Texas just shattered its own employment records, hitting an all-time high labor force of nearly 16 million workers as the Lone Star State continues to outpace the nation in job growth.
In November 2025, Texas reached a historic milestone with a labor force of 15,938,500 people, the largest in state history, according to data released by the Governor’s office. The state also set a new record for total employment at 15,264,700 workers, including self-employed individuals.
What’s driving this economic momentum? Texas added 7,300 nonfarm jobs in November alone, bringing the total to 14,321,000 positions. More impressively, the state gained 146,300 jobs over the past year — more than any other state in the country and outpacing the national annual job growth rate by 0.4 percentage points, officials confirmed.
Bucking National Trends
The unemployment rate in Texas stands at 4.2%, comfortably below the U.S. average of 4.6%. That gap has become a point of pride for state officials, who have long touted Texas’s business-friendly policies as a magnet for corporate relocations and expansions.
“Texas offers boundless opportunities for hardworking Texans and innovative entrepreneurs to thrive. We see proof of that promise as more Texans are working than ever in the history of our great state,” Governor Abbott stated while celebrating the new employment figures.
The growth hasn’t been confined to a single sector. Rather, the state has seen expansion across diverse industries, creating a more resilient economy that’s less vulnerable to downturns in any single market. Energy remains a cornerstone, but technology, healthcare, and manufacturing have all contributed to the employment surge.
Still, challenges remain. Housing affordability continues to be a concern in major metropolitan areas like Austin, Dallas, and Houston, where rapid population growth has outpaced new construction. And despite the robust job market, wage growth hasn’t kept pace with inflation in some sectors.
Future Outlook
Can the Lone Star State maintain this momentum? Economic forecasters remain cautiously optimistic, pointing to continued business relocations and Texas’s lack of state income tax as enduring advantages.
“Thanks to the strength of our economy and our skilled workforce, we continue to attract new business investments and spur job growth across dynamic and diverse industries,” Abbott added. “Texas is where the future is being built.”
The state’s economic development strategy has increasingly focused on high-tech manufacturing and emerging technologies, with several semiconductor facilities and data centers announcing expansions in recent months.
As 2026 approaches, Texas appears positioned to continue its role as the nation’s job creation powerhouse — a title it seems increasingly reluctant to surrender to anyone else.
