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News Release Information

19-386-DAL
Thursday, March 28, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (972) 850-4800

Dallas-Fort Worth Area Employment — February 2019

Total nonfarm employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 3,730,600 in February 2019, up 102,500 over the year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. From February 2018 to February 2019, local nonfarm employment rose 2.8 percent compared to the national rate of 1.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that among the 12 largest metropolitan areas in the country, Dallas ranked second in both the number of jobs added over the year and the annual rate of job growth. (See chart 3 and table 2; the Technical Note at the end of this release contains the metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of two metropolitan divisions – separately identifiable employment centers within the larger metropolitan area. The Dallas-Plano-Irving Metropolitan Division, which accounted for 72 percent of the area’s workforce, added 84,900 jobs from February a year ago, an increase of 3.3 percent. The Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Division, which accounted for the remaining 28 percent of the area’s workforce, added 17,600 jobs during the 12-month period, a gain of 1.7 percent.

Industry employment

Professional and business services added 22,800 jobs in the area from February 2018 to February 2019, the largest gain of any local supersector. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area’s 3.8-percent annual rate of job growth compared to the U.S. increase of 2.6 percent. (See chart 2.) All of the area’s sector growth occurred in the Dallas-Plano-Irving metropolitan division which added 23,000 jobs.

Trade, transportation, and utilities, the metropolitan area’s largest supersector, added 21,400 jobs from February 2018. The 2.8-percent rate of local job growth compared to the national gain of 1.0 percent. Locally, employment rose in all three sub-sectors: transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+8,700); wholesale trade (+7,300); and retail trade (+5,400). Both metropolitan divisions added jobs over the year.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington added 18,800 jobs in leisure and hospitality from February 2018 to February 2019. The local 5.0-percent local annual growth rate was nearly double the national increase of 2.6 percent.

Employment was up 11,700 over the year in education and health services in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington. The area’s 2.6-percent rate of job growth compared to the U.S. rate of 2.1 percent. The Dallas-Plano Irving metropolitan division had a faster rate of growth than Fort Worth-Arlington, 3.3 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.

Five other local sectors had annual job gains ranging from 7,600 to 3,700 from February 2018 to February 2019: financial activities (+7,600), mining, logging, and construction (+7,100), manufacturing (+6,600), government (+5,400), and other services (+3,700). Information was the only local supersector to post a job loss over the year, down 2,600.

Employment in the 12 largest metropolitan areas

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in February  2019. All 12 areas had over-the-year job growth during the period, with the rates of job growth in 6 areas exceeding the national average of 1.7 percent. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale had the fastest rate of job growth, up 3.1 percent, followed by Dallas at 2.8 percent. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua had the slowest rate of job growth, 0.4 percent, followed by Washington-Arlington-Alexandria at 0.6 percent. (See chart 3 and table 2.)

New York-Newark-Jersey City added the largest number of jobs over the year, 107,800, followed by Dallas with 102,500 jobs. Boston had the smallest employment gain over the year, adding 10,200 jobs, followed by Washington with 20,700 jobs. Annual gains in the remaining eight metropolitan areas ranged from 72,600 in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land to 31,100 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington.

Over the year, professional and business services added the most jobs in five areas: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Dallas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward. Education and health services added the most jobs in five other areas: Boston, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, New York, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. Information lost the most jobs in six areas: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami. Phoenix was the only area to experience annual gains in all reporting supersectors from February a year ago.

Metropolitan area employment data for March 2019 are scheduled to be released on Friday, April 19, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).


Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2017 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. CES State and Area employment data are produced using several estimation procedures. Where possible these data are produced using a "weighted link relative" estimation technique in which a ratio of current-month weighted employment to that of the previous-month weighted employment is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are then obtained by multiplying these ratios by the previous month's employment estimates. The weighted link relative technique is utilized for data series where the sample size meets certain statistical criteria.

For some employment series, the sample of establishments is very small or highly variable. In these cases, a model-based approach is used in estimation. These models use the direct sample estimates (described above), combined with forecasts of historical (benchmarked) data to decrease volatility in estimation. Two different models (Fay-Herriot Model and Small Domain Model) are used depending on the industry level being estimated. For more detailed information about each model, refer to the BLS Handbook of Methods.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports that are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months.

Reliability of the estimates. The estimates presented in this release are based on sample surveys, administrative data, and modeling and, thus, are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability–that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data also are subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the specific estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of rounding.

Employment estimates. Measures of sampling error for the total private employment series are available for metropolitan areas and metropolitan divisions at www.bls.gov/sae/additional-resources/reliability-of-state-and-area-estimates.htm. Measures of sampling error for more detailed series at the area and division level are available upon request. Measures of sampling error for states down to the supersector level are available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/sae/additional-resources/reliability-of-state-and-area-estimates.htm. Measures of nonsampling error are not available for the areas contained in this release. Information on recent benchmark revisions is available online at www.bls.gov/web/laus/benchmark.pdf

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the delineations issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, dated April 10, 2018. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise Counties in Texas.

  • The Dallas-Plano-Irving Metropolitan Division includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, and Rockwall Counties in Texas.
  • The Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Division includes Hood, Johnson, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise Counties in Texas.

Additional information

More complete information on the technical procedures used to develop these estimates and additional data appear in Employment and Earnings, which is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. Industry employment data for states and metropolitan areas from the CES program are also available in the above mentioned news releases and from the BLS website at www.bls.gov/sae/.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, United States and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area and its components, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
Area and IndustryFeb.
2018
Dec.
2018
Jan.
2019
Feb.
2019(p)
Feb. 2018 to
Feb. 2019(p)
Net changePercent change

United States

Total nonfarm

146,665151,203148,306149,1332,4681.7

Mining and logging

695753746743486.9

Construction

6,8407,3137,0727,0622223.2

Manufacturing

12,52112,81512,74112,7652441.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

27,19828,51227,70527,4752771.0

Information

2,8072,8392,7692,805-2-0.1

Financial activities

8,4768,6228,5678,5761001.2

Professional and business services

20,46221,34520,85320,9895272.6

Education and health services

23,62024,09223,80124,1124922.1

Leisure and hospitality

15,58816,21315,88015,9994112.6

Other services

5,7615,8595,8115,837761.3

Government

22,69722,84022,36122,770730.3

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area

Total nonfarm

3,628.13,759.23,705.63,730.6102.52.8

Mining, logging, and construction

213.9225.5220.8221.07.13.3

Manufacturing

274.5284.0281.4281.16.62.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

769.2816.4794.3790.621.42.8

Information

83.982.581.481.3-2.6-3.1

Financial activities

299.5305.0305.0307.17.62.5

Professional and business services

604.0622.4617.9626.822.83.8

Education and health services

447.5457.9458.0459.211.72.6

Leisure and hospitality

373.5393.7385.3392.318.85.0

Other services

120.0124.0122.5123.73.73.1

Government

442.1447.8439.0447.55.41.2

Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

2,585.42,679.72,645.12,670.384.93.3

Mining, logging, and construction

140.6149.9146.8148.27.65.4

Manufacturing

177.9182.3180.3180.12.21.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

514.7543.3529.2528.213.52.6

Information

72.571.470.470.4-2.1-2.9

Financial activities

239.1242.4241.7244.15.02.1

Professional and business services

490.4507.5505.1513.423.04.7

Education and health services

311.0318.9320.9321.210.23.3

Leisure and hospitality

255.5270.9265.3272.416.96.6

Other services

81.985.784.785.73.84.6

Government

301.8307.4300.7306.64.81.6

Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

1,042.71,079.51,060.51,060.317.61.7

Mining, logging, and construction

73.375.674.072.8-0.5-0.7

Manufacturing

96.6101.7101.1101.04.44.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

254.5273.1265.1262.47.93.1

Information

11.411.111.010.9-0.5-4.4

Financial activities

60.462.663.363.02.64.3

Professional and business services

113.6114.9112.8113.4-0.2-0.2

Education and health services

136.5139.0137.1138.01.51.1

Leisure and hospitality

118.0122.8120.0119.91.91.6

Other services

38.138.337.838.0-0.1-0.3

Government

140.3140.4138.3140.90.60.4

(p) preliminary


Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, 12 largest metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
Area and IndustryFeb.
2018
Dec.
2018
Jan.
2019
Feb.
2019(p)
Feb. 2018 to
Feb. 2019(p)
Net changePercent change

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Total nonfarm

2,743.02,835.32,788.12,809.566.52.4

Mining and logging

1.71.61.61.6-0.1-5.9

Construction

121.2129.9128.3130.99.78.0

Manufacturing

171.8172.9171.3173.71.91.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

593.7620.3608.1607.914.22.4

Information

99.797.594.393.8-5.9-5.9

Financial activities

172.8175.5172.9173.81.00.6

Professional and business services

512.4539.3521.6530.317.93.5

Education and health services

348.6361.2359.0362.413.84.0

Leisure and hospitality

286.9301.3298.8299.612.74.4

Other services

98.096.894.996.6-1.4-1.4

Government

336.2339.0337.3338.92.70.8

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH

Total nonfarm

2,727.62,786.12,726.82,737.810.20.4

Mining, logging, and construction

107.7115.4110.4110.02.32.1

Manufacturing

186.8189.4188.6187.40.60.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities

420.0435.9424.9417.2-2.8-0.7

Information

80.681.781.281.50.91.1

Financial activities

183.3183.2181.3181.2-2.1-1.1

Professional and business services

485.0502.2491.3492.67.61.6

Education and health services

583.3590.0580.0594.010.71.8

Leisure and hospitality

262.5263.6254.2252.6-9.9-3.8

Other services

101.7103.3102.1102.00.30.3

Government

316.7321.4312.8319.32.60.8

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

Total nonfarm

4,636.64,803.24,693.24,699.663.01.4

Mining and logging

1.41.51.41.40.00.0

Construction

157.1172.9161.4162.04.93.1

Manufacturing

417.0424.5423.7425.18.11.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

934.6987.2956.6946.111.51.2

Information

76.976.275.074.6-2.3-3.0

Financial activities

306.1313.8311.7311.35.21.7

Professional and business services

815.6849.4819.9823.88.21.0

Education and health services

731.6744.5738.0750.318.72.6

Leisure and hospitality

457.7479.7470.8463.86.11.3

Other services

196.0199.6196.3195.2-0.8-0.4

Government

542.6553.9538.4546.03.40.6

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Total nonfarm

3,628.13,759.23,705.63,730.6102.52.8

Mining, logging, and construction

213.9225.5220.8221.07.13.3

Manufacturing

274.5284.0281.4281.16.62.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

769.2816.4794.3790.621.42.8

Information

83.982.581.481.3-2.6-3.1

Financial activities

299.5305.0305.0307.17.62.5

Professional and business services

604.0622.4617.9626.822.83.8

Education and health services

447.5457.9458.0459.211.72.6

Leisure and hospitality

373.5393.7385.3392.318.85.0

Other services

120.0124.0122.5123.73.73.1

Government

442.1447.8439.0447.55.41.2

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

Total nonfarm

3,047.73,137.73,093.43,120.372.62.4

Mining and logging

77.981.080.881.73.84.9

Construction

216.6222.9217.8220.84.21.9

Manufacturing

223.7235.8235.6240.817.17.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

617.4644.7627.6621.64.20.7

Information

31.731.831.130.9-0.8-2.5

Financial activities

162.7164.1164.3165.12.41.5

Professional and business services

487.0500.5495.8504.017.03.5

Education and health services

389.5398.6396.5401.311.83.0

Leisure and hospitality

316.1323.5317.3316.10.00.0

Other services

109.3112.7113.2115.96.66.0

Government

415.8422.1413.4422.16.31.5

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

Total nonfarm

6,128.26,251.06,129.96,171.142.90.7

Mining and logging

2.42.52.42.50.14.2

Construction

247.8250.9245.5246.6-1.2-0.5

Manufacturing

504.6502.7501.2500.2-4.4-0.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,101.61,149.21,114.01,108.06.40.6

Information

255.2248.7238.0239.2-16.0-6.3

Financial activities

341.9342.8336.4335.4-6.5-1.9

Professional and business services

920.8947.8930.7946.225.42.8

Education and health services

1,045.41,068.51,057.71,067.121.72.1

Leisure and hospitality

742.3760.4742.8753.911.61.6

Other services

208.1213.6209.2211.43.31.6

Government

758.1763.9752.0760.62.50.3

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Total nonfarm

2,672.12,740.72,705.92,725.153.02.0

Mining and logging

0.70.70.70.70.00.0

Construction

133.5140.1136.8139.05.54.1

Manufacturing

88.891.789.789.70.91.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

604.8630.1615.8612.37.51.2

Information

51.651.750.951.2-0.4-0.8

Financial activities

182.2187.7183.6185.33.11.7

Professional and business services

440.0455.9454.6458.518.54.2

Education and health services

399.1408.5403.8409.310.22.6

Leisure and hospitality

333.1333.3330.8335.92.80.8

Other services

123.1124.5123.6126.23.12.5

Government

315.2316.5315.6317.01.80.6

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

Total nonfarm

9,671.09,985.79,722.79,778.8107.81.1

Mining, logging, and construction

387.7412.6400.0400.713.03.4

Manufacturing

360.5363.9359.3361.51.00.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,720.21,802.01,743.41,720.70.50.0

Information

290.6292.0284.3287.9-2.7-0.9

Financial activities

772.8779.0770.6769.3-3.5-0.5

Professional and business services

1,531.71,582.71,532.31,541.29.50.6

Education and health services

1,981.42,056.52,013.82,045.764.33.2

Leisure and hospitality

883.3920.3888.8892.18.81.0

Other services

417.7431.2427.2428.110.42.5

Government

1,325.11,345.51,303.01,331.66.50.5

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Total nonfarm

2,900.02,984.72,915.12,931.131.11.1

Mining, logging, and construction

110.3121.2117.7117.26.96.3

Manufacturing

180.2181.7182.0182.01.81.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

515.2539.7521.2516.41.20.2

Information

48.148.447.647.9-0.2-0.4

Financial activities

215.2216.7214.9216.10.90.4

Professional and business services

460.8470.1456.6457.4-3.4-0.7

Education and health services

656.9671.1658.5671.814.92.3

Leisure and hospitality

255.6269.5260.9259.94.31.7

Other services

118.6121.6120.5120.01.41.2

Government

339.1344.7335.2342.43.31.0

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

Total nonfarm

2,093.22,169.52,135.12,157.864.63.1

Mining and logging

3.53.83.73.70.25.7

Construction

119.8130.6130.3131.711.99.9

Manufacturing

126.2131.1130.8131.45.24.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

396.8420.6409.3409.412.63.2

Information

39.139.138.839.20.10.3

Financial activities

191.6193.9192.1193.41.80.9

Professional and business services

349.2366.2358.2359.510.32.9

Education and health services

322.1335.9333.3337.215.14.7

Leisure and hospitality

230.3233.2230.4235.24.92.1

Other services

68.270.370.070.52.33.4

Government

246.4244.8238.2246.60.20.1

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

Total nonfarm

2,406.42,490.32,447.92,462.756.32.3

Mining and logging

0.30.30.30.30.00.0

Construction

122.5127.0124.1126.23.73.0

Manufacturing

142.8144.8142.1142.3-0.5-0.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

374.5394.5380.5377.73.20.9

Information

112.0119.1118.1118.46.45.7

Financial activities

140.3142.3141.2141.81.51.1

Professional and business services

482.7506.9501.0504.621.94.5

Education and health services

354.0363.4359.8365.311.33.2

Leisure and hospitality

267.3277.7271.7275.07.72.9

Other services

86.888.288.087.50.70.8

Government

323.2326.1321.1323.60.40.1

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Total nonfarm

3,268.93,324.63,275.93,289.620.70.6

Mining, logging, and construction

156.1161.5156.6155.9-0.2-0.1

Manufacturing

54.555.253.954.0-0.5-0.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

401.6418.6402.9395.8-5.8-1.4

Information

74.774.673.973.6-1.1-1.5

Financial activities

157.9155.1154.9153.1-4.8-3.0

Professional and business services

751.4764.9762.1764.913.51.8

Education and health services

442.7449.4443.1445.52.80.6

Leisure and hospitality

317.6332.9327.4331.513.94.4

Other services

206.7208.3206.7207.20.50.2

Government

705.7704.1694.4708.12.40.3

(p) preliminary

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, March 28, 2019