Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released monthly state employment statistics for April 2013, and Texas once again dominates in all the usual metrics—immediate job creation, long-term job growth, and unemployment. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Texas had the largest month-over-month employment increase of any state (+33,100); 
  • Texas had the largest year-over-year increase of any state (+326,100);
  • Texas’ unemployment rate: 6.4 percent. The U.S. average: 7.5 percent; and
  • “All major industries in Texas added jobs over the last 12 months and our civilian labor force is at an all-time high with more than 12.7 million workers.” – Texas Workforce Chairman Andres Alcantar.

Texas is obviously doing quite well from a job creation perspective, but how does this compare to other states? Let’s take a look.

In April 2013, Texas created more than 3 times the amount of jobs that California did, 33,100 versus 10,300 respectively. This comes in spite of the fact that Texas’ population base and workforce are significantly smaller.

 

 

On an annual basis, Texas again is outpacing California on job growth, 326,100 versus 273,100 respectively.

 

 

Among the five most populous states in the nation—California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and New York—Texas again comes out on top, outpacing California by a comfortable margin and outpacing combined job creation in Florida, Illinois, and New York.

 

 

 

 

For April 2013, Texas’ unemployment rate, 6.4 percent, is more than a full percentage point below the national average, 7.5 percent. This marks the 76th consecutive month that the state’s unemployment rate has been at or below the national average.

 

 

 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

 

The data clearly shows the power of conservative governance—jobs are up, unemployment is down, and the state as a whole is prospering. Texas is obviously well-positioned to remain America’s economic engine for the foreseeable future, but it ought not rest on its laurels and expect this kind of success to continue automatically, lest last month’s employment report become more than a blip.

To keep Texas competitive and moving forward on the road to prosperity, lawmakers need to take pro-active measures, like cutting taxes, keeping spending down, and making sure that we have a significant cushion in the rainy day fund. They have done a decent job of this so far this session, but staying America’s jobs leader requires more than moderate reforms. It requires bold action.