PA unemployment rate remains at 4% in August; 28th month in a row at or below national average

WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was unchanged over the month at 4% in August.

The U.S. unemployment rate was up one-tenth of a point over the month to 4.3% — marking the 28th consecutive month Pennsylvania’s rate was at or below the national average.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) on Friday released its preliminary employment situation report for August 2025.

The Commonwealth’s unemployment rate was four-tenths of a percentage point above the August 2024 level of 3.6%, while the U.S. rate was up one-tenth of a point from last August.

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force — the estimated number of residents working or looking for work — was down 7,000 over the month to 6,530,000 in August.

Employment — down 7,000 from July — drove the decline, while