California posts best job numbers so far this year, nearly matches Texas

(The Center Square) - California added 43,700 jobs in May 2024, nearly one-sixth of the jobs gained in the country, but slightly fewer per capita than Texas.

“California is creating good jobs all throughout the state to support Californians and their families," Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "As the state’s economy grows and hits new milestones, we need to continue supporting and uplifting every community across California.”

California has the fifth-largest economy in the world, with a nominal GDP of nearly $3.9 trillion last year, according to the governor's office. The United States, China, Germany, and Japan are the only countries with bigger economies than the most populous state in the union.

Yet, despite California's large economy and population growth, its job growth rate lagged slightly behind the largest red state in the country last month: Texas.

Texas added 32,700 jobs in May, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. With a population of 29,145,505, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas added 1.1122 jobs per 1,000 people in May 2024, while California, a state with over 39.5 million people, 1.105 jobs per 1,000 people that same month.

The May 2024 jobs report marked California's best job growth performance since October 2023, according to The Sacramento Bee.