Counties in Texas by covered employment (QCEW), 2025

Harris County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 254 counties in 2025, at 2,458,604 jobs. Roberts County had the lowest, at 170 jobs. The median was 6,156 jobs and the figure for Texas was 14,109,957 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest2,458,604Harris County
Median6,156254 counties
Texas14,109,957History

Top 40 counties, 2025

Harris County: 2,458,604 jobsHarris County2,458,604Dallas County: 1,829,643 jobsDallas County1,829,643Tarrant County: 1,017,941 jobsTarrant County1,017,941Bexar County: 937,109 jobsBexar County937,109Travis County: 934,650 jobsTravis County934,650Collin County: 562,572 jobsCollin County562,572El Paso County: 338,016 jobsEl Paso County338,016Denton County: 320,064 jobsDenton County320,064Hidalgo County: 296,499 jobsHidalgo County296,499Fort Bend County: 260,929 jobsFort Bend County260,929Williamson County: 238,420 jobsWilliamson County238,420Montgomery County: 235,441 jobsMontgomery County235,441Nueces County: 165,925 jobsNueces County165,925Cameron County: 154,673 jobsCameron County154,673Lubbock County: 153,482 jobsLubbock County153,482Bell County: 130,527 jobsBell County130,527Galveston County: 126,458 jobsGalveston County126,458Brazos County: 126,296 jobsBrazos County126,296Jefferson County: 124,810 jobsJefferson County124,810Brazoria County: 124,808 jobsBrazoria County124,808McLennan County: 122,992 jobsMcLennan County122,992Midland County: 119,775 jobsMidland County119,775Smith County: 115,454 jobsSmith County115,454Webb County: 108,931 jobsWebb County108,931Hays County: 98,495 jobsHays County98,495Ector County: 80,449 jobsEctor County80,449Potter County: 78,735 jobsPotter County78,735Comal County: 77,346 jobsComal County77,346Gregg County: 75,602 jobsGregg County75,602Taylor County: 68,821 jobsTaylor County68,821Ellis County: 64,686 jobsEllis County64,686Johnson County: 60,969 jobsJohnson County60,969Grayson County: 52,998 jobsGrayson County52,998Wichita County: 52,785 jobsWichita County52,785Tom Green County: 49,935 jobsTom Green County49,935Guadalupe County: 49,773 jobsGuadalupe County49,773Kaufman County: 45,719 jobsKaufman County45,719Rockwall County: 43,738 jobsRockwall County43,738Parker County: 42,861 jobsParker County42,861Bowie County: 42,360 jobsBowie County42,360
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2025
jobs
Change on 2024
1Harris County2,458,604+0.5%
2Dallas County1,829,643+0.2%
3Tarrant County1,017,941+0.8%
4Bexar County937,109+0.5%
5Travis County934,650+3.5%
6Collin County562,572+2.9%
7El Paso County338,016+1.2%
8Denton County320,064+2%
9Hidalgo County296,499+1.6%
10Fort Bend County260,929+3.8%
11Williamson County238,420+2.6%
12Montgomery County235,441+3.5%
13Nueces County165,925+1.3%
14Cameron County154,673-1.2%
15Lubbock County153,482+1.1%
16Bell County130,527+0.7%
17Galveston County126,458+3%
18Brazos County126,296+2.3%
19Jefferson County124,810-0%
20Brazoria County124,808+1.6%
21McLennan County122,992+0.2%
22Midland County119,775+1.2%
23Smith County115,454+1.7%
24Webb County108,931+1.4%
25Hays County98,495+3%
26Ector County80,449+0.9%
27Potter County78,735+1.2%
28Comal County77,346+1.2%
29Gregg County75,602+1%
30Taylor County68,821+0.8%
31Ellis County64,686+3.1%
32Johnson County60,969+1.7%
33Grayson County52,998+1.9%
34Wichita County52,785-0.8%
35Tom Green County49,935-0.5%
36Guadalupe County49,773+2.6%
37Kaufman County45,719+5%
38Rockwall County43,738+5.3%
39Parker County42,861+3.3%
