AUSTIN ⎯ The Texas economy expanded for the 13th consecutive month with the addition of 19,600 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in July. Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent, down from 4.6 percent in June. Annual employment growth for Texas was 2.4 percent, which was double the annual growth rate as compared to a year ago.
“Texas employers created 293,400 jobs over the past year and the dynamic Texas economy continues to provide competitive advantages to employers across the state,” said TWC Chairman Andres Alcantar. “TWC will continue to focus on the workforce needs of our growing industries and build partnerships that enhance the skills of our world class workforce.”
The Leisure and Hospitality Industry recorded the largest private-industry gain over the month with 7,000 jobs added. Financial Activities expanded by 5,200 jobs and recorded a 3.6 percent annual growth rate—the industry’s highest since August 2013. Professional and Business Services saw an increase of 5,000 jobs in July.
“Texas employers continue to keep our state’s economy strong with private-sector employment expanding over the year with overall job-growth of 266,000 including 20,500 jobs added in July,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Ruth Hughs. “Texas is a state that continues to welcome new employers and work with our homegrown businesses, offering them the tools they need to grow and succeed.”
The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) recorded the month’s lowest unemployment rate among Texas MSAs with a non-seasonally adjusted rate of 3.1 percent, followed by the Austin-Round Rock and Midland MSAs with a rate of 3.2 percent. The College Station-Bryan and Sherman-Denison MSAs registered a rate of 3.5 percent for July.
“Several Goods Producing industries are showing strength in Texas, including Manufacturing, which expanded by 2,900 jobs in July,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “I encourage our labor force to tap into TWC’s training resources like our apprenticeship training program that can help prepare them for a good-paying career.”
An audio download with comments from Chairman Alcantar on the latest labor market data is available on the TWC press release page. Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. All estimates are subject to revision. To access this and more employment data, visit tracer2.com.
The Texas Labor Market & Career Information Data for August is scheduled to be released on Friday, September 15, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. (CDT).
| Civilian Labor Force Estimates for Texas Metropolitan Statistical Areas Not Seasonally Adjusted (In Thousands) | ||||||||||||
| July 2017 | June 2017 | July 2016 | ||||||||||
| C.L.F. | Emp. | Unemp. | Rate | C.L.F. | Emp. | Unemp. | Rate | C.L.F. | Emp. | Unemp. | Rate | |
| United States | 161,911.0 | 154,470.0 | 7,441.0 | 4.6 | 161,337.0 | 154,086.0 | 7,250.0 | 4.5 | 160,705.0 | 152,437.0 | 8,267.0 | 5.1 |
| Texas | 13,433.4 | 12,849.5 | 584.0 | 4.3 | 13,462.3 | 12,831.1 | 631.1 | 4.7 | 13,356.8 | 12,681.9 | 675.0 | 5.1 |
| Abilene | 73.8 | 70.9 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 74.4 | 71.2 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 74.6 | 71.4 | 3.2 | 4.4 |
| Amarillo | 132.1 | 128.0 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 132.4 | 128.0 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 131.6 | 126.9 | 4.6 | 3.5 |
| Austin-Round Rock | 1,132.9 | 1,096.5 | 36.4 | 3.2 | 1,134.2 | 1,095.5 | 38.6 | 3.4 | 1,117.7 | 1,077.9 | 39.8 | 3.6 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | 171.6 | 159.8 | 11.7 | 6.8 | 173.1 | 160.4 | 12.7 | 7.3 | 174.0 | 160.9 | 13.1 | 7.5 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | 167.6 | 155.7 | 11.8 | 7.0 | 168.2 | 155.0 | 13.2 | 7.8 | 168.2 | 155.2 | 12.9 | 7.7 |
| College Station-Bryan | 124.1 | 119.7 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 124.9 | 120.1 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 122.1 | 117.0 | 5.2 | 4.2 |
| Corpus Christi | 208.1 | 196.6 | 11.4 | 5.5 | 209.6 | 197.1 | 12.4 | 5.9 | 206.2 | 193.2 | 13.0 | 6.3 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 3,783.3 | 3,641.8 | 141.5 | 3.7 | 3,772.1 | 3,620.5 | 151.6 | 4.0 | 3,711.3 | 3,555.9 | 155.5 | 4.2 |
| Dallas-Plano-Irving MD | 2,550.8 | 2,456.2 | 94.7 | 3.7 | 2,544.8 | 2,443.0 | 101.8 | 4.0 | 2,500.7 | 2,398.3 | 102.4 | 4.1 |
| Fort Worth-Arlington MD | 1,232.5 | 1,185.6 | 46.9 | 3.8 | 1,227.3 | 1,177.5 | 49.8 | 4.1 | 1,210.7 | 1,157.6 | 53.1 | 4.4 |
