Counties in Texas by unemployment rate

Starr County had the highest unemployment rate of 254 counties in December 2025, at 9.3%. Loving County had the lowest, at 0.3%. The median was 3.6% and the figure for Texas was 4.3%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest9.3Starr County
Lowest0.3Loving County
Median3.6254 counties
Texas4.3History

Top 40 counties, December 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

Starr CountyStarr County: 9.3 %9.3Maverick CountyMaverick County: 8.6 %8.6Kenedy CountyKenedy County: 7.3 %7.3Dimmit CountyDimmit County: 6.8 %6.8Cameron CountyCameron County: 6.6 %6.6Zavala CountyZavala County: 6.6 %6.6Hidalgo CountyHidalgo County: 6.4 %6.4Sabine CountySabine County: 6.4 %6.4Zapata CountyZapata County: 6.4 %6.4Willacy CountyWillacy County: 6.3 %6.3McMullen CountyMcMullen County: 6.2 %6.2Newton CountyNewton County: 6.1 %6.1Jasper CountyJasper County: 5.8 %5.8Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 5.7 %5.7Marion CountyMarion County: 5.7 %5.7Presidio CountyPresidio County: 5.6 %5.6Matagorda CountyMatagorda County: 5.5 %5.5Morris CountyMorris County: 5.5 %5.5San Augustine CountySan Augustine County: 5.5 %5.5Liberty CountyLiberty County: 5.3 %5.3Tyler CountyTyler County: 5.3 %5.3Frio CountyFrio County: 5.2 %5.2San Patricio CountySan Patricio County: 5.1 %5.1Chambers CountyChambers County: 5 %5Waller CountyWaller County: 5 %5Sutton CountySutton County: 4.9 %4.9Trinity CountyTrinity County: 4.9 %4.9Val Verde CountyVal Verde County: 4.9 %4.9Eastland CountyEastland County: 4.8 %4.8Jim Wells CountyJim Wells County: 4.8 %4.8San Jacinto CountySan Jacinto County: 4.8 %4.8Shelby CountyShelby County: 4.8 %4.8Jack CountyJack County: 4.7 %4.7Live Oak CountyLive Oak County: 4.7 %4.7Aransas CountyAransas County: 4.6 %4.6Cass CountyCass County: 4.6 %4.6Freestone CountyFreestone County: 4.6 %4.6Panola CountyPanola County: 4.6 %4.6Polk CountyPolk County: 4.6 %4.6Refugio CountyRefugio County: 4.6 %4.6
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesDecember 2025 (%)Change on December 2024
1Starr County9.3-0.8 pts
2Maverick County8.6+1 pts
3Kenedy County7.3-2.6 pts
4Dimmit County6.8+0.7 pts
5Cameron County6.6+1.6 pts
5Zavala County6.6+0.6 pts
7Hidalgo County6.4+0.3 pts
7Sabine County6.4+0.5 pts
7Zapata County6.4-1.1 pts
10Willacy County6.3+1.4 pts
11McMullen County6.2+1 pts
12Newton County6.1-0.3 pts
13Jasper County5.8-0.1 pts
14Jefferson County5.7+0.1 pts
14Marion County5.7+0.4 pts
16Presidio County5.6-0.2 pts
17Matagorda County5.50 pts
17Morris County5.5+0.3 pts
17San Augustine County5.5+0.8 pts
20Liberty County5.3+0.3 pts
20Tyler County5.3-0.5 pts
22Frio County5.2-2.9 pts
23San Patricio County5.1+0.7 pts
24Chambers County5+0.4 pts
24Waller County5+0.5 pts
26Sutton County4.9-0.5 pts
26Trinity County4.9+0.3 pts
26Val Verde County4.9-1.4 pts
29Eastland County4.8+0.1 pts
29Jim Wells County4.80 pts
29San Jacinto County4.8-0.1 pts
29Shelby County4.8+0.6 pts
33Jack County4.7-0.4 pts
33Live Oak County4.7+0.4 pts
35Aransas County4.6+0.5 pts
35Cass County4.60 pts
35Freestone County4.6+0.4 pts
35Panola County4.6+0.1 pts
35Polk County4.60 pts
