November Labor Force Statistics
Governor Abbott announced that Texas set new labor force records for the month of November. According to data released by the Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Texas reached a new high with the largest labor force ever in the state’s history at 15,938,500.
- Texas reached a new high for Texans working, including self-employed, at 15,264,700.
- Texas nonfarm jobs totaled 14,321,000 after adding 7,300 positions over the month.
- Texas gained 146,300 jobs from November 2024 to November 2025, more than any other state and outpacing the national annual job growth rate by 0.4 percentage points.
- The Texas unemployment rate registered at 4.2%, below the U.S. unemployment rate of 4.6%.
The Private Education and Health Services industry had the largest private sector over-the-month increase in November after adding 5,700 jobs. Professional and Business Services added 3,900 jobs over the month while Manufacturing added 2,300. In addition, the Construction industry posted an annual growth rate of 2.8 percent in November, which was the highest of any major industry.
The Amarillo metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had the lowest unemployment rate with a not seasonally adjusted rate of 3.1 percent in November, followed by the Midland MSA at 3.2 percent. The College Station-Bryan and San Angelo MSAs both registered at 3.3 percent.
The Governor’s full press release can be found here. The press release from the Texas Workforce Commission can be found here. More information can be found at Texaslmi.com.
Comptroller Distributes $1.2 Billion in Monthly Sales Tax Revenue
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced that he will send $1.2 billion in local sales tax allocations to cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts for January. This is 4.9% more than in January 2025.
The allocations are based on November sales by businesses which report tax monthly.
| Recipient | Jan. 2026 Allocations | Change from Jan. 2025 | Year-to-Date Change |
| Cities | $727.2M | ↑4.3% | ↑4.3% |
| Transit Systems | $242.9M | ↑4.0% | ↑4.0% |
| Counties | $70.9M | ↑3.0% | ↑3.0% |
| Special Purpose Districts | $121.2M | ↑11.5% | ↑11.5% |
| Total | $1.2B | ↑4.9% | ↑4.9% |
More information can be found at the Comptroller’s Monthly Sales Tax Allocation Comparison Reports. The Comptroller’s full press release can be found here.
Sales Tax Revenue Totaled $4.3 Billion in December
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced that sales tax revenue for December 2025 totaled $4.3 billion in December. This is a 5.7% increase from December 2024. The majority of December sales tax revenue is based on sales made in November and remitted to the agency in December.
Total sales tax revenue for the three months ending in December 2025 was up 5.2 percent compared with the same period a year ago. Sales tax is the largest source of state funding for the state budget, accounting for 58 percent of all tax collections.
Texas collected the following revenue from other major taxes:
- motor vehicle sales and rental taxes — $614 million, up 5 percent from December 2024;
- motor fuel taxes — $324 million, up 4 percent from December 2024;
- oil production tax — $394 million, down 9 percent from December 2024;
- natural gas production tax — $169 million, down 21 percent from December 2024;
- hotel occupancy tax — $61 million, up less than 1 percent from December 2024; and
- alcoholic beverage taxes — $148 million, down 2 percent from December 2024.
More information can be found at the Comptroller’s Monthly State Revenue Watch. The Comptroller’s full press release can be found here.
New TexStats Statewide Economic Dashboard Launches
The TexStats Statewide Economic Dashboard, a new interactive tool to provide a view of the state’s economic performance to Texans, has launched.
The TexStats Statewide Economic Dashboard offers a high-level view of Texas’ economic pulse, including:
- Gross state product
- Employment and workforce trends
- Oil and natural gas rig counts, production and prices
- Housing market indicators
- Inflation measures
The TexStats Regional Data Dashboard has been available since October 2025. This will be complemented by the statewide version to allow users to explore the interaction of economic indicators across the Texas economy as a whole.
The Comptroller’s full press release can be found here.
