Dallas–Fort Worth is a large metro whose unemployment rate sits close to the national average, with professional and business services growing faster than any other major sector.
The Dallas–Fort Worth metro has 4.60 million people in its labor force and 4.36 million payroll jobs. Unemployment is 4.4%, near the national 4.2% and essentially unchanged from 4.3% a year ago. Payroll employment grew +1.0% in the last twelve months. The headline is steadiness: nothing is spiking, and recruiting teams are working in a market with a predictable rhythm.
The structure of the metro's jobs matters more than the headline. Trade, transportation and utilities is the largest group at 20.5% of payroll jobs, but professional and business services grew +3.1% to 18.6%, a faster pace than any other top sector. That group is home to contact centers, sales organizations and staffing firms, so employers recruiting for those roles are competing with one another for the same applicants.
This page collects the Dallas numbers an employer actually uses: what common sales, service and frontline roles pay at the low, middle and high end, which sectors employ the most people, and which Texas rules apply. Every figure is linked to its source with the date it was retrieved.
Unemployment of 4.4% is close to the national 4.2% and barely different from 4.3% a year earlier. With total jobs up +1.0%, Dallas is neither overheated nor soft, so process quality, not market luck, decides how quickly roles fill.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS, CES). "Preliminary" figures may be revised. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
| Occupation | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales representatives of services | $16.52 | $30.42 | $61.90 | 43,560 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing | $17.89 | $31.22 | $66.57 | 29,100 |
| Telemarketers | $12.92 | $17.94 | $24.79 | 1,030 |
| Customer service representatives | $15.08 | $21.63 | $29.80 | 96,930 |
| Retail salespersons | $11.57 | $16.06 | $22.05 | 100,340 |
| Cashiers | $11.03 | $14.38 | $17.67 | 65,070 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers | $14.62 | $18.52 | $26.12 | 81,940 |
| Fast food and counter workers | $11.10 | $13.50 | $17.42 | 128,380 |
| Janitors and cleaners | $12.71 | $16.76 | $22.87 | 48,360 |
| Sales managers | $36.42 | $69.37 | $135.09 | 26,780 |
Median pay for services sales representatives in the metro is $30.42 an hour, a little below the national median of $33.65, but the range from $16.52 to $61.90 is wide. Customer service representatives and retail salespersons cluster in a tighter band, which is where entry-level competition is sharpest.
891,800 jobs · 20.5% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Trade, transportation, and utilities accounts for 20.5% of payroll jobs and moved +0.5%; distribution, driving and retail roles make up much of Dallas's hourly hiring volume.
810,600 jobs · 18.6% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Professional and business services grew +3.1% and is the main home of contact-center, inside-sales and staffing-agency hiring in the metro.
528,100 jobs · 12.1% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Private education and health services moved +0.5%; steady demand for aides and clinical support staff competes for service-minded applicants.
442,900 jobs · 10.2% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Leisure and hospitality grew +2.1%, creating shift-based openings that draw candidates with customer-facing experience.
391,000 jobs · 9.0% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Financial activities changed −0.7%, the weakest of the top five, which may release experienced sales and service staff into the market.
Dallas's top sectors are large and diversified. The sharpest pullback among them is financial activities, while professional and business services is growing quickly.
Texas sets the rules for Dallas employers at the state level, and state law limits what a city can add. The summaries below carry the source and date for each. General information only; confirm specifics with the relevant agency or counsel.
No statewide background checks requirement was identified in the sources we reviewed.
Source: Texas Legislature Online (reviewed) · checked October 15, 2026No statewide ban-the-box / fair chance requirement was identified in the sources we reviewed.
Source: Texas Legislature Online, H.B. 2127 (88th Legislature, enrolled) · checked October 15, 2026Texas's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, adopted from the federal rate; the tipped cash wage is $2.13, and cities and counties may not regulate this field.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (State Minimum Wage Laws) · checked October 15, 2026Texas enforces reasonable non-competes ancillary to an enforceable agreement, with added limits for physicians, dentists, nurses and physician assistants from September 1, 2025 (one-year, five-mile and buyout rules).
Source: Texas Legislature Online, S.B. 1318 (89th Legislature, enrolled) · checked October 15, 2026No statewide pay transparency requirement was identified in the sources we reviewed.
Source: Texas Workforce Commission (reviewed) · checked October 15, 2026Texas Labor Code section 1.005 (HB 2127, 2023) bars Dallas from adopting or enforcing local rules on employment leave, hiring practices, scheduling, benefits or other terms of employment that exceed state or federal law.
Full detail on the state rules is on the Texas hiring page.
General information, not legal advice.
Employment rules change and have exceptions that depend on employer size, industry and facts. This summary reflects the sources shown as of the dates shown (legal sources checked October 15, 2026). Confirm requirements with the relevant agency or qualified counsel before acting. For a deeper look at Texas's hiring-compliance laws, see our Texas hiring compliance guide.
Professional and business services grew +3.1% in the metro, and that sector hires the same customer-facing applicants as call centers and sales offices. When several employers recruit from one pool, whoever replies first and offers the clearest next step wins the conversation. Send an immediate text, offer a booking link, and follow with a reminder before the interview.
Services sales representatives in Dallas span $16.52 to $61.90 an hour at the 10th and 90th percentiles. If you offer at the median, explain the path to the top of the range in your first message. For retail and cashier roles the spread is narrower, so small differences in shift flexibility often matter more than a small difference in pay.
Dallas–Fort Worth covers many cities, but Texas law limits local employment rules, so one process generally works across the metro. Maintain a single library of screening questions and messages and vary only the location, shift and manager.
The financial activities sector moved −0.7% over the year. Candidates with licensing-adjacent sales experience may be open to commission-based roles; segment applicants by past industry and reach out with a clear compensation outline.
Recruiters in Dallas often juggle multiple cities and several open classes at the same time. Conversational SMS and automations handles first replies and status-based follow-ups, AI voice call screening can phone candidates and feed results into the pipeline, and interview scheduling puts booking and reminders in the message thread. Review pricing or ask for a demo.
Unemployment is 4.4%, close to the national rate and essentially flat over the year. The metro is neither tight nor loose, so recruiting results track the quality of your reply speed and scheduling more than market conditions.
For services sales representatives, the median is $30.42 an hour with a range from $16.52 to $61.90. Customer service representatives have a median of $21.63. See the table for more occupations.
Texas Labor Code section 1.005 limits cities from adopting or enforcing local employment rules that exceed state or federal law, per the source linked in the rules section. Exceptions and court rulings can change how it applies, so confirm with counsel.
In the sources we reviewed, we did not identify a statewide pay-range disclosure requirement for private employers. Publishing a range anyway tends to improve application quality, and federal rules may still apply.
Collect opt-in consent when a candidate applies, identify your organization, and honor STOP immediately. Our guide to [TCPA compliance for recruiting SMS](/guides/tcpa-recruiting-sms/) outlines the basics; have counsel review your program.
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Sources and data currency
Labor data as of August 2026; wage data May 2025; rules checked October 15, 2026. Next scheduled review: January 13, 2027. This page is educational market information for employers.
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