35Refugio County4.6+0.3 pts
41Brazoria County4.5+0.3 pts
41Camp County4.5+0.4 pts
41Orange County4.5+0.1 pts
41Roberts County4.5-0.3 pts
45Coryell County4.4+0.3 pts
45Goliad County4.4+0.3 pts
45Throckmorton County4.4+0.3 pts
45Wood County4.4+0.1 pts
49Bee County4.3-0.2 pts
49Bell County4.3+0.2 pts
49Cherokee County4.3+0.4 pts
49DeWitt County4.3+0.1 pts
49Garza County4.3-1.6 pts
49Grimes County4.3+0.4 pts
49Harris County4.3+0.1 pts
49Hemphill County4.3+0.1 pts
49Motley County4.3+0.9 pts
49Navarro County4.3+0.2 pts
49Red River County4.3+0.1 pts
49Smith County4.3+0.8 pts
49Uvalde County4.3+0.5 pts
62Angelina County4.2+0.3 pts
62Atascosa County4.2+0.4 pts
62Galveston County4.2+0.1 pts
62Gregg County4.2-0.3 pts
62Hardin County4.20 pts
62Harrison County4.2-0.5 pts
62Henderson County4.2+0.1 pts
62Kleberg County4.2+0.3 pts
62La Salle County4.2-1.7 pts
62Schleicher County4.2-0.1 pts
62Wharton County4.2+0.2 pts
73Duval County4.1-0.9 pts
73Fannin County4.1+0.8 pts
73Fort Bend County4.1+0.3 pts
73Nueces County4.1+0.3 pts
73Real County4.1+0.2 pts
73Terry County4.1+0.7 pts
79Delta County4-0.1 pts
79El Paso County4+0.2 pts
79Houston County40 pts
79Jackson County4+0.3 pts
79Lamar County4+0.4 pts
79Limestone County4-0.1 pts
79Madison County4-0.3 pts
79McCulloch County4+0.2 pts
79Nacogdoches County4+0.3 pts
79Rusk County4-0.2 pts
79Somervell County4+0.1 pts
79Upshur County4-0.2 pts
79Webb County4+0.2 pts
92Anderson County3.90 pts
92Brooks County3.9+0.1 pts
92Hood County3.90 pts
92Hunt County3.9+0.2 pts
92Jeff Davis County3.9-0.5 pts
92Jim Hogg County3.9-0.6 pts
92Kaufman County3.9+0.2 pts
92Lampasas County3.9+0.2 pts
92Medina County3.9+0.1 pts
92Milam County3.9-0.1 pts
92Stephens County3.90 pts
92Victoria County3.9+0.2 pts
92Walker County3.9+0.3 pts
105Bosque County3.8+0.3 pts
105Bowie County3.80 pts
105Dallas County3.80 pts
105Dawson County3.80 pts
105Gray County3.8+0.4 pts
105Hamilton County3.80 pts
105Hutchinson County3.8-0.1 pts
105Karnes County3.80 pts
105Montague County3.8-0.1 pts
105Montgomery County3.8+0.1 pts
105Pecos County3.8+0.3 pts
105Robertson County3.8-0.2 pts
105Titus County3.8+0.3 pts
118Austin County3.7+0.3 pts
118Bandera County3.7+0.2 pts
118Bexar County3.7+0.2 pts
118Falls County3.7-0.1 pts
118Hale County3.7+0.3 pts
118Kinney County3.7-0.4 pts
118Van Zandt County3.70 pts
125Brown County3.6+0.4 pts
125Collin County3.6+0.2 pts
125Donley County3.6-0.3 pts
125Ellis County3.6+0.2 pts
125Floyd County3.6-0.1 pts
125Grayson County3.6+0.1 pts
125Hill County3.6+0.1 pts
125Llano County3.6-0.1 pts
125McLennan County3.6+0.2 pts
125Palo Pinto County3.60 pts
125Tarrant County3.60 pts
125Wilson County3.6+0.4 pts
137Bailey County3.5+0.1 pts
137Calhoun County3.5+0.7 pts
137Clay County3.5+0.2 pts
137Crosby County3.5-0.4 pts
137Dickens County3.5-0.4 pts
137Ector County3.5+0.2 pts
137Guadalupe County3.5+0.2 pts
137Hall County3.5-1.1 pts
137Haskell County3.5-0.1 pts
137Hockley County3.50 pts
137Kent County3.5-0.1 pts
137Leon County3.5-0.1 pts
137Mason County3.5+0.1 pts
137Rains County3.5+0.2 pts
137Reagan County3.5-0.5 pts
137Scurry County3.5+0.1 pts
137Swisher County3.5-0.1 pts
