Overall unemployment rate moved up to 4.8% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which gained 11,700 roles, based on the most recently available information published in August 2022.

Total employment in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX market rose by 12,105 jobs in June and the unemployment rate increased compared to the prior month by 50 bps to 4.8%. The national unemployment rate increased by 46 bps over the same time to 3.8%.

  • Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX unemployment rate is 96 bps above the national rate which is a negative sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 230 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in June versus prior month by 5.8% 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 June 2022

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 1.0% . Key sectors include:

  • Transportation & Utilities: 670,400; +5,200
  • Business Services: 524,700; +8,700
  • Education & Healthcare: 430,200; -1,200
  • Government: 429,800; -6,500
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 356,000; +11,700
  • Construction, Mining: 303,600; +4,200
  • Manufacturing: 225,400; +3,200
  • Financial Services: 173,800; +1,400
  • Other Jobs: 115,700; +4,200
  • IT & Development: 32,000; +400
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Unemployment by Industry June 2022

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through June 2022 (Data published August 2022 and reports created on August 3, 2022).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.