Looking forward, we find lower stimulus for Houston in the year ahead and higher risks, but the door remains open to another year of solid local expansion.

El Paso's efforts to move beyond low-wage manufacturing and services jobs will get a boost from next year's opening of a new medical school. Along with other new and expanded health care facilities, the school could serve as a catalyst for bringing well-paying professional jobs to West Texas. ;...

This has been a disappointing year for El Paso in terms of job growth. Through October, the city added only 1,200 new wage and salary jobs, according to seasonally adjusted data, an annualized growth rate of less than 1 percent. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at a...