Hopkins County’s 3.3% July 2022 unemployment rate was the lowest in the Northeast Texas Workforce Development Area, with Franklin County in second at 3.4%, followed by Delta County’s 4.2%. These were the only three counties among the nine in NETWDA that were below the state July 2022 unemployment average of 4.3% and Texas’ seasonally adjusted average of 4%, but only the Hopkins and Franklin counties were below the US July 2022 unemployment average of 3.8% and US seasonally adjusted rate of 3.5, according to Texas Labor Market Index/Texas Workforce Development reports released Aug. 19, 2022.
State and National Statistics
The Texas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate again reached its lowest reading since February 2020 at 4.0 percent, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from June 2022. Texas added 72,800 total nonfarm jobs in July 2022. For the ninth consecutive month, the state set new employment highs as total nonfarm employment reached 13,513,100. Texas has added a total of 736,700 positions since July 2021.
“Since January of this year, Texas has added 406,800 jobs, the most growth we’ve recorded during that timeframe in any year,” TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel was quoted in an Aug. 19, 2022, TWC press release. “This also marks the ninth consecutive month we have set employment records in Texas.”
Education and Health Services gained 14,300 jobs over the month. Professional and Business Services added 12,700 positions, followed by Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, which grew by 12,500 jobs.
“Texas continues to add jobs month after month, and our unemployment rate continues to decline – meaning more jobs for Texans,” TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez was quoted in the workforce release. “Regardless of background or skill level, Texas has opportunities for all to succeed in not just a job, but a career.”
“The decrease in the unemployment rate and growth in jobs is a testament to our innovative and resilient Texas employers,” TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson was quoted in the Aug. 19, 2022 press release. “Whether you are looking to hire new talent or upskill existing employees, TWC is here to support Texas employers as they grow their workforce and continue to find success in the Lone Star State.”
Overall, 630,000 Texans out of a civilian labor force of 14.6 million were unemployed in July 2022, a slight decline (0.1%) over June 2022, when 639,100 out of 14.58 million Texans were without jobs, and 0.5 percent better than July of 2021, when 831,500 out of a 14.25 million CLF in Texans were unemployed.
Nationwide, 6.2 million out of a 165.3 million CLF were unemployed last month, an unseasonably adjusted US unemployment rate of 3.8 for a second month, down from 5.7% in July 2021. The US seasonably adjusted rate fell 0.1% to 3.5 percent last month, which was 1.9 less than in July 2021.
NETWDA Statistics
The unemployment rate declined slightly across Northeast Texas Workforce Development Area from 4.7 in June 2022 to 4.6 in July 2022, both are lower than the 5.8 rate recorded in July 2021 for the 9-county WDA.
After trailing Franklin County for most of the past 12 months, Hopkins County’s unemployment rate in July 2022 dipped just below that of Franklin County. Unemployment declined in five of the 10 counties in NETWDA, and the unemployment rates in the four other counties in NETWDA were unchanged from June 2022 to July 2022.
The CLF in Hopkins County grew from 17,975 in June 2022 to 18,062 in July 2022, but the 24 fewer people were without jobs last month than the month before. Both are better than the number posted for July 2021, when the CLF was 17,673, and 790 of those individuals were unemployed, giving Hopkins County an unemployment rate of 4.5 for July 2021 (1.2% higher than July 2022). The July 2022 unemployment rate is the lowest July unemployment rate in Hopkins County since before the pandemic, matching 2019’s rate of 3.3, which was the lowest July unemployment rate in the county in at least 23 years. The highest July unemployment rate posted for Hopkins County since 2000 was 8.2% reported in 2011.
Franklin County’s CLF of 5,229 was closer to the 5,279 CLF reported in July 2021, when the unemployment rate was 4.4. However, only 179 worker in Franklin County were without jobs in July 2022, down from 234 unemployed one year before. The July 2022 unemployment rate was down 0.1% from June 2022, when 183 out of a CLF of 5,170 were unemployed in Franklin County.
Delta County’s unemployment rate also declined slightly from 3.5 in June 2022 to 3.4 in July 2022, down from the July 2021 unemployment rate of 4.4. Delta County’s CLF has continued to grow over the last year from 2,419 in July 2021 to 2,453 in June 2022 and 2,457 last month. The number of unemployed in Delta County has declined from 124 without jobs in July 2021 to 105 in June 2022 and 103 last month.
Morris and Titus counties each had a 0.3 point drop in unemployment from June 2022 to July 2022.
Morris County’s unemployment rate fell from 10.7 in July 2021 to 7.6 last month, but was still the highest unemployment rate in the Northeast Texas Workforce Development Area. While Morris County did not have as big a CLF in July 2022 as the 4,645 CLF of July 2021, the CLF did grow from 4,367 in June 2022 to 4,438 last month. The 4,101 employed in Morris County was almost as many as the 4,147 workers reported in July 2021. That’s allowed the number of unemployed in Morris County to continue dropping from 498 jobless in July 2021 to 344 in June 2022 and 337 in July 2022.
The unemployment rate in Titus County dropped from 4.9 in June 2022 to 4.5 last month, which was 1.3 better than in July 2021. Titus County’s labor force too has risen over the past year from 13,570 in July 2021 to 13,632 in June 2022 and 13,701 last month. The number of unemployed has declined as more are gaining employment from 781 on year ago to 655 in June 2022 and 622 last month in Titus County.
The unemployment rate was unchanged from June 2022 to July 2022, remaining 4.9% in Bowie County, 5.3% in Cass County, 4.5% in Lamar County and 5.3% in Red River county.
Bowie County’s July 2022 unemployment rate was 1.1% less than one year before. While the labor force was higher in July 2022 than the 38,883 CLF of July 2021, it was still 222 shy of the 39,434 CLF reported in June 2022. The number of unemployed in Bowie County has continued to drop, from 2,336 in July 2021 to 1,943 in June 2022 and 1,936 last month.
Cass County has added workers and jobs over the last month, going from 11,585 out of 12,235 labor pool in June to 11,614 of 12,270 working last month. The labor force in Cass County was still 58 shy of the July 2021 CLF last month, but fewer were unemployed last month compared to one year ago: 847 compared to 656 last month. That was still 6 more jobless in July 2022 than in June in Cass County. Overall, that’s a 1.6% decrease in unemployment from July 2021 to July 2022.
Lamar County’s labor force isn’t quite where it was one year ago, with a CLF of 24,207 last month compered to the 24,395 CLF of July 2021, but more people are working. Only 23,069 were employed in Lamar County in July of 2021 compared to 23,121 last month, which was an increase of 111 jobs over June 2022. That’s a 0.9% decrease in the unemployment rate from July 2021 to July 2022.
Red River County’s June and July 2022 unemployment rate of 5.3% is an overall dip of 0.5% over July 2021. One less person was jobless in Red River County in July 2022 compared to 286 of the month before, but both were slightly less than the 312 who were jobless in July 2021. This county has grown its work force from 5,390 one year ago to 5,428 in July 2022. Overall, that’s 5,143 employed in Red River County in July 2022, compared to 5,086 employed one month before and 5,079 one year ago.
Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. To access this and more employment data, visit TexasLMI.com.
