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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Southwest > Table

Southwest - Labor Force Statistics

 
Civilian labor force in the West South Central and Mountain states, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Area

(Links provide news releases)		 Back
data		 Mar
2025		 Jan
2026		 Feb
2026		 Mar
2026		 Mar 2025 to
Mar 2026
Net
change		 Percent
change

United States

 170,641 (1)170,465 170,483 170,087 -554 -0.3

West South Central Division

 (r)21,363.7 21,538.0 21,528.2 21,496.2 (r)132.5 (r)0.6

Arkansas

 (r)1,427.7 1,451.3 1,454.6 (p)1,455.4 (p)(r)27.6 (p)(r)1.9

Louisiana

 (r)2,087.4 2,112.8 2,117.8 (p)2,118.4 (p)(r)31.0 (p)(r)1.5

Oklahoma

 (r)2,014.4 2,018.7 2,014.2 (p)2,006.1 (p)(r)-8.4 (p)(r)-0.4

Texas

 (r)15,834.4 15,955.2 15,941.8 (p)15,916.6 (p)(r)82.3 (p)(r)0.5

Mountain Division

 (r)13,415.6 13,464.3 13,437.6 13,401.5 (r)-14.1 (r)-0.1

Arizona

 (r)3,790.1 3,814.2 3,800.7 (p)3,783.5 (p)(r)-6.6 (p)(r)-0.2

Colorado

 (r)3,269.2 3,248.8 3,238.5 (p)3,227.9 (p)(r)-41.4 (p)(r)-1.3

Idaho

 (r)1,006.4 1,009.8 1,008.1 (p)1,005.8 (p)(r)-0.6 (p)(r)-0.1

Montana

 (r)576.1 579.5 578.8 (p)577.4 (p)(r)1.2 (p)(r)0.2

Nevada

 (r)1,659.1 1,694.2 1,698.0 (p)1,700.8 (p)(r)41.7 (p)(r)2.5

New Mexico

 (r)987.0 985.2 984.0 (p)982.4 (p)(r)-4.6 (p)(r)-0.5

Utah

 (r)1,838.0 1,844.1 1,841.0 (p)1,835.7 (p)(r)-2.3 (p)(r)-0.1

Wyoming

 (r)289.8 288.5 288.5 (p)288.0 (p)(r)-1.8 (p)(r)-0.6

Footnotes
(1) January 2026 estimates were revised to incorporate updated population controls. For more information, see www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.
(p) Preliminary
(r) Revised

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Unemployed in the West South Central and Mountain states, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Area

(Links provide news releases)		 Back
data		 Mar
2025		 Jan
2026		 Feb
2026		 Mar
2026		 Mar 2025 to
Mar 2026
Net
change		 Percent
change

United States

 7,132 (1)7,368 7,571 7,239 107 1.5

West South Central Division

 (r)852.6 920.0 919.2 915.1 (r)62.5 (r)7.3

Arkansas

 (r)55.4 63.6 63.4 (p)63.0 (p)(r)7.6 (p)(r)13.7

Louisiana

 (r)89.4 90.3 91.7 (p)93.4 (p)(r)4.0 (p)(r)4.5

Oklahoma

 (r)62.2 78.0 79.1 (p)78.8 (p)(r)16.6 (p)(r)26.7

Texas

 (r)645.8 688.1 685.0 (p)680.0 (p)(r)34.2 (p)(r)5.3

Mountain Division

 (r)552.8 569.1 576.1 578.0 (r)25.2 (r)4.6

Arizona

 (r)159.9 171.4 174.5 (p)176.5 (p)(r)16.5 (p)(r)10.3

Colorado

 (r)138.6 126.3 127.3 (p)127.1 (p)(r)-11.4 (p)(r)-8.3

Idaho

 (r)36.6 37.1 36.9 (p)36.6 (p)(r)0.0 (p)(r)-0.1

Montana

 (r)17.6 21.1 21.1 (p)21.0 (p)(r)3.3 (p)(r)18.9

Nevada

 (r)88.2 89.3 90.1 (p)90.2 (p)(r)2.0 (p)(r)2.3

New Mexico

 (r)40.4 44.3 46.0 (p)46.7 (p)(r)6.2 (p)(r)15.4

Utah

 (r)62.4 69.2 69.8 (p)69.7 (p)(r)7.3 (p)(r)11.7

Wyoming

 (r)9.3 10.2 10.4 (p)10.3 (p)(r)1.0 (p)(r)10.4

Footnotes
(1) January 2026 estimates were revised to incorporate updated population controls. For more information, see www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.
(p) Preliminary
(r) Revised

