A Texas-sized jump in jobs has the Lone Star State leading the way nationally.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, unemployment dropped to record lows in four states, including Texas; with Texas gaining more than 330,000 jobs.
Villa Grande Restaurant has watched its corner of Fort Worth grow quickly.
"This place right here, in this area, it was nothing. Not even apartments," Genesis Jimenez said.
More work means more employees, more customers and more chances for them to hire as well.
"This is our fourth store, and they are getting ready to open another one at the beginning of next year," Jimenez said.
Chris Olguin is their newest employee, having started only a few weeks ago.
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"Before, I used to do construction work," he said.
Olguin was injured and couldn't continue in construction and is hoping to eventually start his own business. He knows the North Texas job market well as he searched for work in the last year.
"There is a lot of opportunity. Whatever you want to do," he said. "It is exciting to be here in Texas."
He wasn't surprised to hear that Texas was atop the job growth list.
"Just because it is growing so much, everywhere. Fort Worth [and] Arlington, the growth is ridiculous," Olguin said.
"We have one of the fastest growing communities in North Texas. Unfortunately, people love to live here and love to bring their families here, but they tend to travel outside the city to work," Fort Worth Director of Economic Development Robert Sturns said.
It has become a part of the Fort Worth's challenge in the next five years to fix an unhealthy ratio of residents to high-skill jobs.
"It's not a simple matter of just going out and finding a headquarters and plopping a few hundred jobs in here. They've got to be the right types of jobs," Sturns said.
