Unemployment numbers for July set another record for employment levels in Texas, as the jobless rate dropped to 4.0 percent.
But Valley cities continue to be listed among the highest jobless rates in the state, along with Beaumont-Port Arthur.
The Brownsville-Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area recorded a jobless rate of 6.8 percent in July, down from 6.9 percent in June. A year ago the rate was 8.4 percent.
The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSA recorded a July jobless rate of 8.0 percent, down from 8.1 percent the previous month. A year ago the rate was 9.6 percent.
The Texas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate again reached its lowest reading since February 2020 at 4.0 percent, a decrease of 0.1 percent from June. Texas added 72,800 total nonfarm jobs in July 2022.
For the ninth consecutive month, the state set new employment highs as total nonfarm employment reached 13,513,100. Texas has added a total of 736,700 positions since July 2021.
“Texas jobs are booming, and more Texans are working than ever before as we again break all previous records for total jobs,” Gov. Greg Abbott said last week. “Despite the economic challenges job creators are facing across the nation, businesses are investing with confidence in the Lone Star State because we’ve built a framework that allows free enterprise to flourish and hardworking Texans to succeed.”
Education and Health Services gained 14,300 jobs over the month. Professional and Business Services added 12,700 positions, followed by Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, which grew by 12,500 jobs.
The Amarillo and Austin-Round Rock MSA recorded July’s lowest unemployment rates among Texas MSAs at 3.1 percent, followed by College Station-Bryan and Midland at 3.5 percent, then Abilene and San Angelo at 3.6 percent.
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission had the highest jobless rate, followed by Beaumont-Port Arthur at 7.3 percent and Brownsville-Harlingen.
