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Texas jobless rate at 5.2 percent for September

The Texas unemployment rate slipped to 5.2 percent in September. The Texas Workforce Commission on Friday announced that compares to the August statewide jobless rate of 5.3 percent.

“With so much consistent expansion and hundreds of thousands of jobs added year-over-year, Texas employers should be proud of the tremendous growth they have been able to achieve here,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Hope Andrade.

"The Texas economy, from our employers across all major industries to our skilled and dedicated workers, continues to perform at a record pace," said Andres Alcantar, TWC chairman. "With a record setting 413,700 jobs added over the year, and our labor force surpassing the 13 million milestone, our state shows how partnerships and a strong business climate fuel job growth for the people of Texas."

The nationwide unemployment rate for September was 5.9 percent, a six-year low. The Texas economy added 36,400 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs last month. The seasonally adjusted civilian labor force population in Texas topped 13 million for the first time in September.

Statewide the numbers broke down this way. The unemployment rate in the metro Waco area fell to 5.0 percent in September from 5.6 percent in August. In September 2013 the rate was 6.0 percent. The jobless rate in the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood area fell from 6.3 percent in August to 5.9 percent in September. In September 2013, it was 7.2 percent. The Midland area had the lowest September jobless rate statewide at 2.6 percent. Unemployment in neighboring Odessa stood at 3.1 percent last month. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area had the state's highest jobless rate in September at 8.5 percent.  Houston's job engine keeps on chugging. Area employers added 119,400 jobs over the past 12 months, for a gain of 4.3 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday.