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Economy · BLS QCEW

Austin-area jobs and wages, by county

Private employers in the five metro counties reported 1,114,621 jobs at the end of Q1 2026, up 1.0% from a year earlier. Counts come from the unemployment-insurance filings behind the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.

Five-county private employment

All private industries, five metro counties

Private employment, five Austin-metro counties ran 899K in Q1 2020 and 1.11M in Q1 2026 — up 24.0% across 25 observations. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (dataset QCEW, private ownership). Employment in the third month of each quarter.

Show the 25 observations behind this chart
Private employment, five Austin-metro counties, Q1 2020 to Q1 2026. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (dataset QCEW, private ownership).
PeriodJobs
Q1 2020899K
Q2 2020833K
Q3 2020852K
Q4 2020888K
Q1 2021894K
Q2 2021933K
Q3 2021951K
Q4 2021990K
Q1 2022999K
Q2 20221.03M
Q3 20221.04M
Q4 20221.06M
Q1 20231.06M
Q2 20231.08M
Q3 20231.07M
Q4 20231.09M
Q1 20241.06M
Q2 20241.08M
Q3 20241.07M
Q4 20241.09M
Q1 20251.10M
Q2 20251.11M
Q3 20251.11M
Q4 20251.13M
Q1 20261.11M
Q1 2020Q1 2026

As of — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (dataset QCEW, private ownership). Not seasonally adjusted.

Leisure and hospitality, five metro counties

Leisure and hospitality employment, five Austin-metro counties ran 132K in Q1 2020 and 151K in Q1 2026 — up 14.8% across 25 observations. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (dataset QCEW, private ownership). Arts, entertainment and recreation (71) plus accommodation and food services (72).

Show the 25 observations behind this chart
Leisure and hospitality employment, five Austin-metro counties, Q1 2020 to Q1 2026. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (dataset QCEW, private ownership).
PeriodJobs
Q1 2020132K
Q2 202098K
Q3 2020101K
Q4 2020108K
Q1 2021110K
Q2 2021122K
Q3 2021123K
Q4 2021128K
Q1 2022130K
Q2 2022139K
Q3 2022139K
Q4 2022139K
Q1 2023144K
Q2 2023149K
Q3 2023145K
Q4 2023145K
Q1 2024147K
Q2 2024150K
Q3 2024147K
Q4 2024149K
Q1 2025150K
Q2 2025152K
Q3 2025149K
Q4 2025150K
Q1 2026151K
Q1 2020Q1 2026

As of — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (dataset QCEW, private ownership). Not seasonally adjusted.

All private industries, Q1 2026

All private industries: private-sector employment, change from Q1 2025, establishments and average weekly wage, by county. Source: BLS QCEW. "Suppressed" means BLS withheld the figure to protect employer confidentiality.
CountyJobsvs year earlierEstablishmentsAvg weekly wage
Travis791,963+0.4%50,499$2,152
Williamson212,818+2.9%15,820$2,042
Hays82,473+2.3%6,350$1,063
Bastrop18,790+3.7%1,804$1,053
Caldwell8,577-3.4%824$1,134

Leisure and hospitality (NAICS 71, 72), Q1 2026

Leisure and hospitality (NAICS 71, 72): private-sector employment, change from Q1 2025, establishments and average weekly wage, by county. Source: BLS QCEW. "Suppressed" means BLS withheld the figure to protect employer confidentiality.
CountyJobsvs year earlierEstablishmentsAvg weekly wage
Travis100,729-0.4%4,624$727
Williamson30,475+1.2%1,512$546
Hays14,621+7.3%724$467
Bastrop4,034+7.6%203$531
Caldwell1,246-20.2%101$570

Professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 54), Q1 2026

Professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 54): private-sector employment, change from Q1 2025, establishments and average weekly wage, by county. Source: BLS QCEW. "Suppressed" means BLS withheld the figure to protect employer confidentiality.
CountyJobsvs year earlierEstablishmentsAvg weekly wage
Travis124,186-3.4%11,794$3,468
Williamson21,272+6.0%2,967$3,799
Hays3,870-10.0%948$1,897
Bastrop744+0.8%183$2,026
Caldwell397+33.7%61$2,183

Construction (NAICS 23), Q1 2026

Construction (NAICS 23): private-sector employment, change from Q1 2025, establishments and average weekly wage, by county. Source: BLS QCEW. "Suppressed" means BLS withheld the figure to protect employer confidentiality.
CountyJobsvs year earlierEstablishmentsAvg weekly wage
Travis53,401+2.5%3,296$1,826
Williamson24,240+9.5%1,717$1,619
Hays7,898+5.3%737$1,441
Bastrop1,920-7.7%293$1,299
Caldwell1,486-1.6%131$1,773

Where these numbers come from

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Data as of September 30, 2026; retrieved September 30, 2026. Updated quarterly, about 5 months after quarter end. BLS public domain; cite BLS.Ownership 0 (all) at county total and 5 (private) at total, supersector (agglvl 73) and 2-digit sector (74); 6-digit industries not loaded. Cells suppressed for confidentiality have null wages/employment (disclosure_code N). Latest quarter is preliminary and revised; NAICS vintage changes (2007, 2012, 2017, 2022) break some sector series. Latest loaded: 2026Q1
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance at the employer's worksite county, so a Williamson County resident who works in Travis County is counted in Travis. Self-employed workers are not included. The newest quarter is preliminary and is revised.

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