Jobs, pay and daily life in Erie, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Erie is a city in Pennsylvania with 93,850 residents. The median household earns $46,113 a year and the median rent is $870 a month, which is 22.6% of the median household income. It is part of the Erie, PA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 120,480 jobs.
How Erie compares. Among the 100 largest places in Pennsylvania, Erie is #5 by population, #9 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #88 for household income (#1 = highest), #85 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Erie County, is #36 of 67 counties for average pay ($53,524).
Erie has 93,850 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.7% of the population of Pennsylvania. It covers 19 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 4,905 people per square mile. The median age is 34.8, 15% younger than the state median (34.8 against 40.9).
The median gross rent is $870 a month (rent plus utilities), 28% below the state median ($870 against $1,209). Over a year that is 22.6% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $115,200, which is 2.5 times the median household income ($46,113); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 54.1% of households own their home, 22% below the state average (54.1% against 69.3%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Erie, PA metropolitan area has 120,480 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $44,460 a year, 13% below the national median ($44,460 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (12,840 jobs, median $42,640); production (11,800 jobs, median $45,040); food preparation and serving related (11,590 jobs, median $28,120). The area is most specialised in production (1.8 times) and healthcare support (1.6 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($95,960) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($77,780). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Erie County was 3.2%. 58.3% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Erie County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 69.3% drive alone, 2.3% use public transit, 6.1% walk, 7.9% work from home. 5.3% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 68% below the state average (5.3% against 16.4%).
23.1% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 34% below the state share (23.1% against 35.2%). 7.9% of residents were born outside the United States, about the same as the state share (7.9% against 7.7%). The poverty rate is 23.3%, 99% above the state rate (23.3% against 11.7%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 71°F (21.8°C), and the coolest is Jan at 26°F (-3.5°C). About 980 mm (39 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Oct is the wettest month (100 mm) and Feb the driest (56 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Meadville (33 miles, similar rent); Jamestown (43 miles, rent 13% lower); Oil City (51 miles, rent 6% lower); Hermitage (64 miles, similar rent). Rent differences are against Erie; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Pennsylvania (519) →State guide: PennsylvaniaCountry guideErie CountyPennsylvania rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 519 federal postings open in Pennsylvania (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Pennsylvania →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 6,640 | 1.99 | $27,860 | $23,780 | $37,530 | -22% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 3,510 | 1.18 | $26,540 | $21,260 | $33,890 | -15% |
| Retail Salespersons | 3,340 | 1.11 | $28,610 | $22,560 | $43,560 | -19% |
| Registered Nurses | 3,060 | 1.17 | $80,000 | $65,820 | $102,040 | -18% |
| General and Operations Managers | 2,840 | 1.04 | $89,840 | $45,020 | $186,480 | -15% |
| Cashiers | 2,610 | 1.09 | $28,340 | $21,560 | $34,220 | -14% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,200 | 1.00 | $35,920 | $27,610 | $45,760 | -4% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,150 | 1.13 | $42,220 | $29,260 | $59,840 | -6% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 2,120 | 1.95 | $45,340 | $31,290 | $80,070 | +2% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,840 | 1.04 | $28,590 | $16,140 | $58,250 | -19% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,810 | 0.79 | $36,980 | $28,740 | $47,190 | -8% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,800 | 1.60 | $39,430 | $37,240 | $45,320 | -7% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,780 | 1.04 | $33,840 | $25,450 | $45,860 | -8% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,610 | 0.80 | $41,720 | $31,110 | $57,880 | -7% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,380 | 0.86 | $54,770 | $39,220 | $73,920 | -7% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,330 | 1.22 | $33,550 | $22,290 | $39,510 | -10% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,240 | 0.94 | $41,850 | $30,300 | $57,290 | -12% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,230 | 1.03 | $45,760 | $31,120 | $63,060 | -8% |
