TWC releases December jobless rates

The Texas Workforce Commission released monthly unemployment data last week showing Hill County’s December unemployment rate at 3.6 percent.

In December, there were 681 unemployed individuals out of a total civilian labor force of 19,076.

The county’s December rate is down from the November rate of 3.9 percent, but slightly higher than the December 2024 rate of 3.4 percent.

Bosque County’s December rate was 3.7 percent, with 318 unemployed out of a total Bosque County civilian labor force of 8,523. That is down from the November rate of 4 percent, but higher than the December 2024 rate of 3.4 percent.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Texas registered at 4.3 percent.

Texas added 19,700 nonfarm jobs in December to reach a total of 14,341,000 positions. Over the year, the state added 132,500 jobs for an annual nonfarm growth rate of 0.9 percent, outpacing the national growth rate by half a percentage point.

Texas’ civilian labor force registered at 15,964,000 after adding 25,000 people over the month. This marks a new record-high level for the series.

Over the year, Texas’ civilian labor force has added 236,300 people.

The trade, transportation and utilities industry had the largest private sector over-the-month increase in December after adding 9,500 jobs.

Leisure and hospitality added 3,700 jobs over the month, while professional and business services added 3,000.
In addition, private education and health services posted an annual growth rate of 2.3 percent in December, which was the highest of any major industry.

“Tens of thousands of people joined the Texas labor force last month,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Alberto Treviño III. “To connect all segments of our growing labor force with employment opportunities, TWC offers a wide array of resources, such as job fairs, labor market information and vocational rehabilitation services to link Texans with meaningful careers.”

The Amarillo metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had the lowest unemployment rate with a not seasonally adjusted rate of 2.8 percent in December. It was followed by the Midland and San Angelo MSAs, which both registered at 2.9 percent.