Pampa and Gray County Labor Market Data ⋆ Workforce Solutions Panhandle

(Updated 06/19/2026)

Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)

Gray County’s labor market experienced a slight softening in May 2026 as unemployment ticked upward, mirroring broader regional and state trends. The county unemployment rate rose to 3.9%, up from 3.6% in April. Both the total labor force and overall employment contracted slightly over the month, indicating a minor cooling in workforce participation as our area enters the summer months.

Despite the monthly shift, Gray County continues to operate in a structurally tight labor market alongside the rest of the Texas Panhandle. Employers across our area face ongoing competition for reliable personnel, particularly in core sectors like industrial operations, construction, transportation, healthcare, and the skilled trades.

Key Labor Market Indicators

The updated figures for Gray County highlight the following shifts across May 2026, April 2026, and May 2025:

		May 2026				April 2026				May 2025
Area	Area Type	Labor Force	Employment	Unemployment	Rate	Labor Force	Employment	Unemployment	Rate	Labor Force	Employment	Unemployment	Rate
Amarillo	City	105,837	102,155	3,682	3.5%	105,500	102,041	3,459	3.3%	105,494	102,378	3,116	3%
Panhandle	WDA	215,158	207,705	7,453	3.5%	215,850	209,003	6,847	3.2%	213,571	206,955	6,616	3.1%
Texas	State	15,915,979	15,238,091	677,888	4.3%	15,867,636	15,234,999	632,637	4%	15,807,386	15,182,232	625,154	4%
Gray	County	8,920	8,575	345	3.9%	8,985	8,661	324	3.6%	8,941	8,607	334	3.7%

Regional Context

Gray County’s unemployment rate (3.9%) remains slightly higher than the overall Panhandle WDA (3.5%) and the City of Amarillo (3.5%) for May. However, the county maintains a lower unemployment rate than the State of Texas as a whole, which came in at 4.3%.

Compared to May 2025, long-term employment remains relatively stable with only minor year-over-year changes. Labor availability continues to be a primary constraint for local expansion, and Gray County employers remain actively engaged in recruitment for technical and experienced roles.hile labor availability continues to be limited, Gray County employers are still actively hiring and reporting ongoing demand for experienced and technical workers across several key industries.

Gray County Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) Report

Gray County’s economy remained heavily supported by manufacturing, industrial operations, healthcare, education, and retail trade during the fourth quarter of 2025. QCEW data shows the county averaged 7,607 jobs across 547 establishments, with average hourly wages reaching $31.43.

Manufacturing continued serving as the county’s largest employment sector, averaging 1,659 jobs, while also providing some of the county’s highest wages. Healthcare, educational services, retail trade, and public administration also accounted for a significant share of local employment.

Several industries in Gray County maintained wage levels well above regional averages, particularly manufacturing ($47.35/hour), utilities ($46.78/hour), professional services ($45.33/hour), wholesale trade ($42.75/hour), and mining and oil and gas extraction ($42.15/hour).

Overall, the data reflects a stable local economy with continued demand for skilled and technical workers across multiple industries.

Gray County Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) Report
Year	Period	Area	Ownership	Industry Code	Industry	Establishments	Firms	Average Employment	Average Hourly Wage	Total Wages	Month 1 Employment	Month 2 Employment	Month 3 Employment
2025	4	Gray	Total All	10	Total, All Industries	547	495	7,607	$31.43	$124,354,256	7,617	7,568	7,636
2025	4	Gray	Total All	11	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	37	37	283	$28.20	$4,155,603	283	278	289
2025	4	Gray	Total All	21	Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	31	29	478	$42.15	$10,474,828	476	480	478
2025	4	Gray	Total All	23	Construction	37	37	377	$31.98	$6,270,562	372	373	386
2025	4	Gray	Total All	31-33	Manufacturing	31	28	1,659	$47.35	$40,845,966	1,660	1,656	1,662
2025	4	Gray	Total All	22	Utilities	6	5	59	$46.78	$1,426,859	60	58	58
2025	4	Gray	Total All	42	Wholesale Trade	24	24	147	$42.75	$3,267,128	148	148	145
2025	4	Gray	Total All	44-45	Retail Trade	75	69	883	$17.75	$8,152,394	888	877	884
2025	4	Gray	Total All	48-49	Transportation and Warehousing	26	21	203	$37.73	$3,981,047	187	201	221
2025	4	Gray	Total All	52	Finance and Insurance	29	27	127	$36.93	$2,431,899	127	127	126
2025	4	Gray	Total All	53	Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	17	17	67	$38.48	$1,340,336	70	64	67
2025	4	Gray	Total All	54	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	31	31	123	$45.33	$2,906,719	127	122	121
2025	4	Gray	Total All	56	Administrative and Support and Waste Management	28	25	263	$27.28	$3,730,362	271	259	259
2025	4	Gray	Total All	61	Educational Services	5	5	687	$22.53	$8,053,772	688	694	680
2025	4	Gray	Total All	62	Health Care and Social Assistance	38	37	693	$28.03	$10,104,853	691	691	698
2025	4	Gray	Total All	71	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	10	10	63	$10.65	$347,158	65	60	63
2025	4	Gray	Total All	72	Accommodation and Food Services	44	43	599	$10.08	$3,138,015	610	593	595
2025	4	Gray	Total All	81	Other Services (except Public Administration)	38	37	157	$27.75	$2,265,389	158	155	158
2025	4	Gray	Total All	92	Public Administration	31	17	551	$29.60	$8,478,735	552	546	554

