January 2026

Released April 08, 2026

Download the full PDF for Texas

Download the summary PDF for Texas

United States

Employment snapshot

• In January, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 9, rose in 22, and remained unchanged in 20.

• The highest unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2.2 percent in Hawaii and South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4.3 percent.

• In January, payroll jobs rose in 45 states and fell in 6. The largest payroll job percent increase was 0.5 percent in California and North Dakota. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.7 percent in District of Columbia.

Texas

Employment snapshot

• In January, Texas added 40,100 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3 percent. In the prior month, Texas added 32,900 net payroll jobs.

• Over the past 12 months, Texas added 112,200 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points from 4.1 percent.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 178,000 in March, or 0.1 percent. Texas is tied for 5th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• In January, Texas’s private sector added 41,100 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 108,500 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, Texas added 30,400 net private payroll jobs.

• In January, employment in Texas fell by 7,369, and over the past 12 months it rose by 112,715.

• Texas’s labor force participation rate remained steady at 64.7 percent in January and ranks 13th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 0.2 percentage points.

---

Texas

Payroll employment

• Texas added 40,100 net payroll jobs, or 0.3 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during January. In the prior month, Texas added 32,900 jobs. Texas nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 9 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 178,000 in March, or 0.1 percent. Texas is tied for 5th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• Texas added 41,100 private sector jobs, or 0.3 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during January. In the prior month, Texas added 30,400 jobs. Texas private sector payroll employment has increased in 9 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 186,000 jobs in March, or 0.1 percent. Texas is tied for 8th in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.

From December 2025 to January 2026:

• The best performing sectors were Construction (+11,800) and Private Education and Health Services (+10,300).
• The worst performing sectors were Financial Activities (-3,600) and Manufacturing (-2,100).

From January 2025 to January 2026:

• The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+40,900) and Construction (+30,100).
• The worst performing sectors were Federal Government (-15,600) and Manufacturing (-8,100).

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 64.7 percent in January.

• Texas ranks 13th in the nation.

• The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in Texas was 64.9 percent occurring in June 2024, and the 10-year low was 60.3 percent in April 2020.

• The national labor force participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 61.9 percent in March.