Indiana County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate went up in the month of May.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the unemployment rate went up two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.2 percent. Over the last few months, the rate has been hovering around the 4.0 to 4.2 percent level. By comparison, Indiana County’s rate was 4.0 percent in May of 2023. The statewide unemployment rate in May remained unchanged for the month at 3.4 percent while the national rate went up to 4.0 percent.
Comparing Indiana to neighboring counties, the lowest was Westmoreland County at 3.5 percent. Cambria and Clearfield Counties were next at 3.9 percent, followed by Armstrong and Jefferson counties at 4.0 percent. This makes Indiana County’s unemployment rate the highest in the region. The lowest unemployment rate across the state was seen in Adams, Centre, Chester and Lancaster counties, each checking in at 2.5 percent. The highest was in Forest County at 5.4 percent.
Total non-farm jobs went down by 300 to 29,600 in Indiana County in May. Over the month, there was a decline of 300 jobs in government, but that was due to schools wrapping up for summer break. Job numbers in the eight other published super-sectors went unchanged.
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