Workforce overview

Among the region's strong assets is the Central Texas workforce, representing one of the most educated talent pools in the country. In the Austin metro, 46.2% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, compared to 33.1% nationally, putting Austin in the top 10 among the largest metros. The region benefits from over 50 colleges and universities and 400,000 enrolled students within a 100-mile radius. Our growing workforce is young and eager, with a median age that is over four years younger than that of the rest of the nation.

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Labor Force, Employment & Unemployment, 2021
LABOR FORCE
EMPLOYMENT
UNEMPLOYMENT
NUMBER
RATE
Austin MSA
1,306,125
1,253,061
53,064
4.1%
Bastrop Co.
45,101
43,084
2,017
4.5%
Caldwell Co.
19,988
19,008
980
4.9%
Hays Co.
129,600
124,271
5,329
4.1%
Travis Co.
770,868
739,716
31,152
4.0%
Williamson Co.
340,568
326,982
13,586
4.0%
Unemployment Rates
201620172018201920202021
Austin MSA3.3%3.2%3.0%2.7%6.2%4.1%
Texas4.6%4.3%3.9%3.5%7.7%5.7%
U.S.4.9%4.4%3.9%3.7%8.1%5.3%
Labor force, Austin MSA
Employment Growth

Source: Texas Workforce Commission, Local Area Unemployment Statistics.


Top 10 fastest growing large U.S. job markets, 2016-2021

Nonfarm payroll jobs

2016
2021
GROWTH
NUMBER
RATE
Austin MSA
1,000,900
1,165,700
164,800
16.5%
Riverside MSA
1,401,900
1,569,100
167,200
11.9%
Phoenix MSA
1,979,800
2,210,800
231,000
11.7%
Raleigh MSA
595,600
660,500
64,900
10.9%
Nashville MSA
950,900
1,052,800
101,900
10.7%
Dallas MDiv
2,499,800
2,750,600
250,800
10.0%
Salt Lake City MSA
698,400
767,800
69,400
9.9%
Jacksonville MSA
668,400
732,900
64,500
9.6%
Fort Worth MDiv
1,008,100
1,090,500
82,400
8.2%
Charlotte MSA
1,150,000
1,243,800
93,800
8.2%
United States
--
--
--
1.2%

Note: Ranking of the 50 largest metropolitan areas.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics.


Note: Time series of annual and monthly numbers for these and additional workforce indicators are updated monthly on the Chamber's Economic Indicators page.