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Jobs in Pennsylvania: pay, hiring and what a paycheck buys

Pennsylvania has 6,375 open job postings from 569 employers in our data. 24.1% list a pay range, the median posted pay is $117,500 a year, 5.3% are remote and 18.3% have been open more than 60 days (data as of October 2026).

What stands out

Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesMedian wage for all jobs divided by the local price level, October 2026. Higher means a paycheck goes further.Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesVirginiaVirginia Official median wage: $55,500 Price level: 101.1 Paycheck power: $55,000 Click for the full page$55,000New JerseyNew Jersey Official median wage: $58,500 Price level: 108.8 Paycheck power: $54,000 Click for the full page$54,000OhioOhio Official median wage: $49,500 Price level: 92.8 Paycheck power: $53,000 Click for the full page$53,000IllinoisIllinois Official median wage: $52,000 Price level: 100 Paycheck power: $52,000 Click for the full page$52,000MichiganMichigan Official median wage: $49,500 Price level: 96.2 Paycheck power: $51,000 Click for the full page$51,000PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Official median wage: $49,500 Price level: 97.6 Paycheck power: $51,000$51,000North CarolinaNorth Carolina Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 94.3 Paycheck power: $51,000 Click for the full page$51,000GeorgiaGeorgia Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 96.3 Paycheck power: $50,000 Click for the full page$50,000Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Pennsylvania compared with similar-sized states: the median wage divided by the local price level (US average prices = 100). Download this chart (SVG)
6,375open postings from 569 employers
24.1%list a pay range
$117,500median posted pay
$49,500official median wage, all jobs (BLS)
4.1%unemployment rate, 2026-08 (BLS)
235,000job openings, 2025-12 (BLS JOLTS), rate 3.7%

Pay transparency

Pennsylvania has no statewide law requiring a pay range in job postings.

Metro areas in Pennsylvania

Metro areaPostingsPay listedMedian posted pay
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD2,65228.4%$111,500
Pittsburgh, PA1,12827.9%$180,000
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA25916%$76,500
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ21212.5%–

What your paycheck buys here

Prices in Pennsylvania run 2% below the national average, and housing runs 15% below it. The official median wage for all jobs is $49,500, which is worth $51,000 in average-US dollars. The median posted pay of $117,500 is worth $120,000.

What things cost here (US average = 100)BEA regional price parities for the Pennsylvania metro area, 2024.What things cost here (US average = 100)All itemsAll items: 97.6 2% below the US average (100)97.6HousingHousing: 85.1 15% below the US average (100)85.1GoodsGoods: 99.4 1% below the US average (100)99.4UtilitiesUtilities: 109.3 9% above the US average (100)109.3Other servicesOther services: 99.8 0% below the US average (100)99.8Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
Local prices compared with the national average, where 100 is the US average. Download this chart (SVG)
The area's biggest jobs and what they payOfficial median annual wage for the ten largest occupations in Pennsylvania, May 2025.The area's biggest jobs and what they payHome Health and Personal Care (257.4k)Home Health and Personal Care Aides 257,370 workers Median wage: $29,500$29,500General and Operations Manager (172k)General and Operations Managers 172,010 workers Median wage: $103,000$103,000Registered Nurses (146.5k)Registered Nurses 146,520 workers Median wage: $96,500$96,500Fast Food and Counter Workers (142.2k)Fast Food and Counter Workers 142,220 workers Median wage: $28,500$28,500Retail Salespersons (141.8k)Retail Salespersons 141,790 workers Median wage: $31,000$31,000Laborers and Freight, Stock, a (131.1k)Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 131,050 workers Median wage: $42,500$42,500Stockers and Order Fillers (119.8k)Stockers and Order Fillers 119,840 workers Median wage: $36,500$36,500Cashiers (111k)Cashiers 110,950 workers Median wage: $29,000$29,000Office Clerks, General (107.5k)Office Clerks, General 107,500 workers Median wage: $45,000$45,000Customer Service Representativ (94.3k)Customer Service Representatives 94,340 workers Median wage: $44,500$44,500Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Median wages for the ten occupations with the most workers here (worker count in parentheses). Download this chart (SVG)
Open postings by industry of the employerPostings by employer industry in Pennsylvania.Open postings by industry of the employerHealthcare & Life SciencesHealthcare & Life Sciences 3,181 open postings 49.9% of this area's postings3,181Software & TechnologySoftware & Technology 528 open postings 8.3% of this area's postings528EducationEducation 389 open postings 6.1% of this area's postings389Retail & E-commerceRetail & E-commerce 382 open postings 6% of this area's postings382Financial ServicesFinancial Services 334 open postings 5.2% of this area's postings334Manufacturing & IndustrialManufacturing & Industrial 332 open postings 5.2% of this area's postings332OtherOther 249 open postings 3.9% of this area's postings249Consulting & Professional ServicesConsulting & Professional Services 218 open postings 3.4% of this area's postings218Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Which industries have the most open postings in our data. Download this chart (SVG)

Employers with the most openings

  1. Geisinger: 1,282 postings
  2. Jefferson Health: 1,053 postings
  3. Cmu: 212 postings
  4. Vanguard: 170 postings
  5. Highmark Health: 134 postings

Federal government hiring

474 federal job announcements open to the public list Pennsylvania, with a median posted salary range midpoint of $107,000. Agencies hiring most: Veterans Health Administration (73), Defense Logistics Agency (51), Department of the Navy Headquarters (27), U.S. Army Reserve Command (23), Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System (20). Source: USAJOBS.

How it compares with similar-sized states

StatePay listedPosted payOfficial wagePricesPaycheck power
Pennsylvania24.1%$117,500$49,50097.6$51,000
Illinois43.2%$122,500$52,000100$52,000
Ohio21.4%$128,500$49,50092.8$53,000
North Carolina23.7%$127,500$48,00094.3$51,000
Georgia23.4%$130,000$48,00096.3$50,000
Michigan22.1%$140,000$49,50096.2$51,000
New Jersey42.6%$131,500$58,500108.8$54,000

Compare any states side by side

Download this data

Free to use with credit: Second Summit, October 2026. Data (CSV) · Data (JSON) · paycheck power chart (SVG) · prices chart (SVG) · industries chart (SVG) · biggest jobs chart (SVG)

Related pages

A posting that lists several states counts in each. This covers employers whose career pages we read, not every job in Pennsylvania. Methodology · All states (CSV)

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