6 | 203.2 | -2.8 | 941 | -2.4 |
| Erie | 7.4 | 121.5 | -3.3 | 688 | 0.6 |
| Lackawanna | 5.9 | 98.9 | -2.8 | 646 | 0 |
| Lancaster | 12.4 | 217.7 | -4.2 | 720 | -1.5 |
| Lehigh | 8.8 | 169.4 | -3.8 | 858 | -1.4 |
| Luzern | 7.9 | 137 | -1.8 | 668 | -0.9 |
| Montgomery | 27.5 | 467.1 | -3.7 | 1,162 | -2.4 |
| Northampton | 6.5 | 96.7 | -3.2 | 769 | -0.1 |
| Philadelphia | 31.1 | 624.5 | -1.1 | 1,050 | -1.4 |
| Washington | 5.4 | 77.5 | -1.3 | 783 | 2.5 |
| Westmoreland | 9.4 | 130.3 | -2.7 | 689 | -8.9 |
| York | 9.1 | 169.6 | -4.1 | 756 | -0.3 |
| Employment and Establishments in thousands | |||||
| Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | |||||