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County Employment and Wages in Texas — First Quarter 2026
Employment rose in 16 of the 29 largest counties in Texas from March 2025 to March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Texas employment increased 0.6 percent over the year to 14,124,600 in March 2026, as measured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner James B. Howard, Jr., noted that Hays County (+2.0 percent) had the largest over-the-year increase in employment. (See chart 1.)
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among selected large counties in Texas, March 2026
County
Percent change, March 2026
Hays
2.0
Fort Bend
1.8
Collin
1.4
Montgomery
1.4
Galveston
1.2
Gregg
1.1
Williamson
0.9
Comal
0.7
Nueces
0.7
Dallas
0.3
Brazoria
-0.3
Webb
-0.3
Potter
-0.4
Harris
-0.6
Bexar
-0.9
Ector
-0.9
Bell
-1.1
Cameron
-1.3
Jefferson
-1.3
Midland
-2.7
Harris County (2,436,200) had the highest employment level in Texas in March 2026. Together, the 29 largest counties accounted for 80.5 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 376 largest counties comprise 73.5 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 2025.)
Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2026
Average weekly wage gains in 18 of the 28 large counties in Texas with published data were below the national average of 3.9 percent. (See chart 2.) Williamson had the largest gain (+8.4 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among the other 27 large Texas counties ranged from 6.1 percent to 1.8 percent.
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among selected large counties in Texas, first quarter 2026
County
Percent change, first quarter 2026
Williamson
8.4
Montgomery
6.1
Potter
5.2
Bell
5.1
Dallas
5.0
Galveston
4.6
Smith
4.5
Travis
4.5
Lubbock
4.3
Cameron
3.9
Comal
3.4
Gregg
3.3
El Paso
3.2
Collin
2.9
Fort Bend
2.9
Webb
2.8
Denton
2.5
Harris
2.5
Jefferson
1.8
Midland
1.8
Weekly wages in 6 of the 29 largest counties in Texas were above the national average of $1,654. Average weekly wages ranged from $2,087 in Travis to $850 in Hidalgo.
Statewide, average weekly wages increased 3.8 percent over the year to $1,646. Texas ranked 13th in average weekly wages among the 50 states and the District of Columbia and 24th in wage growth.
Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2026
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 225 smaller counties in Texas, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2025. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 208 of the 225 smaller counties were below the national average. Glasscock reported the highest average weekly wage ($2,186) in the state. Menard reported the lowest average weekly wage ($685).
Among all 254 Texas counties, 35 reported average weekly wages of $924 and lower, 76 had wages from $925 to $1,074, 61 had wages from $1,075 to $1,224, 32 had wages from $1,225 to $1,374, and 50 had average weekly wages of $1,375 and higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)
Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Texas, first quarter 2026
(U.S. average = $1,654)
Additional statistics and other information
QCEW data for all states have been included in this release in table 3.
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The County Employment and Wages release for the second quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 2, 2026.
County Changes for the 2026 County Employment and Wages News Releases
Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2025 are included in this release and will be included in future 2026 releases. Five counties have been added to the publication tables: Kenton, KY; Union, NC; Licking, OH; Gregg, TX; and Kenosha, WI. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Wood, OH.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 29 largest counties in Texas, first quarter 2026
(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. (5) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
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 2026
(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 2026
(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
