El Paso Economic Indicators
| El Paso economy dashboard (December 2025) | |||
| Job growth (annualized) Sep.–Dec. '25 |
Unemployment rate |
Avg. hourly earnings |
Avg. hourly earnings growth y/y |
| -1.9% | 4.6% | $26.08 | 12% |
Employment in El Paso contracted in the three months ended in December. The unemployment rate was unchanged. Single-family house permits decreased, and trade volumes grew.
Labor market
Employment falls
Payroll employment in El Paso decreased an annualized 1.9 percent (-1,750 jobs) from September through December (Chart 1). The greatest job losses were in professional and business services (-1,050 jobs) and government (-680 jobs). Sectors with the largest gains were trade, transportation and utilities (480 jobs) and education and health services (130 jobs). In 2025, payroll employment in El Paso grew 0.5 percent.
Unemployment unchanged
El Paso’s unemployment rate was flat in December at 4.6 percent (Chart 2). El Paso’s jobless rate is above that of both the state and the nation.
Housing
The three-month moving average of single-family housing permits fell further in El Paso in October (Chart 3). Single-family housing permits declined 17.1 percent compared with October 2024. Meanwhile, permits fell 19.3 percent in Texas over the same period.
Trade
El Paso’s economy is highly dependent on international trade. Imports through the El Paso trade district continued trending upward, with the three-month moving average of imports increasing to an annualized $114.2 billion in November from $113.6 billion in October (Chart 4). Meanwhile, exports ticked up, an annualized $61.0 billion in November, compared with $59.0 billion in October. Total trade volumes have continued moving higher this year, up 20.4 percent since year-end 2024.
NOTE: Data may not match previously published numbers due to revisions. The El Paso metropolitan statistical area includes El Paso and Hudspeth counties.
About El Paso Economic Indicators
Questions or suggestions can be addressed to Isabel Dhillon at isabel.dhillon@dal.frb.org. El Paso Economic Indicators is published quarterly after state and metro employment data are released. Editions prior to 2026 are based on monthly data.