40Bowie County42,360+0.3%
41Randall County37,224+0.6%
42Victoria County36,854-0.7%
43Angelina County35,617-0.4%
44Hunt County33,372+1.2%
45Waller County27,947+4.7%
46Walker County26,291-0.1%
47Orange County25,398+4.3%
48Bastrop County23,427+3.7%
49Chambers County23,244+5%
50Nacogdoches County22,515-0.2%
51Lamar County22,227-0.6%
52Wise County21,814+2.9%
53San Patricio County21,467-0.3%
54Harrison County21,053-2.3%
55Kendall County20,676+0.6%
56Anderson County20,563+2.1%
57Liberty County20,335+1.1%
58Henderson County20,065+2.7%
59Kerr County19,746+1.4%
60Erath County19,535+5.1%
61Maverick County18,991+2.9%
62Hood County18,782+1.3%
63Val Verde County18,355-2%
64Titus County17,991+3.1%
65Burnet County17,073+1.6%
66Navarro County16,809+2.1%
67Washington County16,712+0.4%
68Cooke County16,662+0.8%
69Wharton County16,194-1.3%
70Brown County15,574-1.7%
71Coryell County15,171+1.4%
72Starr County15,052+2.1%
73Cherokee County14,947+0.2%
74Hopkins County14,697+2.4%
75Jim Wells County14,627-2.6%
76Atascosa County14,535+1.2%
77Austin County13,541+2%
78Rusk County13,308+1.6%
79Polk County13,150+2.6%
80Calhoun County13,054-7.3%
81Moore County12,962+1.5%
82Van Zandt County12,908+0.7%
83Gillespie County12,576+0.8%
84Hardin County12,194-0%
84Kleberg County12,194+2.2%
86Howard County11,977-6.3%
87Hill County11,848+2.7%
88Matagorda County11,495+2.6%
89Medina County11,400+5%
90Caldwell County11,130+7.5%
91Hale County10,840-0.2%
92Wood County10,735+1.2%
93Uvalde County9,739+0.1%
94Wilson County9,592+0.1%
95Fayette County9,376-0.1%
96Jasper County9,028-0.5%
97Fannin County8,995+3.5%
98Hockley County8,939+0.7%
99Shelby County8,789+1.3%
100Limestone County8,650-0.8%
101Palo Pinto County8,545+2.6%
102Bee County8,476+0.3%
103Grimes County8,470+6.2%
104Deaf Smith County8,262-1.6%
105Lee County8,011+2.1%
106Reeves County7,958+3.1%
107Cass County7,925+1.9%
108Andrews County7,833+1.6%
109Upshur County7,790+0.5%
110Panola County7,710+1.4%
111Hutchinson County7,708+0.8%
112Houston County7,667+0.6%
113Gray County7,622+1.2%
114Colorado County7,4930%
115Gonzales County7,340+2.2%
116Gaines County7,244+7.4%
117Carson County7,046+3%
118Young County6,974-0.5%
119DeWitt County6,959+1.9%
120Scurry County6,621+3.6%
121Parmer County6,490-0%
122Frio County6,381-1.9%
123Ward County6,374-2.2%
124Aransas County6,201-0.7%
125Leon County6,189+5.8%
126Nolan County6,177-0.7%
127Karnes County6,162-0.3%
128Milam County6,149+2.1%
129Wilbarger County6,027+0.1%
130Lavaca County5,987-2.6%
131Lampasas County5,803+11.6%
132Eastland County5,756-0.8%
133Llano County5,721+1.1%
134Dimmit County5,669-2.3%
135Robertson County5,641-11%
136Pecos County5,419+0.9%
137Jackson County5,356-4.9%
138Burleson County5,127+9.5%
139Freestone County5,062+2.6%
140Montague County4,821-2.1%
141Dallam County4,788-1.6%
142Brewster County4,529+0.1%
143Comanche County4,416-1.3%
144Madison County4,379+1.6%
145Willacy County4,249-1.1%
146Winkler County4,223+1.9%
147Dawson County4,115-0.7%
148Blanco County4,106+0.3%
149Tyler County4,091+0.3%
150Ochiltree County4,086-0.9%
151Lamb County4,078+3.6%
152Camp County4,000+4.9%
153Upton County3,904-1.8%
154Bandera County3,868+5.1%
155Somervell County3,820-3.9%
156Bosque County3,789-7.1%
157Duval County3,706+0.9%
158Franklin County3,694+1.3%
159Live Oak County3,609-2.9%
160Stephens County3,309+1.7%
161Morris County3,278-3%
162Jones County3,269+7%
163La Salle County3,240+3.3%
164Yoakum County3,194-5.4%
165Terry County3,097-0.6%
166Runnels County3,090+1.4%
167Callahan County3,043+2.4%