Gray County Wages

According to the latest Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data benchmarked to 2024, Gray County reported an estimated 7,150 jobs across all occupations.

Mean Hourly Wage: $26.21
Entry Wage: $13.20
Experienced Wage: $32.72

The gap between entry-level and experienced wages continues highlighting the value of workforce experience, technical skills, certifications, and specialized training within the local economy. Industries tied to manufacturing, energy, construction, transportation, and healthcare continue supporting many of the county’s higher-paying occupations.

Gray County Wages
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Program, Data benchmarked to 2024
Area Name	Rate Type	Occup. Code	Summary Level	Occupation Title	Estimated Employment	Mean Wage	Entry Wage	Experience Wage	PCT10 Wage	PCT25 Wage	PCT50 Median Wage	PCT75 Wage	PCT90 Wage
Gray County	Hourly	00-0000	Total	Total, All Occupations	7,150	26.21	13.2	32.72	11.41	15.3	21.89	29.95	46.69
Gray County	Hourly	11-0000	Major	Management Occupations	520	56.1	25.25	71.53	21.68	30.37	47.5	67.3	96.78
Gray County	Hourly	11-1021	Detail	General and Operations Managers	250	51.67	21.64	66.68	17.73	27.65	41.22	64.09	99.16
Gray County	Hourly	11-2022	Detail	Sales Managers	20	65.33	30.57	82.71	28.35	32.98	47.46	80.35	-
Gray County	Hourly	11-3021	Detail	Computer and Information Systems Managers	10	69.39	44.55	81.81	41.91	49.28	71.09	79.63	94.59
Gray County	Hourly	11-3031	Detail	Financial Managers	30	69.27	36.21	85.8	34.63	40.91	62.97	79.25	-
Gray County	Hourly	11-3051	Detail	Industrial Production Managers	40	69.01	42.58	82.23	42.12	47.52	64.13	81	102.47
Gray County	Hourly	11-3071	Detail	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	10	48	32.09	55.95	31.33	32.15	46.07	56.73	61.05
Gray County	Hourly	11-9041	Detail	Architectural and Engineering Managers	10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Gray County	Hourly	13-0000	Major	Business and Financial Operations Occupations	210	35.15	20.06	42.7	18.4	23.61	33.45	43.09	55.9
Gray County	Hourly	13-1020	Broad	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	20	32.58	23.22	37.27	20.77	25.45	28.86	37.47	48.48
Gray County	Hourly	13-1071	Detail	Human Resources Specialists	30	30.77	17.87	37.23	18	19.72	28.56	40	47.86
Gray County	Hourly	13-1082	Detail	Project Management Specialists	20	46.82	26.32	57.08	25	27.88	42.86	59.76	72.58
Gray County	Hourly	13-1151	Detail	Training and Development Specialists	20	36.23	18.68	45.01	10.24	22.47	34.35	48.91	59.51
Gray County	Hourly	13-1161	Detail	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	10	23.21	18.26	25.68	18.09	18.4	21.08	28.05	31.25
Gray County	Hourly	13-2011	Detail	Accountants and Auditors	40	36	24.76	41.62	23.3	29.43	34.43	40.65	55.47
Gray County	Hourly	15-0000	Major	Computer and Mathematical Occupations	60	47.89	24.22	59.72	19.07	28.76	45.75	59.84	73.37
Gray County	Hourly	15-1232	Detail	Computer User Support Specialists	10	26.03	17.93	30.08	17.08	19.07	23.07	31.26	39.64
Gray County	Hourly	15-1252	Detail	Software Developers	10	72.52	42.52	87.53	38.63	47.17	60.28	76.14	78.89
Gray County	Hourly	17-0000	Major	Architecture and Engineering Occupations	170	44.88	25.87	54.39	24.78	28.98	39.05	58.35	72.92
Gray County	Hourly	17-2051	Detail	Civil Engineers	30	35.1	27.63	38.83	26.03	28.75	33.78	36.87	43.91
Gray County	Hourly	17-2111	Detail	Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	10	66.81	40.91	79.76	32.7	46.71	61.26	81.48	95.45
