These Are The 10 Worst Places In Texas To Get A Job

Top 10 Cities in Texas with the Most Difficult Job Markets in 2026

At Zippia, we’re dedicated to exploring the job landscape across the United States, identifying the best and worst locations for job seekers.

In this article, we focus on the Texas cities that currently present the most challenges for job seekers in 2026, following our previous analysis of the best job markets in the state.

These cities are struggling to provide the competitive job opportunities that many hope to find.

After evaluating data from the 100 largest cities in Texas, we have identified the ten cities where finding a job remains particularly tough:

Continue reading to learn about our analysis process.

For more insights on Texas job markets, check out:

The 100 Highest Paying Jobs in Austin
The 100 Highest Paying Jobs in San Antonio
The 100 Highest Paying Jobs in Dallas

How We Identified the Toughest Job Markets in Texas

Our analysis began by gathering data from every city in Texas with a population exceeding 5,000, narrowing our focus to the top 100 cities.

We then ranked each city based on various criteria, assigning a score from one to 100—with 1 indicating the worst performance in each category.

Finally, we calculated the average rank across all criteria to determine which city earned the designation of the “Worst Place in Texas to Find a Job.”

The criteria we considered included:

1. Brownsville

Population: 175,210 Recent Job Growth: 0.92%
Future Job Growth: 33.20%

2. Port Arthur

Population: 54,022 Recent Job Growth: 0.80%
Future Job Growth: 30.30%

3. Socorro

Population: 31,912 Recent Job Growth: 1.17%
Future Job Growth: 34.80%

4. Pharr

Population: 70,119 Recent Job Growth: 1.55%
Future Job Growth: 36.20%

5. Weslaco

Population: 35,720 Recent Job Growth: 1.56%
Future Job Growth: 34.50%

6. Harlingen

Population: 64,947 Recent Job Growth: 0.92%
Future Job Growth: 35.50%

7. Beaumont

Population: 117,769 Recent Job Growth: 0.79%
Future Job Growth: 34.80%

8. Texarkana

Population: 36,548 Recent Job Growth: 0.15%
Future Job Growth: 34.80%

9. Del Rio

Population: 35,471 Recent Job Growth: -0.25%
Future Job Growth: 34.50%

10. Mission

Population: 76,784 Recent Job Growth: 1.55%
Future Job Growth: 36.30%

Concluding Thoughts

After analyzing the data, Brownsville emerged as the most challenging city for job seekers in Texas.

While the Texas economy continues to grow and expand, these cities are still grappling with significant employment challenges.

We hope they can turn things around to provide better opportunities for their residents.

Comprehensive List of Texas Cities with the Most Difficult Job Markets

City	Rank	Population	Recent Job Growth	Future Job Growth
Brownsville	1	175,210	0.92%	33.20%
Port Arthur	2	54,022	0.80%	30.30%
Socorro	3	31,912	1.17%	34.80%
Pharr	4	70,119	1.55%	36.20%
Weslaco	5	35,720	1.56%	34.50%
Harlingen	6	64,947	0.92%	35.50%
Beaumont	7	117,769	0.79%	34.80%
Texarkana	8	36,548	0.15%	34.80%
Del Rio	9	35,471	-0.25%	34.50%
Mission	10	76,784	1.55%	36.30%

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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