Total nonfarm employment in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 3,061,600 in October 2017, up 48,100 or 1.6 percent, from one year earlier, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. During the same period, the national job count increased 1.4 percent. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that the Houston area’s October increase was its 14th consecutive month of over-the-year job gains. (See chart 1 and table 1; the Technical Note at the end of this release contains metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)

Industry employment

In the Houston metropolitan area, three industry supersectors each added 10,000 jobs or more from October 2016 to October 2017. Professional and business services added the largest number of jobs, up 13,200 during the period. Local job gains in the sector came primarily from the employment services industry which had a 16.1-percent rate of job growth over the year. Houston’s professional and business services employment rose 2.8 percent since October 2016 compared to the national increase of 2.6 percent. (See table 1 and chart 2.)

Education and health services added 12,900 local jobs over the year, the second largest gain among Houston’s supersectors. Ambulatory health care services added the most jobs in this sector, up 8,400. The local supersector’s 3.3-percent rate of job growth compared to a national increase of 2.0 percent.

Manufacturing employment in Houston rose by 10,000 from October 2016 to October 2017, marking the seventh consecutive month of annual job growth, after 24 months of annual declines. All of the job growth was in the durable goods manufacturing industry, as the non-durable goods manufacturing industry lost jobs over the year. This was the first annual job loss for the non-durable goods manufacturing sector since June 2011. The local area’s rate of annual job growth for the manufacturing sector, at 4.6 percent, was nearly four times the 1.2-percent gain for the nation.

Houston’s leisure and hospitality supersector added 8,900 jobs over the year. The 2.9-percent local rate of job growth compared to the 1.8-percent increase for the nation. The local job gains were concentrated in the sector’s largest industry, food services and drinking places, which added 7,900 jobs during the period.

Government employment rose by 8,700 in the Houston area from October 2016 to October 2017. Local government educational services accounted for the bulk of the increase with a gain of 6,300 jobs. Government employment rose 2.1 percent locally over the year compared to a 0.3-percent national gain.

Both the financial activities and the mining and logging supersectors added 2,500 jobs each to the local economy.

Three sectors in the Houston area lost jobs over the year. Construction had the largest job loss in Houston, falling by 7,900 from October a year ago. Job losses occurred in the three reporting industries: construction of buildings, heavy and civil engineering construction, and specialty trade contractors. Area employment in the construction supersector declined at a 3.6-percent pace compared to the 2.6-percent gain for the nation.

Trade, transportation, and utilities, Houston’s largest employer, lost 2,000 jobs from October 2016 to October 2017. Within the supersector, job losses in wholesale trade, as well as transportation, warehousing, and utilities, were partially offset by job gains in retail trade. Over the year, local employment in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector fell 0.3 percent compared to a 0.4-percent increase nationwide.

Local employment in the information supersector declined by 1,300 since October 2016. The local area’s 4.0-percent job loss in this sector compared to a national decrease of 2.1 percent. Nationally, information was the only supersector to register an annual job loss.

Employment in the 12 largest metropolitan areas

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in October 2017. All 12 areas had over-the-year job growth during the period, with the rates of job growth in 6 areas exceeding the national increase of 1.4 percent. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington had the fastest rate of job growth, up 2.7 percent, followed by Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, each at 2.4 percent. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin had the slowest rate of job growth, 0.5 percent. (See chart 3 and table 2.)

The Dallas area added the largest number of jobs over the year, 94,400, followed by New York-Newark-Jersey City, up 91,300. Chicago had the smallest employment gain over the year, adding 21,700 jobs. Annual jobs gains in the remaining nine metropolitan areas ranged from 65,800 in Atlanta to 27,700 in San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward.

Over the year, education and health services added the most jobs in seven areas: Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Miami, New York, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, and San Francisco. Professional and business services gained the most jobs in four areas: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria.

Metropolitan area employment data for November 2017 are scheduled to be released on Friday, December 22, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. CES State and Area employment data are produced using several estimation procedures. Where possible these data are produced using a "weighted link relative" estimation technique in which a ratio of current-month weighted employment to that of the previous-month weighted employment is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are then obtained by multiplying these ratios by the previous month's employment estimates. The weighted link relative technique is utilized for data series where the sample size meets certain statistical criteria.

