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Austin Unemployment: 5.4 Percent

KUT News

The Austin metro area’s unemployment rate is down almost one percentage point from a year ago, according to numbers released Friday. The jobless rate in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area was 5.4 percent in February. That compares with 6.2 percent from a year ago.

The industry sector with the largest percentage gain was construction. For real estate analyst Mark Sprague with Independence Title, it comes as no surprise.

"What we’ve seen in the last 60 days is an extreme tightening of the market. There’s just not enough shelter. This is the tightest market I’ve seen in 35 years I’ve followed the Austin market," Sprague said. 

Across Texas, the unemployment rate was 6.4 percent, up slightly from last month, but down from 7.1 percent a year ago. 

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.
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