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County Employment and Wages in Texas — First Quarter 2025
Employment rose in 25 of the 28 largest counties in Texas from March 2024 to March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Comal County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 2.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among selected large counties in Texas, March 2025
County
Percent change, March 2025
Comal
2.8
Montgomery
2.1
Brazos
2.0
Jefferson
1.6
Collin
1.5
Williamson
1.5
Hays
1.3
Nueces
1.2
Smith
1.0
Ector
0.8
Travis
0.6
Harris
0.5
Webb
0.4
Brazoria
0.3
Lubbock
0.3
McLennan
0.2
Potter
0.1
Bell
-0.2
Cameron
-0.5
Fort Bend
-0.5
Among the 28 largest counties in Texas, employment was highest in Harris (2,446,200) in March 2025. Together, the 28 largest counties accounted for 80.2 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 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 2024.)
Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2025
Average weekly wages rose in 26 of the 28 large counties in Texas over the year. (See chart 2.) Cameron had the largest gain (+6.0 percent), while Fort Bend had the largest loss (-0.6 percent). Over-the-year wage changes among Texas’ other 26 large counties ranged from 5.8 percent to -0.2 percent.
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among selected large counties in Texas, first quarter 2025
County
Percent change, first quarter 2025
Cameron
6.0
Collin
5.8
Bell
5.2
Jefferson
5.1
Denton
4.8
Webb
4.6
McLennan
4.3
Dallas
3.8
Galveston
3.7
Brazos
3.3
El Paso
2.2
Montgomery
2.2
Hays
2.1
Hidalgo
1.9
Midland
1.6
Nueces
1.6
Brazoria
1.1
Potter
1.1
Williamson
-0.2
Fort Bend
-0.6
Weekly wages in 6 of the 28 largest counties in Texas were above the national average of $1,589. Average weekly wages in six of these counties ranked among the top 50 nationwide: Midland ($1,998, 26th), Travis ($1,991, 28th), Harris ($1,967, 31st), Collin ($1,945, 32nd), Dallas ($1,934, 33rd), and Williamson ($1,779, 45th). Average weekly wages from the 22 other counties ranged from $1,501 in Tarrant to $820 in Hidalgo.
Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2025
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 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 211 of the 226 smaller counties were below the national average. Irion reported the highest average weekly wage ($2,213). Menard reported the lowest average weekly wage ($664) in the state.
Among all 254 Texas counties, 50 reported average weekly wages of $924 or lower, 66 registered wages from $925 to $1,049, 57 had wages from $1,050 to $1,174, 27 had wages from $1,175 to $1,299, and 54 had average weekly wages of $1,300 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)
Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Texas, first quarter 2025
(U.S. average = $1,589)
Additional statistics and other information
QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.
Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
The County Employment and Wages release for the second quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
County Changes for the 2025 County Employment and Wages News Releases
Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2024 are included in this release and will be included in future 2025 releases. Four counties have been added to the nationwide publication tables: Pinal, AZ; Henry, GA; Wood, OH; and Comal, TX. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Gregg, TX.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 28 largest counties in Texas, first quarter 2025
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Texas, first quarter 2025
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, first quarter 2025
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
United States Department of Labor