For some employment series, the sample of establishments is very small or highly variable. In these cases, a model-based approach is used in estimation. These models use the direct sample estimates (described above), combined with forecasts of historical (benchmarked) data to decrease volatility in estimation. Two different models (Fay-Herriot Model and Small Domain Model) are used depending on the industry level being estimated. For more detailed information about each model, refer to the BLS Handbook of Methods.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports that are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months.

Reliability of the estimates. The estimates presented in this release are based on sample surveys, administrative data, and modeling and, thus, are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability–that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data also are subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the specific estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of rounding.

Employment estimates. Measures of sampling error for the total private employment series are available for metropolitan areas and metropolitan divisions at www.bls.gov/sae/additional-resources/reliability-of-state-and-area-estimates.htm. Measures of sampling error for more detailed series at the area and division level are available upon request. Measures of nonsampling error are not available for the areas contained in this release. Information on recent benchmark revisions is available online at www.bls.gov/sae/benchmark2017.pdf

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the delineations issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, dated July 15, 2015. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller Counties in Texas.

Additional information

More complete information on the technical procedures used to develop these estimates and additional data appear in Employment and Earnings, which is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. Industry employment data for states and metropolitan areas from the Current Employment Statistics program are also available in the above mentioned news releases and from the Internet at www.bls.gov/sae/.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, 12 largest metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)

