Retail Employment Trends
Pennsylvania Metro Areas
August 2020 Update
The retail sector in Pennsylvania’s metropolitan areas continued to bounce back in July by adding 6,800 jobs.
Using Localintel's free and publicly accessible Industry Job Tracker, this report provides 7 observations highlighting changes in manufacturing employment levels for the state's metro areas. At the time of writing, the Tracker draws on the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as released on August 21, 2020.
Observation 1
These 5 Pennsylvania metro areas recorded the steepest increase in retail jobs last month (measured by percentage change in manufacturing jobs from June 2020):
| Name | % increase | change in jobs |
|---|---|---|
| State College | 6.7% | 400 |
| Delaware County | 5.0% | 1,100 |
| Johnstown | 3.4% | 200 |
| Erie | 2.7% | 300 |
| Lancaster | 2.6% | 700 |
Observation 2
These 5 Pennsylvania areas experienced the largest gains in retail jobs in July 2020 (measured by the change in the number of manufacturing jobs from June 2020):
| Name | change in jobs | % increase |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County | 1,800 | 1.8% |
| Delaware County | 1,100 | 5.0% |
| Philadelphia | 1,100 | 1.6% |
| Pittsburgh | 1,100 | 1.0% |
| Lancaster | 700 | 2.6% |
Observation 3
Only 3 of Pennsylvania’s metro areas recorded any net job losses in the retail sector in July 2020.
| Name | % increase | change in jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | -1.6% | -300 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | -0.5% | -200 |
| York-Hanover | -0.5% | -100 |
Observation 4
The following 5 cities contain the largest number of retail jobs in Pennsylvania. Together they added a combined total of 3,800 retail jobs last month.
| Name | total jobs | change in jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | 110,500 | 1,100 |
| Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County | 102,500 | 1,800 |
| Philadelphia | 70,600 | 1,100 |
| Philadelphia City | 47,500 | 0 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 39,000 | -200 |
Observation 5
The following 5 Pennsylvania metro areas have the highest concentration of retail jobs in the state (measured by location quotient). They added a combined total of 300 retail jobs in July.
| Name | LQ | change in jobs |
|---|---|---|
| East Stroudsburg | 1.5 | 0 |
| Altoona | 1.4 | 200 |
| Williamsport | 1.3 | 0 |
| Lebanon | 1.2 | 0 |
| Chambersburg-Waynesboro | 1.2 | 100 |
Observation 6
In July 2020, there were 35,500 fewer retail jobs in Pennsylvania metros than in July 2019.
Want to know more?
Localintel’s interactive Industry Job Tracker can be accessed at www.ecdev.org/Insight/job-tracker. We created the Tracker to help economic developers and policy makers keep an eye on employment change in the nation’s metropolitan areas. The online tool draws on the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and is updated monthly by Localintel.
Data source
Localintel’s Industry Job Tracker presents data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics survey (establishment survey). The establishment survey provides information on employment, hours, and earnings of employees on nonfarm payrolls. BLS collects this data each month from a sample of over 390,000 establishments employing over 47 million nonfarm wage and salary workers, full or part time, who receive pay during the payroll period which includes the 12th of the month. According to the BLS, statistics based on the establishment survey are subject to both sampling and non-sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. The BLS does not seasonally adjust the industry specific employment data for metro areas. Localintel updates the Industry Job Tracker each month with the latest BLS establishment survey data for metro areas. The Tracker identifies the period to which the data applies and when the last update occurred. More information about the Current Employment Statistics program can be found at https://www.bls.gov/ces/. Definitions for Metropolitan Areas and how the BLS measures geographic areas can be accessed at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/topic/geographic-area-definitions.htm.
About Localintel
Localintel makes online economic development tools that hundreds of organizations have added to their website to promote their community’s advantages, assist local businesses and monitor trends. Localintel’s customers range from the small city of Brazoria (population 3,112 people) through to Texas Economic Development Corporation, Washington DC Economic Partnership, Indy Chamber, New Orleans Business Alliance and the cities of Southfield, Royal Oak, Troy and East Lansing.