How many jobs were added in Texas last month?
Refreshed monthly
Texas gained 17,800 jobs in May 2026, ranking it first among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 30,400 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+17.8K
month to month change in number of jobs (May 2026)
1st
rank among states in monthly job growth (May 2026)
May 2026's gain of 17,800 jobs was the 3rd consecutive month of positive job growth in Texas. Monthly job growth was up from the 7,400 new jobs in April 2026.
During the latest five year period (June 2021 to May 2026), Texas gained jobs in 53 out of 60 months. May 2026 had the 21st-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+143,700) while job growth was weakest in July 2024 (-38,700).
There were 17,800 more jobs in May 2026 in Texas than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, June 2021–May 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Texas sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in May 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in May 2026 were arts, entertainment, and recreation, wholesale trade, and mining and logging. Arts, entertainment, and recreation added 4,900 jobs, more than the entire economy. Wholesale trade gained 4,700 jobs, while mining and logging added 3,800. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 2,000 jobs during May 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Texas (May 2026)
How does Texas's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?
In 2025, Texas gained an average of 6,700 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 19,600, and the lowest since 2024. The 2025 average ranks as 16th-highest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 30,800 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 66,800 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, Texas gained an average of 6,700 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among 26 metro areas primarily in Texas during May 2026 ranged from a loss of 200 jobs in the Wichita Falls, TX area to a gain of 5,000 jobs in the Houston, TX area metro area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Texas
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +5,000 | |
| 2. | +2,700 | |
| 3. | +2,200 | |
| 4. | +1,900 | |
| 5. | +1,100 | |
| 6. | +900 | |
| 7. | +800 | |
| 8. | +700 | |
| 9. | +500 | |
| 10. | +400 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
