Texas Unemployment Rate Remains Unchanged, Lubbock’s Rate Drops

The April unemployment rate for the Lone Star State remains unchanged from the previous month.

Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April 2013 remained at 6.4 percent, the same as in March of 2013.

Eight of the 11 major industries in Texas saw positive growth in April, with Trade, Transportation, and Utilities adding 16,000 jobs during the month, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. It is the state’s largest industry, and has grown by 58,400 jobs over the year.

The unemployment rate for the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Lubbock and Crosby Counties, dipped to 4.8 percent, down from March’s 5.3 percent and April 2012’s 5.2 percent.

The Lubbock MSA added 600 more nonfarm jobs during the month of April, and 2,100 more nonfarm jobs since April 2012.

Hale County’s unemployment rate has shot up to 12.3 percent for April 2013, up from March’s rate of 11.9 percent, and way up from April 2012’s 6.2 percent. This signals major economic woes for the City of Plainview following the closing of the Cargill Meat Processing Plant.

Hale County’s unemployment rate is the highest in the South Plains, followed by Floyd County with a 9.5 percent unemployment rate.

The lowest unemployment rate in the South Plains is 3.1 percent in Yoakum County, followed by 4.3 percent unemployment in Hockley County.

Statewide, the lowest unemployment rate is in Midland at 3 percent, followed by Odessa at 3.7 percent, and Amarillo at 4.4 percent for April 2013.

The highest unemployment in the state for an MSA is in the McAllen-Edinburgh-Mission area with 10.5 percent, followed by the Brownsville-Harlingen area at 9.9 percent.

The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area has the lowest unemployment rate of the major metropolitan areas of Texas with an April 2013 rate of 5.1 percent, and the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area and the San Antonio – New Braunfels areas are tied at 5.9 percent.

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington unemployment rate for April is at 6 percent.

The national unemployment rate dipped one-tenth of a point from March to April, landing at 7.5 percent.