137Wichita County3.5+0.1 pts
155Burnet County3.4+0.2 pts
155Comal County3.4+0.2 pts
155Denton County3.40 pts
155Fayette County3.4-0.1 pts
155Franklin County3.40 pts
155Howard County3.4+0.3 pts
155Irion County3.4+0.8 pts
155Johnson County3.4+0.1 pts
155Rockwall County3.4+0.2 pts
155Washington County3.40 pts
155Wilbarger County3.4+0.2 pts
155Yoakum County3.40 pts
167Blanco County3.3+0.2 pts
167Borden County3.3-0.3 pts
167Caldwell County3.3+0.1 pts
167Colorado County3.3+0.1 pts
167Concho County3.3+0.3 pts
167Gonzales County3.30 pts
167Hudspeth County3.3-0.3 pts
167Lee County3.3+0.3 pts
167Mills County3.3+0.6 pts
167Nolan County3.30 pts
167Reeves County3.3-0.5 pts
167Williamson County3.30 pts
167Wise County3.30 pts
180Bastrop County3.20 pts
180Burleson County3.20 pts
180Cochran County3.2-0.3 pts
180Coleman County3.2+0.2 pts
180Hays County3.2+0.1 pts
180Kendall County3.2+0.3 pts
180Kimble County3.2-0.1 pts
180Lynn County3.2+0.3 pts
180Menard County3.2+0.5 pts
180San Saba County3.20 pts
180Shackelford County3.2+0.3 pts
180Sterling County3.2+0.4 pts
180Winkler County3.20 pts
193Archer County3.1-0.2 pts
193Brazos County3.1+0.2 pts
193Cooke County3.1+0.1 pts
193Deaf Smith County3.1+0.1 pts
193Erath County3.10 pts
193Hansford County3.1+0.1 pts
193Jones County3.1+0.2 pts
193Lamb County3.1-0.1 pts
193Lubbock County3.10 pts
193Parker County3.10 pts
193Potter County3.1+0.1 pts
193Taylor County3.1+0.2 pts
193Travis County3.1-0.1 pts
206Comanche County3+0.2 pts
206Culberson County3+0.4 pts
206Kerr County3+0.1 pts
206Lavaca County3+0.1 pts
206Lipscomb County30 pts
206Oldham County3-0.3 pts
206Terrell County3-0.7 pts
206Tom Green County30 pts
206Ward County3-0.1 pts
206Wheeler County3-0.2 pts
206Young County3-0.1 pts
217Andrews County2.9+0.3 pts
217Briscoe County2.9-0.5 pts
217Callahan County2.90 pts
217Fisher County2.9+0.2 pts
217Hardeman County2.9+0.1 pts
217Hopkins County2.90 pts
217Martin County2.9+0.3 pts
217Midland County2.9+0.2 pts
217Runnels County2.9-0.3 pts
226Baylor County2.8+0.1 pts
226Collingsworth County2.8-0.3 pts
226Crockett County2.8-0.5 pts
226Gaines County2.8-0.1 pts
226Gillespie County2.8+0.2 pts
226Hartley County2.8+0.1 pts
226Knox County2.8-0.4 pts
226Moore County2.8+0.1 pts
226Ochiltree County2.80 pts
235Armstrong County2.7+0.1 pts
235Mitchell County2.70 pts
237Brewster County2.60 pts
237Carson County2.6+0.1 pts
237Coke County2.6+0.6 pts
237Randall County2.6+0.1 pts
237Sherman County2.6-0.1 pts
242Childress County2.5+0.1 pts
242Crane County2.50 pts
244Castro County2.40 pts
244Dallam County2.4-0.1 pts
244Edwards County2.4-0.8 pts
244Foard County2.4-0.8 pts
244Parmer County2.40 pts
249Glasscock County2.3-0.4 pts
249King County2.30 pts

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

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Rank Counties in Texas by unemployment rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Starr County, with 9.3% in December 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Loving County, with 0.3% in December 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, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in Texas: more rankings