Overall unemployment rate moved down to 4.0% with the biggest shift in Construction, Mining, which lost 7,300 roles, based on the most recently available information published in June 2023.

Total employment in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX market declined by 13,935 jobs in April and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 40 bps to 4.0%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 53 bps over the same time to 3.1%.

  • Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX unemployment rate is 90 bps above the national rate which is a negative sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 10 bps above the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a negative.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in April versus prior month by 8.4% and are up 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 April 2023

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs stayed flat. Key sectors include:

  • Transportation & Utilities: 683,000; -200
  • Business Services: 558,300; +2,200
  • Government: 450,900; +400
  • Education & Healthcare: 443,800; +800
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 348,700; +5,300
  • Construction, Mining: 285,100; -7,300
  • Manufacturing: 229,500; +900
  • Financial Services: 182,500; -600
  • Other Jobs: 117,400; -1,300
  • IT & Development: 33,200; +100
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Unemployment by Industry April 2023

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through April 2023 (Data published June 2023 and reports created on June 8,2023).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.