Find a Job You Really Want In
At Zippia, our mission is to explore the landscape of job opportunities across the United States. In this article, we focus on Pennsylvania, identifying the cities that currently present the most challenges for job seekers.
After analyzing various metrics, we have compiled a list of the ten cities in Pennsylvania where job prospects are the weakest. These locations have been assessed based on recent and projected job growth, alongside other essential factors that influence employment opportunities.
Without further ado, here are the ten cities in Pennsylvania that rank as the worst for finding a job:
Continue reading to learn more about how we arrived at these rankings.
For further insights on job opportunities in Pennsylvania, check out:
How We Identified the Worst Job Markets in Pennsylvania
Our analysis focused on Pennsylvania’s largest cities with populations exceeding 5,000. In total, we examined 100 cities across the state.
Each city was evaluated based on several critical criteria, with a ranking scale from one to 100—where one indicates the most challenging environment for job seekers in each category.
The final ranking was determined by calculating the average score across all criteria, leading to the designation of the “Worst City in Pennsylvania to Find a Job.”
The criteria considered in our evaluation included:
1. Hazleton
Population: 25,166
Recent Job Growth: -0.05%
Future Job Growth: 29.10%
2. Reading
Population: 87,926
Recent Job Growth: 0.70%
Future Job Growth: 33.60%
3. Scranton
Population: 76,021
Recent Job Growth: -0.05%
Future Job Growth: 33.20%
4. Allentown
Population: 117,942
Recent Job Growth: 0.69%
Future Job Growth: 34.10%
5. Chester
Population: 34,127
Recent Job Growth: 1.44%
Future Job Growth: 34.00%
6. Johnstown
Population: 20,976
Recent Job Growth: 1.01%
Future Job Growth: 35.10%
7. Easton
Population: 26,885
Recent Job Growth: 0.69%
Future Job Growth: 35.00%
8. Bethlehem
Population: 75,016
Recent Job Growth: 0.69%
Future Job Growth: 35.10%
9. New Castle
Population: 23,290
Recent Job Growth: 1.34%
Future Job Growth: 36.00%
10. Altoona
Population: 46,434
Recent Job Growth: 0.62%
Future Job Growth: 35.90%
Conclusion: The Job Market Landscape in Pennsylvania
Based on our analysis, Hazleton ranks as the most challenging city for job seekers in Pennsylvania. While the overall economy continues to evolve and job opportunities expand across the state, these ten cities are still struggling to keep pace.
We hope that these insights encourage local initiatives aimed at improving employment conditions and help residents navigate their career paths more effectively.
Detailed List of the Worst Places in Pennsylvania to Get a Job
| City | Rank |
|---|---|
| Hazleton | 1 |
| Reading | 2 |
| Scranton | 3 |
| Allentown | 4 |
| Chester | 5 |
| Johnstown | 6 |
| Easton | 7 |
| Bethlehem | 8 |
| New Castle | 9 |
| Altoona | 10 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