| Bartenders | 1,130 | 1.93 | $22,730 | $16,150 | $60,780 | -34% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 1,090 | 0.99 | $33,770 | $23,530 | $42,310 | -8% |
These figures are for the whole Erie, PA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $44,460 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.2% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 29.7% |
| Manufacturing | 14.0% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 11.8% |
| Retail trade | 11.1% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 7.2% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 6.2% |
| Other services | 5.0% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 4.2% |
| Construction | 4.0% |
| Public administration | 3.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.8% |
| Information | 1.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.3% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Erie lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County | 269,052 | $15,024 million | $55,840 | 119,552 | 6,731 | $53,524 | +1.0% | 3.2% | 127,408 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 25,769 | 24.6% | $56,022 | 1.50 |
| Manufacturing | 19,201 | 18.3% | $68,297 | 1.95 |
| Retail trade | 13,332 | 12.7% | $33,688 | 1.12 |
| Accommodation and food services | 10,896 | 10.4% | $19,961 | 1.00 |
| Finance and insurance | 5,353 | 5.1% | $94,324 | 1.10 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 4,629 | 4.4% | $34,436 | 1.29 |
| Construction | 4,140 | 3.9% | $63,082 | 0.66 |
| Administrative and waste services | 3,882 | 3.7% | $36,660 | 0.55 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,106 | 3.0% | $72,964 | 0.37 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,972 | 2.8% | $53,238 | 0.59 |
| Educational services | 2,969 | 2.8% | $50,213 | 1.20 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,829 | 2.7% | $65,421 | 0.60 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,676 | 2.5% | $24,235 | 1.33 |
| Real estate and rental | 947 | 0.9% | $45,851 | 0.51 |
| Information | 886 | 0.8% | $63,840 | 0.40 |
| Management of companies | 501 | 0.5% | $88,312 | 0.25 |
| Utilities | 447 | 0.4% | $105,792 | 0.98 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 394 | 0.4% | $37,683 | 0.41 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 32 | 0.0% | $66,443 | 0.07 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 69.3% |
| Public transit | 2.3% |
| Walk | 6.1% |
| Work from home | 7.9% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 5.3% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $46,113 |
| Income per person | $27,339 |
| Median gross rent per month | $870 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 22.6% |
| Median home value | $115,200 |
| Homeowners | 54.1% |
| Poverty rate | 23.3% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 91.0 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $44,460 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 3.07%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 34.8 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 89.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 23.1% |
| Born abroad | 7.9% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 58.3% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -3.5 | 26 | 64 |
| Feb | -3.4 | 26 | 56 |
| Mar | 0.6 | 33 | 69 |
| Apr | 6.7 | 44 | 80 |
| May | 13.2 | 56 | 95 |
| Jun | 18.6 | 65 | 98 |
| Jul | 21.8 | 71 | 97 |
| Aug | 21.5 | 71 | 79 |
| Sep | 18.0 | 64 | 93 |
| Oct | 11.3 | 52 | 100 |
| Nov | 5.2 | 41 | 74 |
| Dec | -0.0 | 32 | 75 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadville | PA | 33 mi | 12,577 | $43,308 | $855 |
| Jamestown | NY | 43 mi | 28,188 | $43,523 | $759 |
| Oil City | PA | 51 mi | 9,468 | $51,316 | $821 |
| Hermitage | PA | 64 mi | 16,041 | $70,052 | $896 |
| Sharon | PA | 65 mi | 12,936 | $45,670 | $827 |
| Painesville | OH | 67 mi | 20,548 | $51,516 | $1,036 |
| Mentor | OH | 71 mi | 47,171 | $88,949 | $1,239 |
| Warren | OH | 72 mi | 38,912 | $37,887 | $766 |
| Niles | OH | 73 mi | 18,287 | $50,953 | $798 |
| Youngstown | OH | 76 mi | 59,331 | $34,408 | $728 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
93,850 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$870 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 22.6% of the median household income.
$46,113 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.2% (BLS county, Erie County (latest month 2026M09)).
Pennsylvania. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.