Jobs in Pennsylvania

A significant part of the State’s population is based in and around the city of Philadelphia. Pennsylvania’s high school graduates constitute about 81.9% of the population, while 22.4% of them hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

Since the digging of the nation’s first oil well in Titusville in 1859, Pennsylvania's economy was largely based on the mining of coal and iron ore. This in turn led to the growth of the steel industry in the state. Though steel continues to contribute to Pennsylvania’s income, in recent years the economy has diversified to include production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, electronic equipment, and food products. A wide variety of rubber, stone, glass, clay, and plastic products are also produced here.

Agriculture is limited to the southeastern regions of Pennsylvania. The main agricultural products include poultry, cattle, dairy products, wheat, hay, corn, potatoes, oats, mushrooms, and fruits. The commercial and industrial sectors are concentrated in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metropolitan areas.

As of January 2009, the civilian labor force in Pennsylvania equaled 6,445.8 thousand people. About 7% of the labor force is unemployed. Major employers in the non-farm sector are Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (19%), Education & Health Services (19%), Manufacturing (10%), Leisure & Hospitality (8%), and Government (13%).