Chester County, PA jobs, unemployment and layoffs
Independent page. Not from or affiliated with the State of Pennsylvania.
Looking for work in Pennsylvania? See where you stand.
Not sure you match what employers here are hiring for? Get a free read on your fit, the jobs open near you and a plan for the weeks ahead.
Show me jobs near meChester County economy
2.6%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.4% the month before
307,859
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
540,896
people in Chester County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$123,041
median household income
Source: Census ACS
56%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Where Chester County ranks
Where Chester County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #3Best county job markets for job seekers in the Northeast75 / 100 · of 51
- #3Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Mid-Atlantic2.6% · of 100
- #7Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Northeast56% · of 100
- #7Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Northeast33% · of 100
- #8Best county job markets for job seekers in the Mid-Atlantic71 / 100 · of 64
- #10Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Mid-Atlantic33% · of 100
Chester County outlook: Building
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs up 2.6% from 2022 to 2025
- Population up 4.2% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 2.6%, down 0.8 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+3,650 jobs), hotels & food (+1,568 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: retail (−1,575 jobs), information (−1,210 jobs)
Learn and get funded in Chester County
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Chester County layoffs
No layoff notices naming Chester County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.
Employers hiring most in Chester County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- West Pharmaceutical Services32 open roles
- Siemens Healthineers20 open roles
- CubeSmart11 open roles
- Ametek Inc/10 open roles
- Customers Bank9 open roles
- Vanguard9 open roles
- BNY8 open roles
- Constellation Energy7 open roles
- Davita7 open roles
- Contemporarystaffing5 open roles
Largest employers headquartered in Chester County
- Ascensusabout 5,000 employees (2026)
- Ametek5,001–20,000 employees
- West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.5,001–20,000 employees
- CubeSmart1,001–5,000 employees
Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.
Colleges in Chester County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester | Public 4-year | 10,000–19,999 |
| Immaculata University | Immaculata | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Lincoln University | Lincoln University | Public 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Great Valley | Malvern | Public 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| University of Valley Forge | Phoenixville | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Chester County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in Pennsylvania? How to file for unemployment in Pennsylvania (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
PA CareerLink - Chester County
Exton · Comprehensive · 610-280-1010
8:30am to 4:30pm
Cities in Chester County
Other Pennsylvania counties
Laid off or looking for work in Chester County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Pennsylvania’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Pennsylvania unemployment benefits and severance rules.
Applying and hearing nothing back?
Find out where you stand: your odds, the jobs that fit you and a plan for the week ahead. Free. No résumé needed.
Already a member? Log in
Job seekers in Chester County looking to you for help, or openings you cannot fill?
Leave your work email. We'll send how organizations use NextChapter to reach job seekers in Chester County.