January 2025 | Released March 17, 2025

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United States Employment Snapshot

• In January, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 9, rose in 19, and remained unchanged in 23.

• The highest unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in Nevada, and the lowest was 1.9 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4 percent.

• In January, payroll jobs rose in 31 states and fell in 19. The largest payroll job percent increase was 0.5 percent in South Dakota. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.6 percent in Georgia.

Texas Employment Snapshot

• In January, Texas added 27,900 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4.1 percent. In the prior month, Texas added 33,800 net payroll jobs.

• Over the past 12 months, Texas added 187,700 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points from 3.9 percent.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 125,000 in January, or 0.1 percent. Texas is tied for 18th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• In January, Texas’s private sector added 19,300 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 142,400 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, Texas added 28,900 net private payroll jobs.

• In January, employment in Texas rose by 30,027, and over the past 12 months it rose by 309,672.

• Texas’s labor force participation rate remained steady at 64.8 percent in January and ranks 18th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has risen by 0.1 percentage points.

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Texas Payroll Employment

• Texas added 27,900 net payroll jobs, or 0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during January. In the prior month, Texas added 33,800 jobs. Texas nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 10 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 125,000 in January, or 0.1 percent. Texas is tied for 18th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• Texas added 19,300 private sector jobs, or 0.2 percent. on a seasonally adjusted basis during January. In the prior month, Texas added 28,900 jobs. Texas private sector payroll employment has increased in 10 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 81,000 jobs in January, or 0.1 percent. Texas is tied for 17th in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• The best performing sectors on a seasonally adjusted basis during January were Education and Health Services (9,700) and Government (8,600).

• The poorest performing sectors during the month were Information (-900) and Leisure and Hospitality (-3,200).

• The best performing sectors during the last 12 months were Government (45,300) and Education and Health Services (35,600).

• The poorest performing sectors during the last 12 months were Mining and Logging (1,200) and Information (200).

Texas Labor Force

The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 16 and older who are employed or actively looking for work.

• The labor force participation rate in Texas remained unchanged at 64.8 percent in January.

• Texas ranks 18th in the nation.

• The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in Texas was 65.1 percent occurring in September 2024, and the 10-year low was 60.3 percent in April 2020.

• The national labor force participation rate rose by 0.1 percentage points to 62.6 percent in January.