Overall unemployment rate moved down to 8.0% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which gained 12,000 roles, based on the most recently available information published in April 2021.

Total employment in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX market rose by 30,333 jobs in March and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 40 bps to 8.0%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 38 bps over the same time to 6.2%.

  • Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX unemployment rate is 182 bps above the national rate which is a negative sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 250 bps above the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a negative.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in March versus prior month by 2.9% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Unemployment March 2021

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 1.2% . Key sectors include:

  • Transportation & Utilities: 624,700; +3,200
  • Business Services: 486,700; +9,400
  • Government: 416,000; -2,200
  • Education & Healthcare: 397,500; +2,400
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 295,200; +12,000
  • Construction, Mining: 274,700; +7,000
  • Manufacturing: 207,500; -500
  • Financial Services: 162,600; +500
  • Other Jobs: 105,700; +2,500
  • IT & Development: 28,600; -100
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Unemployment by Industry March 2021

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through March 2021 (Data published April 2021 and reports created on April 29, 2021).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.