COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – Texas is coming out of the Great Recession and leading the United States in the current U-shaped economic recovery, according to the Real Estate Center's latest monthly review of the Texas economy.

After 16 months of job losses, the state’s annual employment growth rate turned positive in May 2010 and posted an annual employment growth rate of 0.2 percent for the period from May 2009 to May 2010. The nation’s rate of job losses has decreased from 5 percent in August 2009 to 0.4 percent in May 2010.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 7.5 percent in May 2009 to 8.3 percent in May 2010, while the U.S. rate rose from 9.4 percent to 9.7 percent during that period.

Five Texas industries — education and health services, mining and logging, other services, leisure and hospitality, professional and business services — and the government sector had more jobs in May 2010 than in May 2009. Six other industries had net job losses over the same period.

Thirteen Texas metro areas posted positive employment growth rates from May 2009 to May 2010, up from seven for the period from March 2009 to March 2010. College Station-Bryan ranked first in job creation followed by San Angelo, Waco, Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission.

The state’s actual unemployment rate in May 2010 was 8 percent. Amarillo had the lowest unemployment rate followed by Midland, Lubbock, College Station-Bryan and San Angelo.