Interactive: Texas' Economy Bounces Back

In late 2009, when Texas was at its lowest employment total during the the recession, the state had lost more than 400,000 jobs. But since then, Texas has regained nearly 500,000 jobs and began 2012 with the highest employment total in its history.

There are 10.7 million people who currently work in Texas, but nearly 1 million more are still unemployed. Although the unemployment rate has dropped, at 7.3 percent, there’s still room to improve.

The interactive below explores how the Texas economy has changed over the last four years. Use the graph to see how each major industry has fared. You can also compare how industries have changed by using the "command" key on a Mac or the "control" key on a PC to select more than one industry.

Below the graph is a map showing the January 2012 unemployment rate in Texas’ largest metropolitan areas. If you click on a region, details about that region's economy will pop up in the table below.

By Industry: Select one or more to compare how industries have changed on the graph

By Region: Select a region on the map to see industry details below


January 2012 January 2011 Annual Raw Change Annual Percent Change
UNITED STATES
     Unemployed in Work Force 13,541,000 14,937,000 -1,396,000 -9.3%
     Unemployment Rate 8.8% 9.8% -1% -
TEXAS - STATEWIDE
     Unemployed in Work Force 946,800 1,040,200 -93,400 -9%
     Unemployment Rate 7.6% 8.4% -0.8% -
ALL INDUSTRIES
     Size of Work Force - - - -
     Unemployed in Work Force - - - -
     Unemployment Rate - - - -
GOODS-PRODUCING INDUSTRIES
     Mining, Logging & Construction - - - -
     Manufacturing - - - -
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
     Wholesale Trade - - - -
     Retail Trade - - - -
     Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities - - - -
     Information - - - -
     Financial Activities - - - -
     Professional & Business Services - - - -
     Education & Health Services - - - -
     Leisure & Hospitality - - - -
     Other Services - - - -
     Government - - - -
(Data is not seasonally adjusted.)