What does this measure?
The growth or decline in total jobs, shown as a percentage gain or loss from the previous year.
Why is this important?
Job growth is a key indicator of economic health and vitality and reveals whether and by how much an economy is expanding. In addition to the number of jobs, the quality of jobs should be considered. This is reflected in measures of average salary.
How does our county compare?
Lancaster County had job growth of 1% from 2023 to 2024, above the state rate of 1.7% and below the national rate of 1.2%. Since 2011, the number of jobs in the county increased 16% to a total of 252,000 jobs, a growth rate higher than the state (9%) but lower than the nation (20%).
Lancaster's annual growth rate was lower than Lebanon (1.8%), Berks (1.5%), and Dauphin (1.3%) and higher than Cumberland (0.8%), York (0.4%), and Chester (0.1%).
Notes about the data
Data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment is reported by place of work, not place of residence. This dataset does not include sole proprietors/self-employed individuals, including farmers.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | N/A | 1.2% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.0% | -7.4% | 2.9% | 3.8% | 1.7% | 0.9% |
| Lancaster County | N/A | 0.0% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.1% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 1.2% | -6.2% | 4.1% | 3.3% | 0.9% | 1.0% |
| Berks County | N/A | 1.2% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% | -8.4% | 1.6% | 3.4% | 1.1% | 1.5% |
| Chester County | N/A | 0.8% | -0.2% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | -6.7% | 1.7% | 2.6% | 1.9% | 0.1% |
| Cumberland County | N/A | 1.8% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 1.8% | 3.0% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.5% | -5.6% | 3.3% | 1.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Dauphin County | N/A | -0.3% | -0.5% | 0.9% | -0.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.1% | -6.6% | 1.8% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 1.3% |
| Lebanon County | N/A | 3.1% | 2.3% | -1.2% | 0.1% | -0.6% | 1.3% | 0.6% | 1.9% | 2.1% | -6.5% | 3.5% | 2.3% | 3.2% | 1.8% |
| York County | N/A | 1.2% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.6% | -7.0% | 3.2% | 3.4% | 1.6% | 0.4% |
Notes: Rate is percentage change from previous year
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 5,472,171 | 5,535,283 | 5,578,414 | 5,596,841 | 5,644,443 | 5,691,613 | 5,737,759 | 5,799,123 | 5,867,783 | 5,925,588 | 5,488,591 | 5,650,325 | 5,863,233 | 5,963,389 | 6,019,836 |
| Lancaster County | 217,301 | 217,314 | 219,649 | 221,104 | 225,725 | 229,383 | 234,156 | 237,505 | 242,383 | 245,179 | 229,999 | 239,350 | 247,260 | 249,580 | 252,045 |
| Berks County | 161,100 | 163,061 | 163,753 | 164,494 | 166,811 | 169,418 | 170,657 | 171,379 | 173,551 | 176,051 | 161,230 | 163,885 | 169,378 | 171,179 | 173,692 |
| Chester County | 234,458 | 236,419 | 235,869 | 238,695 | 240,501 | 243,852 | 248,027 | 249,630 | 251,021 | 252,900 | 235,940 | 239,910 | 246,241 | 251,034 | 251,284 |
| Cumberland County | 119,993 | 122,111 | 124,069 | 124,740 | 126,947 | 130,712 | 132,087 | 133,313 | 134,480 | 136,449 | 128,811 | 133,046 | 135,442 | 136,519 | 137,668 |
| Dauphin County | 176,007 | 175,519 | 174,644 | 176,220 | 176,005 | 177,601 | 179,997 | 181,927 | 184,687 | 186,631 | 174,392 | 177,614 | 183,142 | 187,808 | 190,296 |
| Lebanon County | 46,823 | 48,282 | 49,406 | 48,789 | 48,858 | 48,565 | 49,173 | 49,477 | 50,423 | 51,492 | 48,125 | 49,814 | 50,957 | 52,576 | 53,500 |
| York County | 167,625 | 169,637 | 170,724 | 170,907 | 172,182 | 173,792 | 176,421 | 178,056 | 179,411 | 180,518 | 167,862 | 173,266 | 179,123 | 181,934 | 182,614 |
| INDICATORS | TREND |
|---|---|
| Change in Total Jobs | Increasing |
| Change in Employment by Sector | Not Applicable |
| Sector Share of Total Jobs | Increasing |
| Workers by Occupation | Not Applicable |
| Change in Labor Force | Decreasing |
| People Entering/Leaving County/Region for Work | Not Applicable |
| Average Salary by Sector | Not Applicable |
| Change in Average Salary Since 2010 | Increasing |
| Female to Male Earnings Ratio | Maintaining |
| Employer Size | Not Applicable |
| Change in Number of Businesses by Sector | Increasing |
| Change in Total Agricultural Sales | Increasing |
| Spending for Local Government | Maintaining |
| Spending for School Districts | Maintaining |
