AUSTIN (AP) — State officials said the Texas unemployment rate has remained essentially flat as 19,500 jobs were added to the workforce in May.
The Texas Workforce Commission announced Friday that the unemployment rate rose slightly from 6.4 percent in April to 6.5 percent. The rate remains a full point below the national rate for May of 7.6 percent.
Officials said Texas has added 324,700 jobs since May 2012, driven largely by growth in the health services, education and construction sectors.
Midland continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in Texas at 3.4 percent, followed by Odessa at 4.1 percent. The highest rate for May was recorded in the McAllen-Mission-Edinburg region at 10.9 percent, with the Brownsville-Harlingen area at 10.4 percent.