April 2025 | Released May 21, 2025

Download the full PDF for Texas

Download the summary PDF for Texas

United States Employment Snapshot

• In April, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 5, rose in 20, and remained unchanged in 26.

• The highest unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in District of Columbia, and the lowest was 1.8 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in April.

• In April, payroll jobs rose in 40 states and fell in 11. The largest payroll job percent increase was 0.4 percent in Mississippi. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.2 percent in Vermont.

Texas Employment Snapshot

• In April, Texas added 37,700 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent. In the prior month, Texas added 26,300 net payroll jobs.

• Over the past 12 months, Texas added 215,500 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point from 4 percent.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 177,000 in April, or 0.1 percent. Texas is tied for 6th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• In April, Texas’s private sector added 34,000 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 177,900 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, Texas added 23,600 net private payroll jobs.

• In April, employment in Texas rose by 33,947, and over the past 12 months it rose by 273,212.

• Texas’s labor force participation rate rose to 64.9 percent in April from 64.8 percent and is tied for 17th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has risen by 0.1 percentage points.

---

Texas Payroll Employment

• Texas added 37,700 net payroll jobs, or 0.3 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during April. In the prior month, Texas added 26,300 jobs. Texas nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 10 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 177,000 in April, or 0.1 percent. Texas is tied for 6th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• Texas added 34,000 private sector jobs, or 0.3 percent. on a seasonally adjusted basis during April. In the prior month, Texas added 23,600 jobs. Texas private sector payroll employment has increased in 10 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 167,000 jobs in April, 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.

• The best performing sectors on a seasonally adjusted basis during April were Professional and Business Services (10,900) and Education and Health Services (7,400).

• The poorest performing sectors during the month were Information (-200) and Other Services (-3,600).

• The best performing sectors during the last 12 months were Education and Health Services (40,000) and Government (37,600).

• The poorest performing sectors during the last 12 months were Mining and Logging (3,000) and Information (800).

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 rose to 64.9 percent in April from 64.8 percent in the prior month.

• Texas is tied for 17th 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 April.