| El Paso | 355.2 | 338.7 | 16.5 | 4.6 | 355.9 | 337.9 | 18.0 | 5.1 | 350.8 | 332.1 | 18.8 | 5.3 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 3,319.6 | 3,157.0 | 162.6 | 4.9 | 3,323.4 | 3,147.0 | 176.4 | 5.3 | 3,310.8 | 3,120.3 | 190.5 | 5.8 |
| Killeen-Temple | 178.9 | 171.5 | 7.4 | 4.1 | 178.0 | 170.1 | 7.9 | 4.4 | 176.1 | 167.5 | 8.6 | 4.9 |
| Laredo | 114.2 | 109.4 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 114.6 | 109.1 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 114.2 | 108.0 | 6.2 | 5.4 |
| Longview | 96.8 | 91.9 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 96.9 | 91.5 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 98.9 | 92.0 | 6.9 | 7.0 |
| Lubbock | 159.2 | 153.5 | 5.8 | 3.6 | 160.2 | 154.0 | 6.2 | 3.9 | 158.6 | 152.2 | 6.5 | 4.1 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | 333.7 | 308.2 | 25.5 | 7.7 | 341.5 | 313.0 | 28.5 | 8.3 | 332.3 | 304.0 | 28.4 | 8.5 |
| Midland | 86.9 | 84.1 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 86.7 | 83.7 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 87.2 | 82.9 | 4.3 | 4.9 |
| Odessa | 74.2 | 71.0 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 73.9 | 70.4 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 75.8 | 70.3 | 5.5 | 7.2 |
| San Angelo | 53.7 | 51.6 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 54.2 | 51.9 | 2.3 | 4.2 | 55.0 | 52.3 | 2.7 | 5.0 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | 1,154.3 | 1,112.0 | 42.3 | 3.7 | 1,154.0 | 1,109.1 | 44.9 | 3.9 | 1,145.9 | 1,098.5 | 47.4 | 4.1 |
| Sherman-Denison | 61.8 | 59.6 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 61.8 | 59.4 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 61.5 | 58.9 | 2.6 | 4.2 |
| Texarkana | 65.0 | 61.9 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 66.1 | 62.9 | 3.2 | 4.9 | 65.9 | 62.6 | 3.4 | 5.1 |
| Tyler | 107.2 | 103.0 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 107.2 | 102.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 106.3 | 101.1 | 5.2 | 4.9 |
| Victoria | 46.5 | 44.3 | 2.2 | 4.7 | 46.8 | 44.4 | 2.4 | 5.1 | 47.4 | 44.5 | 2.9 | 6.0 |
| Waco | 122.6 | 117.2 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 122.2 | 116.4 | 5.9 | 4.8 | 122.9 | 117.4 | 5.6 | 4.5 |
| Wichita Falls | 63.3 | 60.8 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 63.4 | 60.8 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 64.6 | 61.5 | 3.1 | 4.8 |
| Texas Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment Seasonally Adjusted | ||||||||
| INDUSTRY TITLE | July 2017* | June 2017 | July 2016 | June ’17 to July ’17 | July ’16 to July ’17 | |||
| Absolute Change | Percent Change | Absolute Change | Percent Change | |||||
| Total Nonagricultural | 12,326,300 | 12,306,700 | 12,032,900 | 19,600 | 0.2 | 293,400 | 2.4 | |
| Total Private | 10,368,000 | 10,347,500 | 10,102,000 | 20,500 | 0.2 | 266,000 | 2.6 | |
| Goods Producing | 1,829,000 | 1,824,900 | 1,762,600 | 4,100 | 0.2 | 66,400 | 3.8 | |
| Mining and Logging | 242,000 | 239,900 | 215,800 | 2,100 | 0.9 | 26,200 | 12.1 | |
| Construction | 713,000 | 713,900 | 702,600 | -900 | -0.1 | 10,400 | 1.5 | |
| Manufacturing | 874,000 | 871,100 | 844,200 | 2,900 | 0.3 | 29,800 | 3.5 | |
| Service Providing | 10,497,300 | 10,481,800 | 10,270,300 | 15,500 | 0.1 | 227,000 | 2.2 | |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 2,442,000 | 2,439,000 | 2,424,500 | 3,000 | 0.1 | 17,500 | 0.7 | |
| Information | 192,800 | 194,000 | 202,200 | -1,200 | -0.6 | -9,400 | -4.6 | |
| Financial Activities | 759,100 | 753,900 | 733,000 | 5,200 | 0.7 | 26,100 | 3.6 | |
| Professional and Business Services | 1,683,300 | 1,678,300 | 1,631,500 | 5,000 | 0.3 | 51,800 | 3.2 | |
| Education and Health Services | 1,687,200 | 1,688,300 | 1,636,600 | -1,100 | -0.1 | 50,600 | 3.1 | |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 1,327,600 | 1,320,600 | 1,290,300 | 7,000 | 0.5 | 37,300 | 2.9 | |
| Other Services | 447,000 | 448,500 | 421,300 | -1,500 | -0.3 | 25,700 | 6.1 | |
| Government | 1,958,300 | 1,959,200 | 1,930,900 | -900 | 0.0 | 27,400 | 1.4 | |
The Texas Workforce Commission is a state agency dedicated to helping Texas employers, workers and communities prosper economically. For details on TWC and the services it offers in coordination with its network of local workforce development boards, call 512-463-8942 or visit www.texasworkforce.org. To receive notifications about TWC programs and services subscribe to our email updates.