Area and Industry	Oct. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017(p)	Oct. 2016 to Oct. 2017(p)
					Net change	Percent change
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Total nonfarm	2,708.2	2,757.9	2,754.3	2,774.0	65.8	2.4
Mining and logging	1.8	1.8	1.8	1.8	0.0	0.0
Construction	120.7	121.0	120.5	123.3	2.6	2.2
Manufacturing	162.5	162.7	161.0	161.5	-1.0	-0.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities	594.7	598.4	596.5	600.2	5.5	0.9
Information	95.4	99.3	99.2	98.5	3.1	3.2
Financial activities	168.6	173.3	172.9	173.2	4.6	2.7
Professional and business services	503.5	525.8	525.4	528.1	24.6	4.9
Education and health services	341.2	343.7	346.4	351.2	10.0	2.9
Leisure and hospitality	288.2	301.4	296.0	295.5	7.3	2.5
Other services	99.0	101.2	100.0	100.9	1.9	1.9
Government	332.6	329.3	334.6	339.8	7.2	2.2
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
Total nonfarm	2,735.1	2,776.9	2,775.0	2,797.4	62.3	2.3
Mining, logging, and construction	111.9	117.0	116.0	117.1	5.2	4.6
Manufacturing	186.8	188.1	186.8	186.8	0.0	0.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities	423.4	426.7	425.7	427.8	4.4	1.0
Information	77.8	79.1	78.5	78.1	0.3	0.4
Financial activities	186.7	193.8	190.7	191.3	4.6	2.5
Professional and business services	476.4	491.0	486.3	491.3	14.9	3.1
Education and health services	580.1	586.0	590.6	598.4	18.3	3.2
Leisure and hospitality	271.0	291.3	275.3	273.9	2.9	1.1
Other services	101.0	111.5	107.5	110.0	9.0	8.9
Government	320.0	292.4	317.6	322.7	2.7	0.8
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Total nonfarm	4,710.1	4,711.5	4,705.1	4,731.8	21.7	0.5
Mining and logging	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.6	0.0	0.0
Construction	183.0	183.8	182.6	182.0	-1.0	-0.5
Manufacturing	413.7	412.3	412.1	412.7	-1.0	-0.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	946.2	944.0	935.0	943.1	-3.1	-0.3
Information	80.5	83.3	81.7	82.4	1.9	2.4
Financial activities	298.4	311.5	309.8	310.5	12.1	4.1
Professional and business services	839.5	840.9	838.6	843.4	3.9	0.5
Education and health services	723.5	712.0	718.7	732.0	8.5	1.2
Leisure and hospitality	472.0	491.9	474.7	468.2	-3.8	-0.8
Other services	192.6	197.5	196.4	196.6	4.0	2.1
Government	559.1	532.7	553.9	559.3	0.2	0.0
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Total nonfarm	3,555.7	3,608.4	3,625.3	3,650.1	94.4	2.7
Mining, logging, and construction	209.3	210.3	213.0	212.1	2.8	1.3
Manufacturing	265.3	272.7	272.9	274.2	8.9	3.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	759.4	767.4	767.1	769.9	10.5	1.4
Information	82.0	81.1	80.8	80.5	-1.5	-1.8
Financial activities	286.0	293.2	296.0	293.1	7.1	2.5
Professional and business services	588.0	609.9	615.1	618.2	30.2	5.1
Education and health services	437.6	440.5	441.1	443.2	5.6	1.3
Leisure and hospitality	370.3	390.1	380.3	387.9	17.6	4.8
Other services	123.1	127.6	127.6	129.7	6.6	5.4
Government	434.7	415.6	431.4	441.3	6.6	1.5
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Total nonfarm	3,013.5	3,029.6	3,018.4	3,061.6	48.1	1.6
Mining and logging	84.8	86.8	86.7	87.3	2.5	2.9
Construction	221.2	209.5	207.7	213.3	-7.9	-3.6
Manufacturing	219.3	232.7	232.1	229.3	10.0	4.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities	609.6	603.1	598.6	607.6	-2.0	-0.3
Information	32.4	32.0	31.7	31.1	-1.3	-4.0
Financial activities	157.1	158.4	158.9	159.6	2.5	1.6
Professional and business services	472.7	484.7	479.8	485.9	13.2	2.8
Education and health services	385.8	395.2	393.0	398.7	12.9	3.3
Leisure and hospitality	310.9	327.1	310.6	319.8	8.9	2.9
Other services	108.1	110.7	109.1	108.7	0.6	0.6
Government	411.6	389.4	410.2	420.3	8.7	2.1
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Total nonfarm	6,040.3	5,982.7	6,043.1	6,089.2	48.9	0.8
Mining and logging	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	0.0	0.0
Construction	234.9	250.0	248.2	247.1	12.2	5.2
Manufacturing	514.6	508.3	506.2	505.2	-9.4	-1.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,095.1	1,084.6	1,089.9	1,097.7	2.6	0.2
Information	261.1	256.0	257.0	257.6	-3.5	-1.3
Financial activities	339.9	340.8	340.3	343.0	3.1	0.9
Professional and business services	914.8	915.4	922.7	923.4	8.6	0.9
Education and health services	988.0	979.4	1,004.3	1,015.7	27.7	2.8
Leisure and hospitality	732.8	740.6	739.4	743.5	10.7	1.5
