Counties with the highest unemployment rate in Texas
Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as bandy around the idea of a by 2023. The last economic recession鈥攖he Great Recession of 2008-2010鈥攕ent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of October of this year, national unemployment is at 3.7%, 0.2% higher than in September. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate , ranging from just 2.0% in Minnesota, to 4.5% in Illinois and 4.7% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.
To that end, compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rate in Texas using data from the . Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in September 2022.
#50. Hutchinson County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 8,087 (362 unemployed)
#49. Live Oak County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 4,698 (211 unemployed)
#48. Scurry County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 5,768 (258 unemployed)
#47. Walker County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 23,282 (1,058 unemployed)
#46. Brazoria County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 184,878 (8,506 unemployed)
#45. Grimes County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 10,924 (504 unemployed)
#44. Red River County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 5,388 (246 unemployed)
#43. Dawson County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 4,374 (205 unemployed)
#42. Nueces County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 162,875 (7,678 unemployed)
#41. Real County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 1,064 (50 unemployed)
#40. Garza County
--- 1 month change: -1.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.4%
- Total labor force: 1,976 (95 unemployed)
#39. Kleberg County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 12,816 (618 unemployed)
#38. Marion County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 4,233 (205 unemployed)
#37. Cochran County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 1,038 (51 unemployed)
#36. Kinney County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: 0.0%
- Total labor force: 1,175 (57 unemployed)
#35. Kenedy County
--- 1 month change: +0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 179 (9 unemployed)
#34. San Jacinto County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 11,977 (602 unemployed)
#33. Sutton County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 1,080 (54 unemployed)
#32. Wilbarger County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 4,673 (233 unemployed)
#31. Leon County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 6,067 (315 unemployed)
#30. Hardin County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 24,711 (1,320 unemployed)
#29. Jim Hogg County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.5%
- Total labor force: 1,787 (95 unemployed)
#28. Trinity County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 5,205 (278 unemployed)
#27. Aransas County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 9,248 (498 unemployed)
#26. Crane County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -2.5%
- Total labor force: 1,557 (84 unemployed)
#25. Freestone County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 6,131 (333 unemployed)
#24. Chambers County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 21,107 (1,163 unemployed)
#23. Polk County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 18,401 (1,045 unemployed)
#22. Cameron County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 173,872 (10,108 unemployed)
#21. Tyler County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 7,439 (432 unemployed)
#20. Brooks County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.6%
- Total labor force: 2,426 (145 unemployed)
#19. Liberty County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 35,385 (2,107 unemployed)
#18. Orange County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -2.2%
- Total labor force: 34,651 (2,069 unemployed)
#17. Jim Wells County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -2.8%
- Total labor force: 15,228 (933 unemployed)
#16. Bee County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 8,671 (547 unemployed)
#15. Presidio County
--- 1 month change: -1.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.6%
- Total labor force: 3,111 (196 unemployed)
#14. San Augustine County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 2,965 (188 unemployed)
#13. San Patricio County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 29,090 (1,838 unemployed)
#12. Jasper County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -2.5%
- Total labor force: 12,726 (821 unemployed)
#11. Jefferson County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 100,613 (6,650 unemployed)
#10. Matagorda County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 16,153 (1,067 unemployed)
#9. Hidalgo County
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 368,071 (24,661 unemployed)
#8. Morris County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -2.6%
- Total labor force: 4,370 (303 unemployed)
#7. Newton County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 4,830 (334 unemployed)
#6. Sabine County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 3,985 (274 unemployed)
#5. Maverick County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -2.6%
- Total labor force: 22,511 (1,616 unemployed)
#4. Zapata County
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -3.5%
- Total labor force: 4,479 (324 unemployed)
#3. Willacy County
--- 1 month change: -1.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 7,040 (571 unemployed)
#2. Zavala County
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 3,195 (277 unemployed)
#1. Starr County
--- 1 month change: -1.5%
--- 1 year change: -2.8%
- Total labor force: 23,483 (2,712 unemployed)