+1 570 955 3538Wayne County Business Economy: What Jobs, Pay and Seasons Show
Wayne County had 1,362 private establishments and 13,124 private jobs in the second quarter of 2025. The average weekly wage was $953, up 6.7% on a year earlier. Accommodation and food services provide 15.6% of private jobs, which ranks 3 of 10 counties in this study (1 is highest). The tables below show which sectors stand out, how wages moved by sector, and how 2025 unemployment compared with 2024 month by month.
Sell to Wayne County households or visitors? Ask us what works here.
Sectors above the national share
| Sector | Location quotient | Jobs | Average weekly wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mining and quarrying | 2.22 | 132 | $1,457 |
| Other services (repair, personal care) | 1.81 | 885 | $668 |
| Utilities | 1.60 | 100 | $2,259 |
| Construction | 1.45 | 1,258 | $1,322 |
| Retail trade | 1.45 | 2,299 | $728 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1.37 | 2,053 | $556 |
A location quotient of 1.45 means the county has 1.45 times the national share of jobs in that sector. Where the job count is small, a few employers can swing the number.
Wages by sector
| Sector | Establishments | Jobs | Average weekly wage | Jobs vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 167 | 2,746 | $1,092 | +7.9% |
| Retail trade | 185 | 2,299 | $728 | +1.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 160 | 2,053 | $556 | -7.4% |
| Construction | 174 | 1,258 | $1,322 | -0.3% |
| Other services (repair, personal care) | 132 | 885 | $668 | +1.5% |
| Manufacturing | 39 | 669 | $1,026 | -0.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 63 | 614 | $1,602 | +1.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 77 | 606 | $819 | -2.1% |
| Professional, scientific, technical services | 105 | 377 | $1,204 | +3.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 64 | 346 | $610 | +1.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 39 | 305 | $1,271 | -2.9% |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 37 | 238 | $543 | +5.8% |
| Real estate and rental | 43 | 141 | $761 | +2.9% |
| Information | 18 | 135 | $1,110 | +7.1% |
| Mining and quarrying | 14 | 132 | $1,457 | +8.2% |
| Utilities | 6 | 100 | $2,259 | +3.1% |
| Educational services | 11 | 94 | $503 | +5.6% |
| Management of companies | 9 | 92 | $2,556 | -12.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 19 | 34 | $729 | -37.0% |
BLS compares the 2025 quarter with 2024. Percent changes in sectors with few jobs move a lot from small changes in the base, so look at them next to the job counts. Among sectors with at least 300 jobs, the wage rose most in administrative and waste services (+17.2%), health care and social assistance (+8.4%), manufacturing (+7.2%).
Food and lodging across ten counties
Map: county borders from U.S. Census TIGERweb. Shading: accommodation and food service share of private jobs, %, five groups of two counties each, darker means higher. The thick outline marks Wayne County. Base map: OpenStreetMap contributors.
The share is jobs in accommodation and food services divided by all private jobs, from the same BLS file. Wayne's 15.6% compares with 7.2% in Lehigh County and 21.7% in Monroe County. Employment data cannot say who the customers are. It cannot separate local residents from visitors.
Unemployment: 2025 against 2024
| Month | 2024 rate | 2025 rate |
|---|---|---|
| January | 5.5% | 5.8% |
| February | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| March | 4.9% | 5.0% |
| April | 3.9% | 4.1% |
| May | 3.7% | 3.9% |
| June | 4.0% | 4.2% |
| July | 4.0% | 3.9% |
| August | 4.4% | 4.6% |
| September | 3.7% | 4.0% |
| October | 4.0% | – |
| November | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| December | 4.3% | 4.2% |
In the 11 months with both years published, the 2025 rate was higher in 7 months and lower in 3. October 2025 was not published, and we did not estimate it. These rates are not seasonally adjusted.
What this means for marketing
If your customers include visitors, keep the hours and photos on your profile current. Our review request automation asks every customer for a review while the visit is fresh. For service firms, Google Ads and Local Services Ads management puts a budget behind the months you can deliver. Add AI visibility audit to see how an AI assistant describes a Wayne County business today.
Where the numbers come from
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2025 Q2, private ownership, county files. Open data: data.bls.gov/cew. Pulled 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county series, not seasonally adjusted, January 2024 to December 2025. Pulled 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb county boundaries. Pulled 2026-10-06.
FAQ
How many businesses are in Wayne County?
BLS counts 1,362 private establishments for the second quarter of 2025. Each is a location with covered employment.
What is the average weekly wage in Wayne County?
$953 for all private industries, compared with $1,014 in Lackawanna County.
Is Wayne County a tourism economy?
The data shows accommodation and food services at 15.6% of private jobs, which is rank 3 of 10 here (1 is highest). Employment data cannot show visitor spending, so we do not claim more.
Why are some sector percentages so large?
When a sector has only a few dozen jobs, a handful of jobs lost or gained is a large percentage.
Where can I see all counties side by side?
The county business explorer lets you compare them.