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Unemployment rates in the West South Central and Mountain states, seasonally adjusted (in percent)
Area

(Links provide news releases)		 Back
data		 Mar
2025		 Jan
2026		 Feb
2026		 Mar
2026		 Net change
Mar 2025 to
Mar 2026

United States

 4.2 (1)4.3 4.4 4.3 0.1

West South Central Division

 (r)4.0 4.3 4.3 4.3 (r)0.3

Arkansas

 (r)3.9 4.4 4.4 (p)4.3 (p)(r)0.4

Louisiana

 (r)4.3 4.3 4.3 (p)4.4 (p)(r)0.1

Oklahoma

 (r)3.1 3.9 3.9 (p)3.9 (p)(r)0.8

Texas

 (r)4.1 4.3 4.3 (p)4.3 (p)(r)0.2

Mountain Division

 (r)4.1 4.2 4.3 4.3 (r)0.2

Arizona

 (r)4.2 4.5 4.6 (p)4.7 (p)(r)0.5

Colorado

 (r)4.2 3.9 3.9 (p)3.9 (p)(r)-0.3

Idaho

 (r)3.6 3.7 3.7 (p)3.6 (p)(r)0.0

Montana

 (r)3.1 3.6 3.6 (p)3.6 (p)(r)0.5

Nevada

 (r)5.3 5.3 5.3 (p)5.3 (p)(r)0.0

New Mexico

 (r)4.1 4.5 4.7 (p)4.8 (p)(r)0.7

Utah

 (r)3.4 3.8 3.8 (p)3.8 (p)(r)0.4

Wyoming

 (r)3.2 3.6 3.6 (p)3.6 (p)(r)0.4

Footnotes
(1) January 2026 estimates were revised to incorporate updated population controls. For more information, see www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.
(p) Preliminary
(r) Revised

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Unemployment rates in Southwest states by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), not seasonally adjusted (in percent)
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
(news release)
 Back
data		 Feb
2025		 Dec
2025		 Jan
2026		 Feb
2026		 Net change
Feb 2025 to
Feb 2026

