Dallas-Fort Worth has proved itself to be a stronghold in job creation throughout the last five years. The metro area has added nearly 600,000 jobs since November 2018, with 456,000 of those positions on the east side.

In a RealPage analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the Dallas-Irving-Plano area topped all U.S. markets for greatest job gains in the last five years.

The number of jobs in the area grew by more than 17%, bringing it to 3.1 million workers in November 2023.

The Fort Worth-Arlington area ranked ninth on the list, adding 143,800 jobs and growing more than 13% during the time frame.

Texas touted record-setting job growth this year, adding 407,100 jobs since last November 2022, according to the latest Texas Workforce Commission data.

While it took the U.S. economy roughly 26 months to get back the jobs lost from the pandemic, it took Texas 18 months, and Dallas-Fort Worth just 15 months, said Ray Perryman, CEO of The Perryman Group, a Texas economic analysis firm.

Despite D-FW making up 2% of the nation’s population, the area has scored 10% of the net jobs created in the U.S. since February 2020, Perryman said.

Dallas recently beat New York in annual job growth — an unusual accomplishment as New York City tends to reign as the nation’s leader in yearly jobs added, according to RealPage.

Analysts at the real estate data analytics firm and property management software company chalked up Dallas’ pull ahead to the gains seen in every industry category, whereas New York’s big gains in education and health services were offset by losses in the information, transportation and professional services sectors.

Texas had four of the 10 leading markets for job gains. Also included in the list are the greater Houston and Austin areas.

WalletHub ranked Austin among the top five cities to find a new job this year, based on job growth and other socioeconomic conditions. Plano ranked ninth, and Irving was at 35.

The increase in jobs Austin and Dallas saw were some of the strongest across the country.

Some of the other top performers were from smaller markets, where growth in the job base required smaller volumes of employment additions, stated researchers.