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Employment up at least 6.0 percent over the year in 4 metro areas in February 2023

April 10, 2023

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 96 metropolitan areas and was essentially unchanged in 293 areas from February 2022 to February 2023. The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Midland, Texas (10.1 percent), followed by Odessa, Texas (6.6 percent), Pocatello, Idaho (6.3 percent), and Rome, Georgia (6.0 percent).

Largest percentage changes in nonfarm employment by metropolitan area, February 2022 to February 2023
Metropolitan area Percent change Employment change

Midland, TX

10.1% 10,900

Odessa, TX

6.6 5,000

Pocatello, ID

6.3 2,400

Rome, GA

6.0 2,500

Barnstable Town, MA

5.8 5,400

Bowling Green, KY

5.7 4,300

Jacksonville, FL

5.6 42,800

Manhattan, KS

5.6 2,300

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

5.6 9,700

The Villages, FL

5.6 2,100

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

5.5 21,100

Napa, CA

5.5 3,800

Wilmington, NC

5.5 7,500

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

5.4 57,000

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

5.3 211,600

Hanford-Corcoran, CA

5.1 2,100

Ocean City, NJ

5.0 1,700

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

5.0 68,300

Sherman-Denison, TX

5.0 2,400

Among the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more, Jacksonville, Florida, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in nonfarm employment, at 5.6 percent.

Percentage change in employment for metropolitan areas with a Census 2010 population of 1 million or more, February 2022 to February 2023
Metropolitan area Percent change Employment change

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

3.2% 93,000

Austin-Round Rock, TX

4.8 58,800

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

-0.5 -6,600

Birmingham-Hoover, AL

0.3 1,900

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH

2.5 68,600

Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

2.0 10,900

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

3.1 40,200

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

2.0 93,000

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

2.3 26,000

Cleveland-Elyria, OH

1.5 15,600

Columbus, OH

0.7 8,400

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

5.3 211,600

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

1.1 17,500

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

1.8 35,500

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

0.8 4,400

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

4.3 137,300

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

3.3 36,400

Jacksonville, FL

5.6 42,800

Kansas City, MO-KS

2.6 28,700

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

5.4 57,000

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

2.4 146,900

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

1.4 9,500

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

2.2 14,200

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

3.1 85,300

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

0.5 4,100

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

1.9 35,300

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

4.5 49,000

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

2.2 12,300

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

3.0 287,600

Oklahoma City, OK

3.9 25,800

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

5.0 68,300

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

3.0 87,400

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

2.4 54,900

Pittsburgh, PA

1.9 21,100

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

2.9 35,100

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

1.2 6,800

Raleigh, NC

3.9 26,500

Richmond, VA

2.7 18,400

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

0.8 13,000

Rochester, NY

1.0 5,100

Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA

2.7 28,300

Salt Lake City, UT

3.6 28,100

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

4.1 45,800

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

3.5 52,900

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

2.6 63,100

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

3.3 37,600

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

3.7 76,200

St. Louis, MO-IL

2.2 30,800

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

4.7 68,700

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC

1.6 12,400

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

1.9 61,900

An additional three of these 51 areas had over-the-year percentage increases of at least 5.0 percent in February 2023: Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada (5.4 percent), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (5.3 percent), and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida (5.0 percent).

From February 2022 to February 2023, nonfarm employment increased in 37 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more, while employment was essentially unchanged in 14 areas.

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics (State and Metro Area) program and are not seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — February 2023." Also see charts related to the latest "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment" news release.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employment up at least 6.0 percent over the year in 4 metro areas in February 2023 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/employment-up-at-least-6-0-percent-over-the-year-in-4-metro-areas-in-february-2023.htm (visited October 31, 2024).

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