Arkansas

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR

 3.3 (p)3.1 4.0 (p)3.5 (p)0.2

Fort Smith, AR-OK

 4.1 (p)4.4 5.0 (p)4.5 (p)0.4

Hot Springs

 4.4 (p)4.4 5.2 (p)4.6 (p)0.2

Jonesboro

 4.0 (p)3.9 4.8 (p)4.2 (p)0.2

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway

 3.9 (p)3.9 4.7 (p)4.2 (p)0.3

Texarkana, TX-AR

 4.4 (p)4.2 5.0 (p)4.7 (p)0.3

Louisiana

Alexandria

 3.8 (p)3.7 4.1 (p)4.2 (p)0.4

Baton Rouge

 3.8 (p)3.7 4.2 (p)4.2 (p)0.4

Hammond

 4.6 (p)4.7 5.5 (p)5.3 (p)0.7

Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux

 3.7 (p)3.5 4.0 (p)4.1 (p)0.4

Lafayette

 3.6 (p)3.6 4.0 (p)4.0 (p)0.4

Lake Charles

 4.4 (p)4.2 4.7 (p)4.7 (p)0.3

Monroe

 4.9 (p)4.3 4.9 (p)4.9 (p)0.0

New Orleans-Metairie

 4.1 (p)4.0 4.6 (p)4.5 (p)0.4

Shreveport-Bossier City

 4.2 (p)3.9 4.4 (p)4.5 (p)0.3

Slidell-Mandeville-Covington

 3.8 (p)3.5 4.0 (p)4.1 (p)0.3

New Mexico

Albuquerque

 4.0 (p)3.9 4.8 (p)4.8 (p)0.8

Farmington

 4.7 (p)4.7 5.5 (p)5.4 (p)0.7

Las Cruces

 5.3 (p)4.9 5.9 (p)6.0 (p)0.7

Santa Fe

 3.8 (p)3.6 4.5 (p)4.4 (p)0.6

Oklahoma

Enid

 3.5 (p)3.6 4.0 (p)3.9 (p)0.4

Lawton

 3.9 (p)4.4 4.9 (p)4.6 (p)0.7

Oklahoma City

 3.4 (p)3.6 4.1 (p)4.0 (p)0.6

Tulsa

 3.5 (p)3.7 4.2 (p)4.1 (p)0.6

Texas

Abilene

 3.7 (p)3.1 3.6 (p)3.6 (p)-0.1

Amarillo

 3.3 (p)2.8 3.3 (p)3.7 (p)0.4

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

 3.7 (p)3.2 3.7 (p)3.7 (p)0.0

Beaumont-Port Arthur

 5.3 (p)5.2 6.0 (p)5.5 (p)0.2

Brownsville-Harlingen

 5.6 (p)6.4 7.2 (p)7.0 (p)1.4

College Station-Bryan

 3.9 (p)3.1 3.8 (p)3.8 (p)-0.1

Corpus Christi

 4.5 (p)4.3 4.8 (p)4.6 (p)0.1

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

 4.1 (p)3.6 4.2 (p)4.1 (p)0.0

Dallas-Plano-Irving(1)

 4.1 (p)3.7 4.2 (p)4.2 (p)0.1

Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine(1)

 4.0 (p)3.5 4.1 (p)4.1 (p)0.1

Eagle Pass

 9.1 (p)8.7 9.8 (p)9.7 (p)0.6

El Paso

 4.4 (p)4.1 4.6 (p)4.5 (p)0.1

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands

 4.5 (p)4.2 4.9 (p)4.7 (p)0.2

Killeen-Temple

 4.8 (p)4.4 5.0 (p)5.1 (p)0.3

Laredo

 4.6 (p)4.1 4.8 (p)4.8 (p)0.2

Longview

 4.8 (p)4.2 4.8 (p)4.8 (p)0.0

Lubbock

 3.7 (p)3.1 3.7 (p)3.7 (p)0.0

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission

 6.1 (p)6.4 6.9 (p)6.4 (p)0.3

Midland

 3.2 (p)2.9 3.3 (p)3.3 (p)0.1

Odessa

 3.8 (p)3.5 4.1 (p)4.0 (p)0.2

San Angelo

 3.4 (p)2.9 3.5 (p)3.5 (p)0.1

San Antonio-New Braunfels

 4.0 (p)3.7 4.3 (p)4.3 (p)0.3

Sherman-Denison

 4.0 (p)3.6 4.2 (p)4.2 (p)0.2

Texarkana, TX-AR

 4.4 (p)4.2 5.0 (p)4.7 (p)0.3

Tyler

 4.1 (p)4.3 4.2 (p)4.1 (p)0.0

Victoria

 4.2 (p)3.9 4.6 (p)4.4 (p)0.2

Waco

 4.0 (p)3.6 4.2 (p)4.2 (p)0.2

Wichita Falls

 4.0 (p)3.5 4.1 (p)4.1 (p)0.1

Footnotes
(1) Metropolitan Division
(p) Preliminary

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Nonfarm wage and salary employment in Southwest States, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Area

(news release)		 Back
data		 Mar
2025		 Jan
2026		 Feb
2026		 Mar
2026		 Mar 2025 to
Mar 2026
Net
change		 Percent
change

United States

 158,377 158,592 158,436 (p)158,621 (p)244 (p)0.2

Arkansas

 1,337.2 1,345.9 1,345.4 (p)1,344.1 (p)6.9 (p)0.5

Louisiana

 1,995.5 1,998.2 2,001.2 (p)2,005.1 (p)9.6 (p)0.5

New Mexico

 893.1 890.8 892.6 (p)891.6 (p)-1.5 (p)-0.2

Oklahoma

 1,794.9 1,786.7 1,786.7 (p)1,790.2 (p)-4.7 (p)-0.3

Texas

 14,286.3 14,363.1 14,356.7 (p)14,403.5 (p)117.2 (p)0.8

Footnotes
(p) Preliminary

Source: Current Employment Statistics - National - State and Metropolitan Area
The Current Employment Statistics (CES) Survey is a monthly survey of business establishments which provides estimates of employment, hours, and earnings data by industry for the nation as a whole, all States, and most major metropolitan areas since 1939. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative program in which State employment security agencies prepare the data using concepts, definitions, and technical procedures prescribed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.