Employment rose in 24 of the 27 largest counties with published data in Texas from December 2023 to December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Williamson County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 2.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among selected large counties in Texas, December 2024

County	Percent change, December 2024
Williamson	2.5
Fort Bend	2.4
Hays	1.9
Collin	1.7
Montgomery	1.7
Nueces	1.7
Hidalgo	1.4
Webb	1.4
Brazos	1.3
Ector	1.2
Harris	0.8
Brazoria	0.7
Dallas	0.6
Lubbock	0.5
Gregg	0.4
Bell	0.3
Denton	0.2
McLennan	0.0
Potter	-0.1
Cameron	-0.2

Among the 28 largest counties in Texas, employment was highest in Harris (2,465,700) in December 2024. Together, the 28 largest counties accounted for 80.3 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 369 largest counties comprise 73.3 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2023.)

All 28 large Texas counties reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) Williamson had the largest gain (+7.2 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Texas’ other 27 large counties ranged from 6.3 percent to 0.3 percent.

  

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among selected large counties in Texas, fourth quarter 2024

County	Percent change, fourth quarter 2024
Williamson	7.2
Bell	6.3
Travis	6.3
Ector	5.7
McLennan	5.4
Nueces	5.3
Brazos	5.1
Hays	4.9
Denton	4.7
Cameron	4.6
Jefferson	3.2
Potter	3.1
Lubbock	2.9
Gregg	2.8
El Paso	2.4
Brazoria	2.1
Webb	2.0
Hidalgo	1.9
Midland	1.7
Montgomery	0.3

Weekly wages in 6 of the 28 largest counties in Texas were above the national average of $1,507. Average weekly wages in five of these counties ranked among the top 50 nationwide: Travis ($1,959, 15^th), Midland ($1,877, 21^st), Dallas ($1,754, 27^th), Harris ($1,725, 33^rd), and Collin ($1,720, 34^th). Average weekly wages for the other 23 counties ranged from $1,538 in Williamson to $858 in Hidalgo.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 226 small counties in Texas, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2023. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 211 of the 226 smaller counties were below the national average. Loving reported the highest average weekly wage ($2,103). Menard reported the lowest average weekly wage ($684) in the state.

Among all 254 Texas counties, 61 reported average weekly wages of $974 or lower, 56 registered wages from $975 to $1,074, 51 had wages from $1,075 to $1,174, 34 had wages from $1,175 to $1,274, and 52 had average weekly wages of $1,275 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)