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# Texas Adds 5,600 Jobs as Unemployment Eases to 4.4%
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-texas-2026-09-22-a/
- Published: 2026-09-23T00:25:02.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T00:25:02.000Z
- Description: Texas employers added 5,600 payroll jobs in August as unemployment eased to 4.4%. The labor force grew, but the jobless rate remained above its year-earlier level, pointing to steady rather than rapid expansion.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: Business, Texas

Texas employers added an estimated 5,600 nonfarm jobs in August, lifting seasonally adjusted payroll employment to 14,469,300 as the unemployment rate edged down to 4.4%. The monthly gain was modest for the nation’s second-largest labor market, but payrolls remained 159,400 higher than a year earlier.

The Texas Workforce Commission’s [dashboard](https://www.lmi.twc.texas.gov/explore/LMI/LMI.asp?ref=theamericanquorum.com) lists the August unemployment rate and statewide job total, while its employer-focused [summary](https://lmi.twc.texas.gov/explore/LMI/LMI%5Femp.asp?ref=theamericanquorum.com) puts annual job growth at 1.1%. That pace is positive but slower than the rapid expansion Texas recorded earlier in the decade, making the composition and durability of growth increasingly important.

Federal [payroll data](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm?ref=theamericanquorum.com) confirm the state moved from 14,463,700 jobs in July to 14,469,300 in August. The same table shows employment was 14,309,900 in August 2025\. Because the latest estimates are preliminary, both the monthly and annual changes can be revised as employers submit additional records.

The household side of the report also improved, though not uniformly. Bureau of Labor Statistics [figures](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t01.htm?ref=theamericanquorum.com) show Texas’ civilian labor force grew by 17,104 people during August to 15,932,639\. The number of unemployed residents declined by 839 to 707,524, while the number counted as employed rose by roughly 17,900\. Those movements lowered the unemployment rate from 4.5% in July.

Compared with August 2025, however, the unemployment rate remained two-tenths of a percentage point higher. The labor force was about 10,900 larger than a year earlier, but the number of unemployed residents was about 33,500 higher. That combination indicates the state is still creating jobs while absorbing population growth and a larger pool of people seeking work.

The payroll and household surveys answer different questions. Payroll data count jobs reported by employers, so one worker holding two jobs can be counted twice. Household data classify residents as employed, unemployed or outside the labor force. The surveys can therefore move in different directions without either being wrong, especially in a fast-growing state with substantial migration and multiple large regional economies.

Regional conditions remain uneven. In Midland, the August jobless rate fell to 3.3%, the lowest among Texas metropolitan areas, while employment and the labor force both grew over the year, according to the [Midland Reporter-Telegram](https://www.mrt.com/news/article/midland-texas-unemployment-august-2026-22438815.php?ref=theamericanquorum.com). The area added 4,100 jobs from a year earlier, led by mining, logging and construction.

Seasonal adjustment also matters in August, when schools, tourism, construction and summer employment patterns can shift payrolls sharply. The adjusted figures are designed to remove recurring calendar effects, making the July-to-August comparison more useful than raw totals for judging momentum. They do not, however, eliminate sampling error or later benchmark revisions.

The statewide report therefore points to continued expansion rather than a sudden acceleration: employers added jobs, more residents entered the labor force, and unemployment eased, but the jobless rate remained above last year’s level. Future revisions and September data will show whether August marked a firmer hiring trend or another month of incremental growth.