Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Austin-Round Rock, TX MSA — September 2026
Austin holds its edge as national hiring momentum cools.
Austin-Round Rock's 3.7% unemployment rate continues to undercut both the 4.2% national and 4.4% Texas rates even as U.S. payroll growth slowed to just 29,000 in September, with the metro's advantage increasingly concentrated in skilled trades and healthcare rather than spread evenly across sectors.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 3.7% — vs 4.2% national, 4.4% Texas (Aug 2026)
- National payroll growth: 29,000 — Sept 2026, down from 45k/mo 12-mo avg
- National wage growth: 3.0% — Below 3.4% CPI; weakest since May 2021
- Texas WARN-affected workers: 14,592 — Down 45% vs 2025, statewide 2026 total
Key takeaways
Austin keeps outrunning the nation, but the gap is narrowing.
Metro unemployment at 3.7% remains well under the national 4.2% and Texas's 4.4%, yet national payroll growth of just 29,000 in September with a combined 60,000 jobs of downward revisions suggests the cushion between Austin and the broader economy may be thinning. Local momentum built on data center and semiconductor investment has so far insulated the metro, but that insulation depends on continued capital commitments holding steady.
Skilled trades and healthcare pay is pulling away from office roles.
Electrician ($73,029, up moderate), HVAC Technician ($72,800, up moderate), and Registered Nurse ($95,997, up moderate) advertised pay is rising locally while Operations Manager ($79,007) and Warehouse Manager ($70,237) both show significant declines. That divergence is consistent with a broader national pattern of hands-on sector strength against white-collar softness, suggesting the metro's labor market tightness is concentrated rather than uniform.
Construction wage softness contrasts with construction job growth.
Texas construction employment grew 5.1% over the year, well above the national pace, yet metro Construction Laborer advertised pay fell moderately to $39,312. Rising headcount alongside softening entry-level pay may suggest employers are filling roles through expanded labor supply rather than through wage competition, a dynamic worth watching as a leading indicator of slack building in that trade.
Public-sector stability locally stands apart from national government cuts.
National data show government payrolls down 17,000 in September, extending a 216,000 decline over the past year, while Austin's public-sector employment has shown no comparable contraction signal in available data. That contrast matters for regional economists assessing whether Austin's public payroll — anchored by state government and the university system — functions as a stabilizing force the national trend does not offer.
Median advertised pay by role — Austin-Round Rock, TX MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $27,040 | $33,280 | $36,400 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $26,228 | $31,200 | $33,280 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $32,862 | $37,440 | $39,520 | Stable | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $54,080 | $74,955 | $84,805 | Stable | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $31,764 | $36,199 | $39,757 | Stable | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $35,260 | $39,312 | $42,640 | Moderate decline | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $57,634 | $73,029 | $80,080 | Moderate increase | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $33,042 | $38,480 | $41,600 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $34,774 | $38,925 | $43,035 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $28,940 | $33,798 | $36,982 | Moderate decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $34,979 | $40,560 | $43,160 | Stable | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $34,869 | $42,999 | $48,302 | Stable | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $61,784 | $72,800 | $78,688 | Moderate increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $81,468 | $95,997 | $103,945 | Moderate increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $118,000 | $156,806 | $174,903 | Stable | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer | $99,876 | $142,854 | $159,118 | Moderate increase | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $59,504 | $72,063 | $81,500 | Significant increase | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $73,565 | $92,411 | $101,623 | Moderate increase | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $56,072 | $78,109 | $84,680 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $49,293 | $61,620 | $72,500 | Stable | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager | $66,066 | $79,007 | $89,988 | Significant decline | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $39,520 | $59,389 | $63,611 | Moderate increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $67,500 | $97,137 | $116,601 | Significant increase | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $48,368 | $70,237 | $81,507 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $77,904 | $93,075 | $106,120 | Stable | $98,279 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $77,407 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $123,749 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $50,960 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $70,432 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $130,178 | Significant increase | Moderate decline |
| Financial Activities | $106,723 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $95,000 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $73,652 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $36,000 | Stable | Stable |
| Government | $66,841 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market conditions
Austin-Round Rock's unemployment rate held at 3.7% in August, well below both the 4.1% national rate and Texas's 4.4% statewide figure, even as national payroll growth cooled sharply to 29,000 jobs in September with downward revisions to July and August. Metro expansion continues to broaden beyond its traditional tech base, with healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy investment — anchored by Tesla's Gigafactory, Samsung's Taylor semiconductor buildout, and Oracle's relocated headquarters — sustaining momentum while national wage growth slips to its slowest pace since May 2021.
What it means
Austin's unemployment gap versus the nation (3.7% vs 4.2%) and its continued industrial diversification signal a local economy still absorbing labor demand even as national hiring decelerates, a divergence that matters for commercial investment timing and public revenue forecasting alike. Advertised wage softening in several metro roles — Operations Manager down significantly, Warehouse Manager down significantly — alongside strength in Electrician, HVAC Technician, and Registered Nurse pay points to a local economy rewarding skilled trades and healthcare delivery over administrative layers. Current conditions suggest commerce leaders and economic development officials should track sector-level divergence rather than headline job counts when assessing whether the metro's momentum is broad-based or concentrated in a handful of industries.
Looking ahead
Expected release: BLS September metro-level data has not yet published as of this writing; watch for the early-October release to confirm whether Austin's unemployment advantage over the state and nation held or narrowed.
Emerging pressure point: National wage growth of 3.0% now trails inflation at 3.4%, the first such inversion since 2021. Track whether Austin's historically stronger local wage growth (averaging 4.2% annually) is sufficient to keep local purchasing power ahead of CPI as the national trend shifts.
Worth watching: Texas manufacturers report labor supply as a binding constraint, with nearly half citing insufficient applicants and wage expectations exceeding offers. Monitor whether Samsung's Taylor expansion and related semiconductor investment intensify that constraint specifically in the Austin-Round Rock corridor.
Potential inflection point: Texas WARN filings are down 45% in affected workers year-over-year statewide, but national WARN activity shows elevated notices from large employers including Amazon, Meta, and Oracle. Given Oracle's relocated headquarters presence in Austin, any shift in that company's national workforce posture bears watching for local spillover.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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