Texas Unemployment Rate Falls To 4.1 Percent
DALLAS, TX.(AP) – The statewide unemployment rate dipped to 4.1 percent in October, tying a 31-year low, as employers hired new workers in business services, leisure, education and health care, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday.
The jobless rate had been 4.3 percent in September. October marked the third month this year in which the statewide figure dropped to 4.1 percent. Seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment rose by 24,200 from September.
The statewide numbers were adjusted for seasonal trends in hiring and firing, which most economists believe gives a better picture of the job market. However, initial claims for unemployment benefits jumped 19 percent from September, to 58,573 in October.
The nationwide unemployment rate for October was 4.7 percent, unchanged from September. Diane Rath, chairwoman of the Workforce Commission, said the lower Texas rate showed that employers in the state were expanding at a “tremendous pace.”
Midland continued to have the lowest unemployment rate in the state, at 2.7 percent, with Amarillo, Lubbock and Odessa next at 3.1 percent. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area, El Paso and Brownsville-Harlingen all had rates over 5 percent. Local figures were not seasonally adjusted.
Professional and business services had the biggest increase in October jobs of any sector, at 5,600, the commission said. Education and health services added 3,400 jobs, while leisure and hospitality employers added 3,200. Following are the preliminary October unemployment rates for local areas in Texas, with revised September figures in parentheses.
The figures are not seasonally adjusted. The statewide unadjusted jobless rate was 3.9 percent in October.
Abilene 3.3 (3.7) Amarillo 3.1 (3.5) Austin-Round Rock 3.3 (3.7) Beaumont-Port Arthur 4.9 (5.6) Brownsville-Harlingen 5.1 (5.8) College Station-Bryan 3.2 (3.7) Corpus Christi 3.9 (4.5) Dallas-Plano-Irving 3.9 (4.3) El Paso 5.2 (5.8) Fort Worth-Arlington 3.8 (4.2) Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown 3.8 (4.3) Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood 4.3 (4.8) Laredo 4.1 (4.6) Longview 3.6 (4.2) Lubbock 3.1 (3.5) McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 5.3 (6.2) Midland 2.7 (3.0) Odessa 3.1 (3.5) San Angelo 3.4 (3.7) San Antonio 3.6 (4.1) Sherman-Denison 4.4 (4.7) Texarkana 4.4 (4.8) Tyler 3.8 (4.2) Victoria 3.4 (3.8) Waco 3.8 (4.3) Wichita Falls 3.7 (4.1)
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