Pa. unemployment rate at 3.6% — lowest level in 3 years - Times Leader

WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was down one-tenth of a percentage point over the month to 3.6% in September — the lowest rate in three years and only one-tenth above the record low set in summer 2023 — just five months after Gov. Josh Shapiro took office. The PA rate was six-tenths of a percentage point below the U.S. unemployment rate, which was up one-tenth from August to 4.2%. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) on Friday released its preliminary employment situation report for September 2026. The Commonwealth’s unemployment rate has declined by eight-tenths of a percentage point from its September 2025 level of 4.4%. The United States’ rate has declined just two-tenths over the past 12 months.