PHILADELPHIA — The health care industry accounted for more than 70% of new jobs in the Philadelphia area over the past decade, nearly double the growth rate for health care nationally, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The region added approximately 184,000 jobs since 2015. More than 132,000 were in health care, with home health services creating the biggest jobs growth to help care for an aging population.

Philadelphia’s relatively stable health care industry has helped insulate the city and its suburbs from job market boom and bust cycles. Still, as health care costs rise, employers and consumers are often left to pick up much of the tab for the services provided by thousands of doctors, nurses, and others in the industry.

A more detailed look

Philadelphia and Bucks County logged the region’s greatest health care jobs growth.

Health care roles accounted for almost 95% of the 16,700 new private-sector jobs in Bucks County since 2015. In Philly, 81% of the 71,300 additional jobs were in the industry.

Ambulatory care emerged as a key driver of health care jobs in Philadelphia. In June 2015, the city had 33,500 health care workers providing services outside of hospitals. By June 2025, that number jumped to 51,200, representing a 53% rise in ambulatory care jobs.

Almost half of the jobs growth in ambulatory care, 45%, has come from home health care services, including surgical centers, home nursing care providers, and health aids.

After Philadelphia, Montgomery County reported the most ambulatory care jobs, employing 35,800 people in June 2025.

Bucks County tallied a 32% increase to 21,300 jobs. In New Jersey, Gloucester County saw a 32% increase, employing 6,000 people.

Hospitals have historically been the health care industry’s largest employer, but over the past 10 years, hospital jobs across the Philadelphia region, which includes the seven counties bordering the city, have increased only 6%. Philadelphia-area hospitals employed 64,000 people in 2025, up from 61,000 in 2015.

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