COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – The Texas economy added 273,800 nonagricultural jobs during the year ending in November, according to the Real Estate Center’s latest Monthly Review of the Texas Economy. That’s an annual growth rate of 2.6 percent compared with 1.4 percent for the United States.
The state’s nongovernment sector added 262,000 jobs, an annual growth rate of 3 percent compared with 1.8 percent for the nation’s private sector.
Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 6.2 percent from 7.6 percent the year before. The nation’s rate decreased from 8.7 to 7.7 percent.
All Texas industries except the information industry had more jobs. The state’s construction industry ranked first in job creation, followed by the leisure and hospitality industry, trade, and the education and health services industry.
All Texas metros except Laredo, College Station-Bryan, Lubbock and Brownsville-Harlingen had more jobs. Odessa ranked first in job creation, followed by Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texarkana and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown.
The state’s actual unemployment rate was 5.8 percent. Midland had the lowest unemployment rate followed by Odessa, Amarillo and San Angelo.