Gray County	Hourly	17-2112	Detail	Industrial Engineers	30	53.13	36.05	61.67	27.72	39.39	52.77	63.26	74.79
Gray County	Hourly	17-2141	Detail	Mechanical Engineers	20	56.46	36.5	66.44	35.57	43.73	57.18	74.82	81.3
Gray County	Hourly	19-0000	Major	Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	80	37.83	21.09	46.2	19.3	23.77	37.62	46.94	58.32
Gray County	Hourly	19-5011	Detail	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	20	41.45	27.83	48.27	22.08	34.2	41.66	48.41	57.27
Gray County	Hourly	21-0000	Major	Community and Social Service Occupations	60	23.5	15.68	27.41	14.71	17.79	21.49	29.59	34.33
Gray County	Hourly	21-1093	Detail	Social and Human Service Assistants	20	17.4	13.17	19.52	11.7	14.6	17.64	17.8	22.9
Gray County	Hourly	23-0000	Major	Legal Occupations	10	23.81	14.97	28.22	8.45	18.11	22.72	23.1	38.96
Gray County	Hourly	25-0000	Major	Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	530	19.87	10.44	24.58	9.41	11.72	24.89	25.17	29.77
Gray County	Hourly	27-0000	Major	Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations	30	21.92	12.76	26.51	11.38	13.91	16.64	32.91	34.79
Gray County	Hourly	29-0000	Major	Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	330	38.09	19.92	47.17	17.05	23.7	30.69	47.21	59.87
Gray County	Hourly	29-1051	Detail	Pharmacists	10	63.06	42.58	73.29	21.93	61.95	71.73	75.68	78.38
Gray County	Hourly	29-1141	Detail	Registered Nurses	110	40.16	28.48	45.99	28.82	28.82	39.69	47.21	58.34
Gray County	Hourly	29-2052	Detail	Pharmacy Technicians	20	19.74	16.39	21.42	16.41	16.84	17.71	22.19	23.25
Gray County	Hourly	29-2061	Detail	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	30	25.89	22.27	27.7	19.64	24.4	24.4	28.56	30.69
Gray County	Hourly	33-0000	Major	Protective Service Occupations	280	24.76	18.68	27.8	17.17	22.61	24.99	26.36	32.2
Gray County	Hourly	33-3051	Detail	Police and Sheriff?s Patrol Officers	40	30.45	24.94	33.2	25.1	26.36	28.57	32.63	39.37
Gray County	Hourly	33-9032	Detail	Security Guards	20	16.19	12.98	17.79	14	14	16.58	17.17	20.87
Gray County	Hourly	35-0000	Major	Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations	620	13.46	9.4	15.5	8.54	10.46	11.95	14.8	19.66
Gray County	Hourly	35-1012	Detail	First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	70	18.58	13.26	21.25	13.63	13.98	16.44	22.96	27.37
Gray County	Hourly	35-2012	Detail	Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria	40	12.84	11.32	13.6	11.4	11.95	11.95	14.02	15.1
Gray County	Hourly	35-2021	Detail	Food Preparation Workers	60	13.07	9.87	14.67	9.08	10.84	12.23	14.63	17.5
Gray County	Hourly	37-0000	Major	Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations	210	16.02	11.39	18.33	11.19	12.31	14.42	17.55	22.81
Gray County	Hourly	37-1012	Detail	Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service & Groundskeeping Workers	10	27.14	19.34	31.04	16.88	20.95	25.25	35.97	37.67
Gray County	Hourly	37-2011	Detail	Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	80	14.43	11.51	15.89	11	12.31	12.92	16.05	18.27
Gray County	Hourly	37-3011	Detail	Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers	60	16.34	11.76	18.63	11.19	12.57	17.45	17.55	22.85
Gray County	Hourly	39-0000	Major	Personal Care and Service Occupations	70	14.14	9.78	16.32	10.27	10.27	14	17.12	21.6
Gray County	Hourly	41-0000	Major	Sales and Related Occupations	580	20.08	11.24	24.5	10.39	13.02	15.15	21.95	36.12
