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The number of people working in Pennsylvania hit a new record high in July, the state Department of Labor and Industry reported Friday.
There were almost 150,000 more employed in the state in July than there were in the same month in 2025. Employment was up 19,000 just compared to June.
The state's labor force was also up despite a drop in the number of unemployed. The labor force consists of those working and those who are unemployed but actively seeking jobs.
The labor force hit 6.65 million in July, compared to 6.53 million in the same month in 2025.
The growth of the state's labor force comes in the wake of federal changes adding work requirements for those in the Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Work requirements for Medicaid enrollees go into effect in 2027. The work requirements for SNAP took effect in 2025.
All able-bodied adults, between the ages of 18-64, without dependent children under 14 must now work at least 20 hours a week to get SNAP benefits.
A June report by the state Independent Fiscal Office linked a drop in SNAP enrollment in Pennsylvania to the uptick in labor participation.
The roughly 1.74 million Pennsylvanians receiving SNAP benefits is about 281,000 fewer than had been getting benefits in 2024, according to the Independent Fiscal Office.
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was down two-tenths of a percentage point over the month to 3.9% in July, the first time the rate has been below 4.0% since October 2024.
The PA rate was two-tenths of a percentage point below the U.S. unemployment rate, which declined a tenth of a point over the month to 4.1%.
The state's unemployment rate has declined by one-half of a percentage point from its July 2025 level of 4.4%. The United States' rate has declined two-tenths over the past 12 months, meaning Pennsylvania has outperformed the national average over the past year.