Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Tyler, TX MSA — October 2026
Tyler unemployment falls as its labor force shrinks
Tyler metro unemployment eased to 4.0% in September even as the civilian labor force contracted to 121,700, a tightening-supply pattern echoing the statewide stall in Texas labor force growth to just 3,600 net new participants over the year.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Tyler metro unemployment: 4.0% — Down from 4.2% in August; below 4.2% US rate
- Tyler civilian labor force: 121,700 — Down from 123,000 in August
- Texas annual job growth: 1.1% — vs Tyler metro's 0.7% annual pace
- Texas labor force growth: 3,600 net new (12 mo.) — Near-stall vs. historical state trend
Key takeaways
Tyler's labor force is shrinking while unemployment falls.
Civilian labor force dropped from 123,000 in August to 121,700 in September even as the jobless rate improved to 4.0%, meaning fewer people are in the labor market even as the rate improves. That combination caps how fast the metro can grow without wage inflation accelerating faster than it already has.
Manufacturing pay gains mirror the state's energy and export story.
Local manufacturing production worker pay rose significantly to a metro median of $41,600, consistent with the statewide pattern of manufacturing strength tied to oil/gas activity and AI-related construction. Tyler appears to be capturing part of a trend playing out across Texas.
Healthcare wage momentum outpaces the broader metro.
Registered nurse pay climbed significantly to $94,630 locally, tracking the national pattern of healthcare leading private-sector hiring demand. Given the sector's weight in Tyler's economy as a regional medical hub, this momentum carries more signal for overall metro wage trajectory than a single-sector data point would elsewhere.
Declining advertised pay in HVAC and operations roles bears watching.
HVAC technician pay fell significantly to $59,874 even as the national figure rose, and operations manager pay softened to $82,583 against a stable national median — a local divergence from otherwise upward state and national wage trends. Isolated softness in trade and management roles alongside strength in healthcare and manufacturing points to uneven capacity across the metro's sectors.
Median advertised pay by role — Tyler, TX MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,880 | $27,560 | $32,268 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $22,880 | $26,000 | $27,118 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $29,196 | $31,200 | $34,320 | Moderate decline | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $57,423 | $80,593 | $90,000 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $28,760 | $35,169 | $39,000 | Stable | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $31,200 | $34,674 | $36,400 | Moderate increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $60,910 | $71,010 | $72,436 | Significant increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $31,707 | $41,600 | $45,614 | Significant increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $28,923 | $35,339 | $37,440 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,134 | $31,200 | $31,223 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $30,659 | $34,320 | $37,565 | Moderate increase | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $28,666 | $36,774 | $39,520 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $48,492 | $59,874 | $71,624 | Significant decline | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $79,924 | $94,630 | $104,694 | Significant increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $91,211 | $129,858 | $131,929 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $91,773 | $108,540 | $121,932 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $57,367 | $65,552 | $74,594 | Stable | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $68,724 | $85,601 | $86,622 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $64,157 | $77,661 | $87,782 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $43,535 | $61,938 | $66,889 | Significant increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $70,000 | $82,583 | $98,295 | Moderate decline | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $26,714 | $45,517 | $52,436 | Moderate decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $51,277 | $68,500 | $83,519 | Stable | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $48,368 | $70,873 | $85,260 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $74,996 | $80,176 | $90,837 | Moderate increase | $98,302 |
* 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 | $56,493 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $85,500 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $34,320 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $66,624 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $46,464 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $46,176 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $69,796 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $75,304 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,408 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $63,179 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Tyler metro unemployment eased to 4.0% in September, down from 4.2% in August, even as the civilian labor force contracted slightly to 121,700 and monthly employment fell by 1,000 — a pattern consistent with a tightening labor pool amid steady demand. Annual job growth of 0.7% trails the state's 1.1% pace, and the metro's labor force expansion remains constrained by the same demographic and immigration-related headwinds showing up in statewide Dallas Fed data.
What it means
Falling unemployment alongside a shrinking labor force points to a metro where available workers are the binding constraint — a dynamic that matters more for site-selection and expansion planning than for day-to-day workforce management. Wage divergence across the metro's job basket (manufacturing production workers and registered nurses posting significant local gains while HVAC technicians and operations managers see declines) suggests capacity is being allocated unevenly across sectors. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion feasibility should consider whether target sectors sit on the gaining or declining side of this divide before assuming local labor supply will absorb growth.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: October BLS employment data for Tyler releases in November; watch whether the labor force contraction seen in September reverses or deepens, since a continued decline would reinforce labor-supply limits on any expansion plans in the pipeline.
Worth watching: Texas labor force growth has nearly stalled statewide (just 3,600 net new participants over the past year), a structural headwind tied partly to curbed immigration flows. Tyler commerce leaders should track whether this statewide pattern intensifies locally, particularly in construction and manufacturing roles that have historically drawn on that labor pool.
Potential inflection point: Texas WARN notices are down 35% year-over-year statewide, and no major Tyler-specific layoff filings have surfaced this month — a sign of relative stability worth confirming against November TWC releases before treating it as a trend.
Expected: Dallas Fed's downgraded 2026 Texas job growth forecast (0.9%, down from an earlier 2.0% projection) suggests statewide deceleration; watch whether Tyler's historically below-state growth rate (0.7% vs. 1.1%) narrows or widens the gap as that forecast plays out regionally.
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.
Free to read and cite with attribution to WageScape. Terms of use.