Gray County	Hourly	41-1011	Detail	First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	70	22.16	13.07	26.7	13.09	13.72	18.69	28.09	34.12
Gray County	Hourly	41-2011	Detail	Cashiers	180	13.03	9.99	14.55	9.52	10.54	13.15	14.17	16.03
Gray County	Hourly	41-2031	Detail	Retail Salespersons	180	17.71	11.28	20.92	10.52	12.79	15.15	17.6	29.72
Gray County	Hourly	41-3091	Detail	Sales Reps of Svcs, Ex Advertising, Insurance, Fin Svcs & Travel	30	35.31	18.36	43.78	14.59	23.25	34.18	45.86	58.08
Gray County	Hourly	41-4012	Detail	Sales Rep., Wholesale & Manufacturing, Except Tech. & Scientific Products	40	33.65	19.25	40.86	17.48	22.16	30.71	42.65	48.81
Gray County	Hourly	43-0000	Major	Office and Administrative Support Occupations	810	21.17	13.88	24.82	12.53	16.16	19.49	24.6	31.03
Gray County	Hourly	43-1011	Detail	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	80	29.86	20.29	34.65	18.77	22.71	27.24	36.32	44.79
Gray County	Hourly	43-3021	Detail	Billing and Posting Clerks	20	18.16	11.27	21.6	8.54	12.82	19.85	22.03	24.77
Gray County	Hourly	43-3031	Detail	Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	80	21.23	15.57	24.06	14.46	17.34	19.75	23.64	29.53
Gray County	Hourly	43-4031	Detail	Court, Municipal, and License Clerks	10	21.38	17.7	23.22	17.79	18.16	22.12	22.13	25.38
Gray County	Hourly	43-4051	Detail	Customer Service Representatives	70	19.82	13.95	22.75	13.39	15.46	18.25	23.32	25.77
Gray County	Hourly	43-4071	Detail	File Clerks	10	19.17	10.3	23.61	9.75	10.4	18.76	24.79	29.95
Gray County	Hourly	43-4171	Detail	Receptionists and Information Clerks	40	14.15	9.43	16.51	8.7	10	14.1	16.67	20.42
Gray County	Hourly	43-5052	Detail	Postal Service Mail Carriers	-	28.29	21.8	31.54	20.38	23.12	28.07	33.01	36.2
Gray County	Hourly	43-5061	Detail	Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks	20	29.59	18.1	35.33	17.05	21.19	27.62	36.81	45.33
Gray County	Hourly	43-5071	Detail	Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks	60	22.99	17.38	25.79	16.74	18.79	20.03	24.09	37.2
Gray County	Hourly	43-6011	Detail	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	20	30.68	21.84	35.1	20.13	23.69	29.23	36.4	44.33
Gray County	Hourly	43-6014	Detail	Secretaries & Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, & Executive	110	19.27	13.48	22.16	11.77	15.83	18.11	22.82	27.84
Gray County	Hourly	43-9061	Detail	Office Clerks, General	110	19.09	12.27	22.51	10.71	14.52	17.53	21.97	29.08
Gray County	Hourly	47-0000	Major	Construction and Extraction Occupations	410	25.48	17.1	29.67	16.39	18.89	22.61	29.57	37.5
Gray County	Hourly	47-1011	Detail	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	40	41.47	26.34	49.04	22.99	28.68	37.23	49.65	60.3
Gray County	Hourly	47-2061	Detail	Construction Laborers	30	16.77	12.5	18.91	11.5	13.54	16.73	19.21	22.99
Gray County	Hourly	47-2073	Detail	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	60	24.14	18.61	26.91	17.87	19.7	22.61	27.98	29
Gray County	Hourly	47-2111	Detail	Electricians	60	26.33	18.62	30.18	18.36	19.11	25.39	30.97	36.09
Gray County	Hourly	47-5013	Detail	Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas	40	29.06	22.96	32.12	21.66	24.18	30.16	30.16	36.15
Gray County	Hourly	47-5071	Detail	Roustabouts, Oil and Gas	80	22.63	19.1	24.39	18.23	21.84	21.84	22.75	27.54
Gray County	Hourly	49-0000	Major	Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	520	28.47	17.77	33.81	16.97	19.9	25.55	35.49	45.74
Gray County	Hourly	49-1011	Detail	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	50	38.53	23.02	46.28	21.22	25.86	36.3	47.67	61.13
