Department of Numbers

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania Job Growth

There were 2,794,800 jobs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in February 2021 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 2,843,065 employed persons for the month. Philadelphia added 13,500 jobs in February 2021 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 2,687 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Philadelphia job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey February 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 2,794,800 +13,500 -213,300
CPS 2,843,065 -2,687 -175,503

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Philadelphia as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

CES employment for Philadelphia peaked in February 2020 at 3,008,100. Since then 213,300 jobs have been lost in Philadelphia according to the employer survey. From a trough of 2,487,700 in April 2020, Philadelphia has gained 307,100 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 3,018,568 for Philadelphia in February 2020. 175,503 jobs have been lost in Philadelphia since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 2,616,264, Philadelphia has added 226,801 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through February 2021

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Employment History

Date CES
Employment		 CES
Month/Month		 CPS
Employment		 CPS
Month/Month
February 2021 2,794,800 13,500 2,843,065 -2,687
January 2021 2,781,300 20,100 2,845,752 15,914
December 2020 2,761,200 -10,500 2,829,838 -1,350
November 2020 2,771,700 900 2,831,188 3,252
October 2020 2,770,800 11,500 2,827,936 4,126
September 2020 2,759,300 26,400 2,823,810 54,128
August 2020 2,732,900 29,900 2,769,682 49,981
July 2020 2,703,000 80,800 2,719,701 57,680
June 2020 2,622,200 79,700 2,662,021 -27,804
May 2020 2,542,500 54,800 2,689,825 73,561
April 2020 2,487,700 -496,300 2,616,264 -365,925
March 2020 2,984,000 -24,100 2,982,189 -36,379

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