168Falls County3,030+3.5%
169Childress County3,019+5.2%
170Zapata County2,954+4.8%
171Castro County2,927+15%
172Hartley County2,868+7.3%
173Hamilton County2,829-1.7%
174Martin County2,728+16.5%
175Red River County2,719+1.9%
176San Jacinto County2,490+0.9%
177Sabine County2,442+0.2%
178Trinity County2,433+3.3%
179Bailey County2,412+0.8%
180Zavala County2,268-6.9%
181Rains County2,259-3.4%
182McCulloch County2,210-3.8%
183Marion County2,203-2.7%
184Jack County2,194-4.7%
185Brooks County2,173-1%
186Refugio County2,158-4.6%
187Mitchell County2,152+6.5%
188Coleman County2,132-1.8%
189Hansford County2,095-1.1%
190Presidio County2,066-0.8%
191San Augustine County1,979-1.7%
192Archer County1,918+1.4%
193Swisher County1,790-2.4%
194Wheeler County1,684-2%
195Jim Hogg County1,679+2.7%
196Clay County1,677+3.5%
197Reagan County1,642-4.8%
198Culberson County1,589+2.7%
199Baylor County1,586+1.7%
200San Saba County1,560-1.8%
201Floyd County1,524+4.4%
202Lynn County1,498+0.6%
203Haskell County1,494+0.3%
204Goliad County1,392+0.9%
205Mills County1,364+5.8%
206Garza County1,361-16.7%
207Hardeman County1,357+3.3%
208Crane County1,336+2.3%
209Crockett County1,325+3.8%
210Hemphill County1,289-5.9%
211Newton County1,211-3.7%
212Shackelford County1,209-6.4%
213Lipscomb County1,182-4.1%
214Kimble County1,170-4.2%
215Sutton County1,134-1.6%
216Hudspeth County1,133-11.6%
217Mason County1,110-4.1%
218Sherman County1,090-3.7%
219Knox County1,089+3.1%
220Crosby County1,060-4.8%
221Concho County1,046+0.8%
222Kinney County987+4.2%
223Delta County985+2.9%
224Loving County953+23.4%
225Glasscock County948+16.7%
226Oldham County903+5.4%
227Donley County899-2.4%
228Coke County871-20.4%
229Real County840+8%
230Jeff Davis County829-2.4%
231Fisher County818-1.4%
232Cottle County811-2.3%
233Irion County794+0.8%
234Collingsworth County786-3.7%
235Hall County738-3.1%
236Armstrong County733+41.5%
237Stonewall County724-3.9%
238Schleicher County7110%
239Cochran County685-7.7%
240McMullen County538-5.3%
241Dickens County530+13%
242Sterling County519+3.6%
243Edwards County491-12.6%
244Menard County432+1.2%
245Throckmorton County395-6%
246Foard County388-2.8%
247Kent County380+7%
248Briscoe County373+4.5%
249Borden County345-16.3%
250Motley County3050%

Showing the top 250 of 254. The Excel download has every row.

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Texas by covered employment (QCEW), 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Texas by covered employment (QCEW), 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/texas-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Texas by covered employment (QCEW), 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/texas-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Texas by covered employment (QCEW), 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/texas-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_texas_by_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Texas by covered employment (QCEW), 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/texas-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Texas by covered employment (QCEW), 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/texas-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/texas-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Harris County, with 2,458,604 jobs in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Roberts County, with 170 jobs in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Texas: more rankings