Leisure and hospitality industry employment in metro Houston exceeded 368,500 jobs in May 2024, a 2.2% increase over May 2023 and a 9% increase from pre-pandemic sector totals.
The industry accounts for 10.7% of the region’s 3.45 million nonfarm jobs. Total nonfarm employment is up 2% over the same period a year ago.
Leisure and hospitality—which includes accommodation and food services as well as arts, entertainment, and recreation—has increased by about 30,300 jobs since 2019, the year prior to COVID-19 restricting travel.
About 6.7% of all hospitality jobs in the region are currently open, roughly the same percentage as all nonfarm job openings. That’s down from a peak of nearly 10% in December 2022 but still above 2019 openings.
Among leisure and hospitality subsectors:
- Accommodation and food services employment has increased 9.2% since 2019
- Arts, entertainment and recreation employment has grown by 7.4%
Written by A.J. Mistretta