Other services	206.4	212.0	215.0	214.7	8.3	4.0
Government	748.7	691.6	716.1	737.3	-11.4	-1.5
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Total nonfarm	2,606.2	2,636.3	2,614.7	2,668.2	62.0	2.4
Mining and logging	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.0	0.0
Construction	125.9	132.2	128.8	133.4	7.5	6.0
Manufacturing	87.9	87.9	88.0	90.1	2.2	2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	591.9	597.8	593.2	600.5	8.6	1.5
Information	49.0	49.1	48.8	49.5	0.5	1.0
Financial activities	175.5	175.6	176.0	175.2	-0.3	-0.2
Professional and business services	431.5	431.6	427.1	439.2	7.7	1.8
Education and health services	385.5	392.6	395.8	403.5	18.0	4.7
Leisure and hospitality	319.8	327.6	312.6	323.7	3.9	1.2
Other services	125.7	131.1	128.0	133.3	7.6	6.0
Government	312.8	310.1	315.7	319.1	6.3	2.0
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Total nonfarm	9,628.1	9,666.3	9,631.7	9,719.4	91.3	0.9
Mining, logging, and construction	392.9	402.8	400.5	400.9	8.0	2.0
Manufacturing	365.9	367.0	367.3	367.7	1.8	0.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,739.3	1,710.9	1,716.5	1,728.9	-10.4	-0.6
Information	291.8	286.4	285.6	285.1	-6.7	-2.3
Financial activities	766.3	790.5	779.0	783.0	16.7	2.2
Professional and business services	1,548.5	1,567.0	1,552.4	1,557.4	8.9	0.6
Education and health services	1,897.9	1,876.1	1,897.9	1,944.5	46.6	2.5
Leisure and hospitality	896.1	979.9	931.5	913.9	17.8	2.0
Other services	415.9	426.1	423.7	423.6	7.7	1.9
Government	1,313.5	1,259.6	1,277.3	1,314.4	0.9	0.1
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Total nonfarm	2,912.5	2,907.4	2,926.3	2,951.3	38.8	1.3
Mining, logging, and construction	116.4	120.4	119.4	118.8	2.4	2.1
Manufacturing	178.0	179.1	178.6	178.9	0.9	0.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	528.3	523.7	523.9	525.8	-2.5	-0.5
Information	46.2	46.2	46.0	45.9	-0.3	-0.6
Financial activities	212.6	217.7	217.3	216.7	4.1	1.9
Professional and business services	463.7	479.7	474.4	478.1	14.4	3.1
Education and health services	639.2	624.1	638.3	654.7	15.5	2.4
Leisure and hospitality	265.1	283.5	275.2	272.8	7.7	2.9
Other services	120.0	119.5	117.7	117.8	-2.2	-1.8
Government	343.0	313.5	335.5	341.8	-1.2	-0.3
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Total nonfarm	2,008.5	1,999.7	2,025.8	2,043.1	34.6	1.7
Mining and logging	3.3	3.2	3.2	3.2	-0.1	-3.0
Construction	107.3	109.8	111.2	111.2	3.9	3.6
Manufacturing	120.0	124.3	123.7	124.2	4.2	3.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	391.4	386.6	388.1	392.8	1.4	0.4
Information	36.3	33.7	33.6	33.9	-2.4	-6.6
Financial activities	178.7	181.2	181.8	182.4	3.7	2.1
Professional and business services	344.8	343.1	346.7	352.5	7.7	2.2
Education and health services	297.3	300.5	305.7	307.4	10.1	3.4
Leisure and hospitality	218.7	223.3	223.7	226.9	8.2	3.7
Other services	63.7	61.2	61.6	61.0	-2.7	-4.2
Government	247.0	232.8	246.5	247.6	0.6	0.2
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Total nonfarm	2,380.0	2,391.1	2,392.6	2,407.7	27.7	1.2
Mining and logging	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.0
Construction	115.8	123.1	123.9	123.9	8.1	7.0
Manufacturing	132.8	133.9	133.9	134.2	1.4	1.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	379.6	380.3	378.5	379.6	0.0	0.0
Information	102.0	102.9	102.8	103.5	1.5	1.5
Financial activities	144.2	147.2	145.7	146.5	2.3	1.6
Professional and business services	479.2	473.0	471.2	473.4	-5.8	-1.2
Education and health services	343.9	345.0	350.0	357.0	13.1	3.8
Leisure and hospitality	273.0	282.1	277.5	275.1	2.1	0.8
Other services	86.1	88.9	89.5	89.3	3.2	3.7
Government	322.4	313.7	318.6	324.2	1.8	0.6
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Total nonfarm	3,260.0	3,294.4	3,293.4	3,306.4	46.4	1.4
Mining, logging, and construction	158.2	166.2	163.4	163.5	5.3	3.4
Manufacturing	54.6	54.6	54.3	54.3	-0.3	-0.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	407.5	411.8	409.6	412.4	4.9	1.2
Information	73.0	71.4	71.5	70.9	-2.1	-2.9
Financial activities	157.7	159.1	158.5	159.1	1.4	0.9
Professional and business services	746.9	762.8	756.7	760.2	13.3	1.8
Education and health services	442.8	444.7	446.6	454.0	11.2	2.5
Leisure and hospitality	323.3	346.1	336.0	332.1	8.8	2.7
Other services	194.7	199.2	197.6	198.3	3.6	1.8
Government	701.3	678.5	699.2	701.6	0.3	0.0
(p) preliminary