Eagle Pass Led Nation in Unemployment Decline, But Rate Remains Above National Rate
By Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2026 Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
Eagle Pass recorded the nation’s largest annual unemployment rate decline in September, 2026, but its rate remained substantially above the national average, with 1,538 residents still classified as unemployed.
The area’s unemployment rate fell from 8.7 percent in September 2025 to 6.2 percent in September 2026, a decrease of 2.5 percentage points. That was the largest decline among 387 metropolitan areas examined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Vineland, New Jersey, followed with a decrease of 2.2 percentage points. The decline is a product of Eagle Pass having the distinction of being among the highest unemployment rate communities in the nation. Any decline is significant for it.
Despite that improvement, Eagle Pass remained above the national unemployment rate of 4 percent. Its rate was 2.2 percentage points higher, equivalent to 55 percent above the national figure. The ranking reflected the size of the annual decline, while unemployment locally remained comparatively high.
The underlying figures also showed a more modest increase in employment than the sharp unemployment decline might suggest.
Calculations using Bureau of Labor Service labor force and unemployment totals showed that employed residents increased from 23,034 to 23,170, a net gain of 136 over the year, or roughly one additional employed resident every 2.7 days. Meanwhile, the number classified as unemployed declined from 2,203 to 1,538, a reduction of 665.
The difference reflected a shrinking labor force. The combined number of residents working or seeking work fell from 25,237 to 24,708, a decrease of 529. The reduction in unemployment therefore accompanied both a modest employment increase and fewer people participating in the labor force.
The figures did not establish why the labor force declined or show that all residents no longer counted as unemployed had found jobs.
Under the federal definition, unemployed people generally must be without work, available to work and have actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks. People awaiting recall from a temporary layoff may also qualify. Residents who stopped searching generally were outside the labor force rather than counted as unemployed.
The increase of 136 employed residents also should not be interpreted as a count of new jobs created by Eagle Pass businesses. Those figures measured employment according to where workers lived, while a separate payroll survey measured jobs according to where employers were located.
September figures were preliminary and were not seasonally adjusted.
The annual decline marked progress, but the remaining 1,538 unemployed residents and a rate substantially above the national average underscored the continuing need for employment opportunities.
