The county economy 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.
Centre County is a county of Pennsylvania with 158,576 residents. Its economy produced $11,249 million in 2024 (ranked #20 of 67 counties) and had 68,578 jobs with an average annual pay of $62,822 (#15 for pay). The unemployment rate was 2.6% in 2026M09. It is part of the State College, PA metropolitan area (central county).
Centre County produced about $11,249 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 1.1% of the combined output of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania that BEA reports (about 1.2% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 20th of 67 on that measure. Per resident that is $70,938, 8% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $77,418. In current dollars output grew 4.7% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 68,578 jobs located in Centre County on average in 2024, spread over 3,610 employer sites (about 19 jobs per site). That is 0.43 jobs for every resident, above the 0.37 of the typical county in Pennsylvania, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $62,822, 9% below the average of all counties in the state ($62,822 against $69,174). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.2% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (20.9% of private jobs, $67,973 a year on average), retail trade (16.0% of private jobs, $32,710 a year on average), accommodation and food services (15.1% of private jobs, $23,986 a year on average). Together they hold 52.1% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $89,735 a year, followed by construction ($71,349). Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($32,710), accommodation and food services ($23,986). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Centre County was 2.6%, 19% below the average of the state's counties (2.6% against 3.2%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 78,787. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.6% (2026M09) to 3.4% (2025M09); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $74,291 (ACS 2020–2024), 5% below the state median ($74,291 against $77,971). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: State College. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to Centre County in output are Butler County, Lackawanna County, Monroe County, Franklin County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 67 counties of Pennsylvania ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 158,576 | 22 of 67 |
| GDP 2024 | $11,249 million | 20 of 67 |
| GDP per resident | $70,938 | 17 of 67 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 68,578 | 20 of 67 |
| Average annual pay | $62,822 | 15 of 67 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.2% | 40 of 67 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 2.6% | 4 of 67 |
| Median household income | $74,291 | 23 of 67 |
Federal jobs in Pennsylvania (519) →All cities of PennsylvaniaState guide: Pennsylvania
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.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Centre County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State College | 41,050 | $45,424 | $1,273 | $437,800 | 68.4% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 9,305 | 20.9% | $67,973 | 0.95 |
| Retail trade | 7,120 | 16.0% | $32,710 | 1.04 |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,725 | 15.1% | $23,986 | 1.08 |
| Manufacturing | 4,328 | 9.7% | $65,367 | 0.77 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,993 | 6.7% | $89,735 | 0.63 |
| Construction | 2,879 | 6.5% | $71,349 | 0.80 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,946 | 4.4% | $37,428 | 0.94 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,657 | 3.7% | $41,902 | 0.41 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,298 | 2.9% | $104,410 | 0.47 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,243 | 2.8% | $47,652 | 0.43 |
| Real estate and rental | 977 | 2.2% | $53,438 | 0.92 |
| Information | 939 | 2.1% | $95,112 | 0.73 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 774 | 1.7% | $23,868 | 0.67 |
| Wholesale trade | 625 | 1.4% | $72,356 | 0.23 |
| Management of companies | 567 | 1.3% | $103,456 | 0.49 |
| Educational services | 552 | 1.2% | $30,196 | 0.39 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 267 | 0.6% | $37,398 | 0.48 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 156 | 0.4% | $84,364 | 0.60 |
| Utilities | 115 | 0.3% | $128,114 | 0.44 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 78,787 |
| Employed residents | 76,733 |
| Unemployed residents | 2,054 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.6% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 68,578 |
| Employer sites | 3,610 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia County | 1,579,706 | $134,989 million | $85,452 | 714,504 | $83,187 | 4.3% |
| Allegheny County | 1,238,177 | $132,892 million | $107,329 | 670,637 | $78,297 | 3.0% |
| Montgomery County | 867,573 | $110,422 million | $127,277 | 505,821 | $88,412 | 2.7% |
| Bucks County | 647,461 | $48,827 million | $75,413 | 274,632 | $64,953 | 2.9% |
| Delaware County | 579,222 | $42,608 million | $73,561 | 218,536 | $73,172 | 3.3% |
| Lancaster County | 557,931 | $39,951 million | $71,606 | 252,045 | $59,966 | 2.5% |
| Chester County | 547,840 | $60,160 million | $109,814 | 251,284 | $87,886 | 2.6% |
| York County | 462,924 | $28,433 million | $61,421 | 182,614 | $62,427 | 3.0% |
| Berks County | 433,015 | $26,580 million | $61,384 | 173,692 | $63,608 | 3.4% |
| Lehigh County | 378,792 | $31,739 million | $83,789 | 200,548 | $70,311 | 3.5% |
| Westmoreland County | 352,500 | $19,388 million | $55,000 | 129,350 | $56,519 | 2.9% |
| Luzerne County | 327,675 | $20,580 million | $62,808 | 145,190 | $55,901 | 4.1% |
| Northampton County | 318,580 | $20,982 million | $65,860 | 120,976 | $60,298 | 3.3% |
| Dauphin County | 289,593 | $28,909 million | $99,828 | 190,296 | $68,012 | 3.2% |
| Erie County | 269,052 | $15,024 million | $55,840 | 119,552 | $53,524 | 3.2% |
| Cumberland County | 268,323 | $23,098 million | $86,083 | 137,668 | $65,149 | 2.6% |
| Lackawanna County | 216,146 | $13,421 million | $62,094 | 98,108 | $53,720 | 3.4% |
| Washington County | 210,042 | $18,672 million | $88,896 | 87,434 | $72,319 | 3.0% |
| Butler County | 197,254 | $14,518 million | $73,599 | 88,461 | $65,579 | 2.7% |
| Monroe County | 167,515 | $9,563 million | $57,089 | 56,939 | $53,536 | 3.9% |
| Beaver County | 166,324 | $8,033 million | $48,294 | 48,481 | $58,825 | 3.3% |
| Centre County | 158,576 | $11,249 million | $70,938 | 68,578 | $62,822 | 2.6% |
| Franklin County | 157,379 | $8,379 million | $53,238 | 60,414 | $55,554 | 2.8% |
| Lebanon County | 144,186 | $8,097 million | $56,159 | 53,500 | $55,454 | 2.8% |
| Schuylkill County | 143,558 | $6,492 million | $45,221 | 50,294 | $54,134 | 3.9% |
| Cambria County | 131,538 | $6,208 million | $47,197 | 47,545 | $49,791 | 3.4% |
| Fayette County | 125,997 | $5,442 million | $43,194 | 37,892 | $51,069 | 3.7% |
| Blair County | 121,277 | $8,000 million | $65,966 | 58,025 | $53,266 | 2.9% |
| Lycoming County | 113,489 | $7,698 million | $67,834 | 49,795 | $55,535 | 3.1% |
| Mercer County | 109,257 | $5,515 million | $50,475 | 43,239 | $54,120 | 3.3% |
| Adams County | 106,115 | $4,729 million | $44,565 | 33,195 | $54,542 | 2.7% |
| Northumberland County | 90,560 | $4,733 million | $52,266 | 26,979 | $53,035 | 3.1% |
| Lawrence County | 85,024 | $4,200 million | $49,394 | 26,838 | $52,927 | 3.2% |
| Indiana County | 83,042 | $4,202 million | $50,601 | 27,793 | $55,756 | 3.1% |
| Crawford County | 82,716 | $3,665 million | $44,305 | 28,870 | $50,526 | 2.9% |
| Clearfield County | 78,635 | $4,033 million | $51,289 | 29,228 | $51,575 | 3.0% |
| Somerset County | 72,799 | $3,038 million | $41,729 | 23,303 | $50,925 | 2.9% |
| Carbon County | 65,382 | $2,798 million | $42,799 | 16,676 | $44,741 | 3.4% |
| Columbia County | 65,362 | $3,276 million | $50,128 | 24,395 | $50,569 | 3.5% |
| Armstrong County | 64,622 | $2,798 million | $43,291 | 15,650 | $51,796 | 3.1% |
| Pike County | 60,621 | $2,003 million | $33,045 | 12,452 | $44,674 | 3.7% |
| Bradford County | 59,858 | $6,798 million | $113,570 | 22,333 | $60,112 | 2.9% |
| Wayne County | 51,262 | $2,652 million | $51,738 | 15,462 | $52,861 | 3.0% |
| Venango County | 49,801 | $2,149 million | $43,156 | 16,232 | $49,299 | 3.2% |
| Bedford County | 47,513 | $2,041 million | $42,948 | 16,659 | $49,760 | 2.7% |
| Perry County | 46,239 | $1,362 million | $29,448 | 7,903 | $42,701 | 2.7% |
| Mifflin County | 46,041 | $2,340 million | $50,833 | 16,979 | $52,273 | 2.4% |
| Jefferson County | 43,864 | $1,883 million | $42,936 | 14,437 | $49,283 | 3.0% |
| Huntingdon County | 43,653 | $1,677 million | $38,419 | 12,694 | $48,579 | 3.0% |
| Union County | 42,456 | $2,510 million | $59,131 | 17,546 | $58,821 | 2.9% |
| Tioga County | 40,945 | $2,074 million | $50,651 | 12,397 | $50,900 | 3.1% |
| McKean County | 39,904 | $2,212 million | $55,445 | 13,930 | $50,225 | 3.4% |
| Snyder County | 39,668 | $2,202 million | $55,515 | 15,516 | $46,001 | 2.8% |
| Susquehanna County | 38,219 | $2,616 million | $68,448 | 8,955 | $50,769 | 3.0% |
| Warren County | 37,920 | $1,726 million | $45,519 | 12,946 | $51,997 | 2.9% |
| Clinton County | 37,798 | $1,963 million | $51,937 | 12,630 | $52,458 | 3.1% |
| Clarion County | 37,179 | $1,432 million | $38,513 | 12,341 | $47,067 | 3.2% |
| Greene County | 34,835 | $4,624 million | $132,742 | 11,661 | $67,466 | 3.3% |
| Elk County | 30,506 | $1,830 million | $59,989 | 13,348 | $52,545 | 2.8% |
| Wyoming County | 25,967 | $1,866 million | $71,845 | 9,420 | $61,337 | 3.2% |
| Juniata County | 23,379 | $1,025 million | $43,858 | 6,498 | $47,182 | 3.1% |
| Montour County | 18,103 | $2,785 million | $153,827 | 16,945 | $84,031 | 2.4% |
| Potter County | 16,188 | $1,065 million | $65,763 | 4,800 | $51,050 | 3.7% |
| Fulton County | 14,531 | $831 million | $57,195 | 5,395 | $57,966 | 2.6% |
| Forest County | 6,715 | $270 million | $40,167 | 1,873 | $57,723 | 3.3% |
| Sullivan County | 5,888 | $327 million | $55,526 | 1,528 | $41,252 | 2.9% |
| Cameron County | 4,427 | $268 million | $60,521 | 1,636 | $52,577 | 4.3% |
158,576 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$11,249 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
2.6% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
68,578 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $62,822 (BLS QCEW).