+1 570 955 3538Lackawanna County Jobless Rate and Self-Employment
Lackawanna County's unemployment rate was 3.9% in December 2024. It peaked at 5.0% in August 2024 and fell to 3.5% in April 2023. The IRS also shows 13,430 of 104,590 individual tax returns (12.8%) reported income from a self-run business for tax year 2022. This page puts both numbers side by side, with the rules for reading them.
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Monthly unemployment rate
| Month | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| January | 4.8% | 4.5% |
| February | 4.8% | 4.6% |
| March | 4.3% | 4.1% |
| April | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| May | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| June | 4.2% | 4.5% |
| July | 4.4% | 4.9% |
| August | 4.8% | 5.0% |
| September | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| October | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| November | 3.5% | 3.8% |
| December | 3.6% | 3.9% |
The 2023 average of the twelve monthly rates is 4.1% and the 2024 average is 4.2%. These rates are not seasonally adjusted, so seasonal swings are included. The 2024 rate peaks at 5.0%. The file does not say why, and we do not guess.
Self-employment from tax returns
For tax year 2022, the IRS counted 104,590 returns in Lackawanna County. Of those, 13,430 included a Schedule C, the form for profit or loss from a business you run yourself. That is 12.8%.
Net business income on those forms totals $240.6 million, which is $17,912 per Schedule C return on average. The average hides a wide spread, because losses and a few large profits both pull it.
How to read these numbers
Do not mix them with firm counts. Schedule C filers include people who drive, clean, design or consult on their own. They are not in the county economy page or the trade table, which count employers only.
A Schedule C return is not one business. A person with two side jobs files one form. Some people file a Schedule C and also hold a regular job.
Jobless rate and self-employment move apart. More people may start their own thing when jobs are scarce, or when they want flexible hours. This file cannot tell which.
Years differ. Unemployment covers 2023 and 2024. The IRS file covers 2022. Compare them as context, not as one series.
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Where the numbers come from
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), Lackawanna County, unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, 2023–2024. Pulled 2026-10-06.
- IRS Statistics of Income, county data, tax year 2022 (file published 2025-02-14). Pulled 2026-10-06.
FAQ
What is the unemployment rate in Lackawanna County?
The last month in our file is December 2024, at 3.9%. Newer months are on the BLS site.
What does Schedule C mean?
It is the IRS form for profit or loss from a business run by one person. It is filed with a personal tax return.
How many people are self-employed in Lackawanna County?
About 13,430 returns included a Schedule C in tax year 2022. That counts returns, not people or businesses.
Why is the income average so low?
Many Schedule C filers run part-time or side businesses with small profits or losses.
