Texas Unemployment Rate Continues to Fall in September
Area County Rates Also Drop
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
EAST TEXAS – According to an Oct. 22 press release from the Texas Workforce Commission, “In September, the seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate was 5.6 percent, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from August 2021. Texas added 95,800 total nonagricultural jobs over the month, making gains in 16 of the last 17 months. Texas added a total of 711,500 jobs since September 2020.”
While the Texas unemployment rate dropped from August to September, it remains higher than the national unemployment rate of 4.8 percent.
Statewide, the highest unemployment level recorded was eight percent, in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) areas.
An MSA is defined as a “… free-standing metropolitan area composed of one or more counties.”
The lowest rate, at 3.4 percent, was in the Amarillo MSA. The nearest regional MSA is in the Tyler area which came in at 4.4 percent for the month of August.
Just like the state numbers, the unemployment rates for the counties contiguous to Houston County all showed a decrease over the month-to-month timeframe.
In Houston County, the unemployment rate showed a decline as it went from 4.9 percent in August to 4.5 percent in September. The September 2021 unemployment rate was also lower than the September 2020 rate of 5.4 percent.
The unemployment rate in Anderson County also decreased as it went from 4.6 percent in August to 4.4 percent in September. The September 2021 unemployment rate was also lower than the 6.2 percent rate posted in September 2020.
To the south – in Trinity County – the month-to-month rate decreased as it went from seven percent in August to 6.6 percent in September. The September 2021 unemployment rate was also lower than the 8.5 percent rate posted in September 2020.
The September unemployment rate in Cherokee County also showed a decrease as it went from 6.1 percent in August to 5.8 percent in September. The September 2021 unemployment rate was also significantly lower than the 8.9 percent rate posted in September 2020.
The largest population center in the immediate area, Angelina County, also saw the unemployment rate drop as it went from 6.6 percent in August to 6.1 percent in September. The September 2021 unemployment rate was also lower than the 8.1 percent rate posted in September 2020.
On a month-to-month basis, in Leon County, the statistical data pointed to a decrease from 6.9 percent in August to 6.5 percent in September. The September 2021 unemployment rate was also lower than the eight percent rate posted in September 2020.
Madison County also saw a decrease in the unemployment rate as it went from 6.1 percent in August to 5.8 percent in September. The September 2021 unemployment rate was also lower than the eight percent rate posted in September 2020.
Rounding out the area counties, Walker County continued the trend as it saw the unemployment rate go from 6.1 percent in August to 5.6 percent in September. The September 2021 unemployment rate was also lower than the 7.6 percent rate posted in September 2020.
In the aforementioned press release from the Texas Workforce Commission, TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel stated, “The improvement we see in the unemployment rate this month continues the trend we’ve experienced the last six months. Businesses in Texas continue to create jobs, which creates career opportunities for Texans.”
In September, according to the TWC media briefing, “The Leisure and Hospitality industry gained 31,900 jobs over the month. Trade, Transportation and Utilities added 16,700 positions. Also of note, Professional and Business Services added 16,400 jobs.
TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez added, “From rural Texas towns to our big cities, job opportunities continue to grow for Texans. TWC has programs to help Texans in all areas of the state and all career levels, from scholarships for childcare to job training, with the goal of providing a path to upward mobility for all.”
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
