Department of Numbers

State College, Pennsylvania Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for State College rose 0.2 percentage points in March 2012 to 5.4%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 2.1 percentage points lower than the Pennsylvania rate. The unemployment rate in State College peaked in January 2010 at 6.4% and is now 1.0 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 5.1% in January 2012, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.3 percentage points. You can also compare State College unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate March 2012 Month/Month Year/Year
National 8.2% -0.1 -0.7
Pennsylvania 7.5% -0.1 -0.4
State College 5.4% +0.2 +0.2
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with March 2012 data as April metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: State College, Pennsylvania, National

State College, Pennsylvania monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

State College, Pennsylvania Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in State College peaked in February 2010 at 4,826. There are now 701 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 3,841 in January 2012, the number of unemployed has now grown by 284. State College employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in State College, Pennsylvania) is also available.

Unemployed Persons March 2012 Month/Month Year/Year
State College 4,125 +152 +204

Number of Unemployed Persons

State College, Pennsylvania Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate
Pennsylvania
Unemployment Rate
State College
Unemployment Rate
State College
Unemployed
April
2012
8.1% 7.4%
March
2012
8.2% 7.5% 5.4% 4,125
February
2012
8.3% 7.6% 5.2% 3,973
January
2012
8.3% 7.6% 5.1% 3,841
December
2011
8.5% 7.7% 5.2% 3,886
November
2011
8.7% 7.8% 5.4% 4,074
October
2011
8.9% 7.9% 5.7% 4,265
September
2011
9.0% 8.0% 6.0% 4,489
August
2011
9.1% 8.1% 6.1% 4,548
July
2011
9.1% 8.1% 5.8% 4,307
June
2011
9.1% 8.0% 5.5% 4,132
May
2011
9.0% 8.0% 5.3% 3,984
April
2011
9.0% 7.9% 5.2% 3,938

1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers.