Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Houston fell 0.1 percentage points in October 2023 to 4.4%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points higher than the Texas rate. The unemployment rate in Houston peaked in April 2020 at 13.9% and is now 9.5 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 4.1% in June 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.3 percentage points. You can also compare Houston unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | October 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.9% | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| Texas | 4.1% | 0.0 | +0.2 |
| Houston | 4.4% | -0.1 | +0.3 |
Unemployment Rate: Houston, Texas, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Houston, Texas Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Houston peaked in April 2020 at 454,548. There are now 293,464 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 143,152 in November 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 17,932. Houston employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Houston, Texas) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | October 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 161,084 | -714 | +17,819 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Houston, Texas Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Texas Unemployment Rate |
Houston Unemployment Rate |
Houston Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2023 |
3.7% | — | — | — |
| October 2023 |
3.9% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 161,084 |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 4.1% | 4.5% | 161,798 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 4.1% | 4.5% | 161,387 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 158,915 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 157,171 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 158,068 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 4.0% | 4.3% | 154,059 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 4.0% | 4.3% | 152,457 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 4.0% | 4.2% | 148,406 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 144,028 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 3.8% | 4.1% | 143,160 |
1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩
Department of Numbers
The Department of Numbers contextualizes public data so that individuals can form independent opinions on everyday social and economic matters.
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