Napa led state in job growth in January

Jobs in Napa grew 6.9% for one year ending in January, the nation’s fourth-fastest hiring pace.

My trusty spreadsheet looked at metro employment data at the start of 2023 for 389 metropolitan areas.

Napa bosses added 4,700 workers in the year to 72,900. Napa’s unemployment rate was 3.9%, down

0.9 percentage points in the year.

Only two Texas metros — Midland (11.4% job growth) and Odessa (7.8%) — and Manhattan, Kansas (7.3%) had faster hiring paces in January.

Metros adding the most jobs over 12 months included New York (375,200), Dallas (234,100), Los Angeles-orange County (218,400), Houston (152,900) and Chicago (122,400).

Details

California bosses added 594,500 workers statewide in the 12 months ending in January, up 3.5% to a near-record 17.77 million. Only Texas (668,000) added more workers nationwide.

The cooling economy and many employers restoring pre-pandemic staffing levels have slowed hiring. California job growth was 8.5% in January 2022.

California bosses also are challenged to find talent. Statewide unemployment was 4.6%, down 1 percentage point in the year.

Bottom line

Napa’s success is part of a somewhat odd California trend: Despite layoff news swirling around Silicon Valley and the technology industry, these statistics show bosses in Northern California are boosting payrolls at the fastest pace in the state.

When ranking 26 California

metropolitan areas for one-year job growth, San Diego was the only Southern California job market in the statewide Top 10.

Here’s how 25 metros (excluding Napa) fared, ranked by job growth:

• Madera: 4.9%, up 2,000 jobs in a year to 42,900. The unemployment rate was 7.5% in January, down 0.2 percentage points over 12 months.

• Yuba City: 4.8%, up 2,300 to 50,400; unemployment 8.1%, down 0.1 points.

• Fresno: 4.3%, up 15,900 to 382,500; unemployment 7.5%, down 0.5 points.

• San Diego: 4.2%, up 62,700 to 1.55 million; unemployment 3.7%, down 0.9 points.

• San Jose: 4.2%, up 46,700 to 1.17 million; unemployment 3.1%, down 0.5 points.

• Santa Rosa: 4.2%, up 8,200 to 204,900; unemployment

3.6%, down 0.7 points.

• Salinas: 4.1%, up 5,700 to 144,100; unemployment 8.8%, down 0.9 points.

• Hanford: 4%, up 1,600 to 41,500; unemployment 8.7%, down 0.4 points.

• San Luis Obispo: 4%, up 4,600 to 118,900; unemployment 3.5%, down 0.6 points.

• El Centro: 3.8%, up 2,100 to 57,000; unemployment 16.2%, up 1.3 points.

• Santa Cruz: 3.8%, up 3,700 to 99,900; unemployment 6.2%, down 0.4 points.

• L.a.-orange County: 3.6%, up 218,400 to 6.25 million; unemployment 4.6%, down 1.4 points.

• Stockton: 3.4%, up 9,100 to 273,200; unemployment 6.3%, down 0.7 points.

• San Francisco: 3.3%, up 79,300 to 2.48 million; unemployment 3.3%, down 0.7 points.

• Visalia: 3.3%, up 4,400 to 138,300; unemployment 9.9%, up 0.4 points.

• Sacramento: 3.2%, up

32,900 to 1.06 million; unemployment 4.3%, down 0.7 points.

• Merced: 3.1%, up 2,100 to 70,800; unemployment 9.7%, down 0.3 points.

• Santa Barbara: 2.8%, up 5,300 to 195,300; unemployment 4.5%, down 0.7 points.

• Vallejo: 2.8%, up 3,800 to 139,100; unemployment 4.8%, down 1 point.

• Modesto: 2.7%, up 4,800 to 185,500; unemployment 6.5%, down 0.5 points.

• Bakersfield: 2.4%, up 6,700 to 287,400; unemployment 8.1%, down 0.3 points.

• Chico: 2.4%, up 1,800 to 77,200; unemployment 5.6%, down 0.2 points.

• Ventura County: 2.1%, up 6,300 to 311,400; unemployment 4.2%, down 0.7 points.

• Inland Empire: 2.1%, up 33,900 to 1.66 million; unemployment 4.4%, down 1 point.

• Redding: 1.8%, up 1,200 to 68,800; unemployment 5.7%, down 0.4 points.