Gray County	Hourly	49-3023	Detail	Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics	70	24.91	17.2	28.76	14.27	18.48	24.23	28.55	34.39
Gray County	Hourly	49-3031	Detail	Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists	10	22.46	16.26	25.56	15.28	17.65	19.86	28.57	32.94
Gray County	Hourly	49-3093	Detail	Tire Repairers and Changers	10	17.1	14.21	18.55	14.35	14.35	17.3	18.72	19.8
Gray County	Hourly	49-9041	Detail	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	130	29	20.12	33.44	18.99	22.4	27.32	31.95	45.52
Gray County	Hourly	49-9071	Detail	Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	70	24.02	14.98	28.53	13.95	17	21.56	29	38.66
Gray County	Hourly	51-0000	Major	Production Occupations	760	27.51	17.54	32.49	16.54	18.93	24.13	30.69	46.9
Gray County	Hourly	51-1011	Detail	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	70	40.86	26.99	47.8	23.32	30.05	37.37	50.43	62.4
Gray County	Hourly	51-4121	Detail	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	120	25.42	20.38	27.94	18.94	22.66	24.49	29.05	30.35
Gray County	Hourly	51-6011	Detail	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers	10	22.55	15.36	26.14	10.43	24.53	26.12	26.12	26.12
Gray County	Hourly	51-9061	Detail	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers	50	27.23	20.53	30.58	18.81	23.34	29.51	29.51	30.4
Gray County	Hourly	53-0000	Major	Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	770	20.12	14.22	23.06	13.2	16.05	17.91	22.09	29.08
Gray County	Hourly	53-1047	Detail	Suprs of Trans & Material Moving Wkrs, Ex Aircraft Cargo Handling Suprs	30	31.77	19.78	37.77	18.49	21.1	27.6	39.43	47.26
Gray County	Hourly	53-3032	Detail	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	130	23.89	17.61	27.03	16.89	18.88	22.94	27.44	31.2
Gray County	Hourly	53-3033	Detail	Light Truck Drivers	90	18.03	13.16	20.46	12.36	14.36	17.75	21.12	21.85
Gray County	Hourly	53-7062	Detail	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	80	17.25	13.29	19.23	13.28	14.79	16.3	18.2	22.64
Gray County	Hourly	53-7065	Detail	Stockers and Order Fillers	210	18.54	14.53	20.54	14.4	15.09	17.91	18.54	22.16
Gray County	Hourly	53-7081	Detail	Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors	30	19.63	16.88	21.01	16.34	17.45	18.37	22.25	22.25

Texas Workforce Commission UI Claimant Dashboard

Gray County reported just 26 unemployment insurance claimants during the latest reporting period, a low number that reflects continued workforce stability across the county.

UI Claimant Information
Total Population:	21,227
UI Claimant Count:	26
Male	21
Female	5

Top 5 UI Claims Industry
1.	Hazardous waste treatment and disposal
2.	Support activities for oil and gas operations
3.	All other plastics product manufacturing
4.	Oil and gas field machinery and equipment manufacturing
5.	Couriers and express delivery services

5 Week UI Claims
4/12-5/9	20
4/19-5/16	22
4/26-5/23	22
5/3-5/30	30
5/10-6/6	26

Pampa and Gray County Labor Market Data

Rural Customers

Veterans & Spouses of Veterans

Foster Youth

Individuals with Disabilities

Individuals with Other Barriers to Employment

Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)

Key Labor Market Indicators

Regional Context

Gray County Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) Report

Gray County Wages

Texas Workforce Commission UI Claimant Dashboard

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