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Exhibit 1: Estimated Total Contribution of
Fort Hood to the Texas Economy, 2025
Employment and Other Populations
Texas Military Installations, 2025 Fort Hood
Background
Fort Hood was established in Texas in 1942 near Killeen and is home to the III Armored Corps, which plays a critical role in global deployment and Multi-Domain Operations aimed at deterring and defeating adversaries while supporting Combat Command Operations to achieve national objectives.1 This base hosts several major commands integral to the operations and strategy of the U.S. Army.
- The III Armored Corps (“The Phantom Corps”) is a major combat formation of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa and deploys as part of joint land forces.
- The 1st Cavalry Division is equipped to provide scalable, combat-ready armored forces capable of supporting joint operations anywhere in the world on short notice.
- The First Army Division West is responsible for the training readiness oversight and mobilization of designated active and reserve component forces, ensuring they are prepared to support regional combatant commanders.
- The 13th Armored Corps Sustainment Command branch housed at Fort Hood oversees sustainment; distribution; theater opening; and the reception, staging and onward movement of forces in operation theaters, enhancing unified land operations.
- The U.S. Army Operational Test Command branch carries out independent operational testing, crucial for informing acquisition and fielding decisions concerning Army and selected multiservice warfighting systems.
Fort Hood has established several intergovernmental support agreements that include fare-free mass transit services, routine pavement maintenance, stray animal services, water delivery and wastewater treatment services. It also recently unveiled the Army’s first fully battery-powered locomotive, which was developed in partnership with Dominion Energy.2 These community partnerships are supplemented by a Career Skills Program with nationwide companies and numerous local mutual aid agreements focusing on emergency management, airfield maintenance and safety, for which it has received several Department of the Army Community Partnership Awards.
Economic Impact
As of 2025, Fort Hood is home to 53,767 direct employees, including 34,474 active-duty military personnel. This base also has 126,225 military retirees accessing the installation, camp facilities and resources. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts estimates the population directly affiliated with Fort Hood contributed about $37.9 billion to the Texas economy in 2025.3
The Comptroller’s office and the Texas Military Preparedness Commission collected economic data from each of the state’s 14 U.S. military installations. This data was collected using a survey designed to ensure consistency in determining the total direct and indirect contribution of the base’s populations to state-level employment, gross domestic product, output and disposable personal income (Exhibit 1).4
| Contribution | Value |
|---|---|
| Total direct employment5 | 53,767 |
| Total Employment (direct amp; indirect)6 | 159,692 |
| Output7 | $37,872,796,000 |
| Gross domestic product8 | $22,959,796,000 |
| Disposable personal income9 | $10,636,336,000 |
Source: Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) – model for Texas
The Comptroller’s economic impact analysis represents a conservative estimate of the importance of Fort Hood to Texas. Each installation’s distinctive characteristics contribute to the Texas economy in different ways. This analysis uses a consistent model to determine the impact of each of the state’s military installations on the state’s economic growth.
| Description | Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) |
|---|---|
| FULL-TIME DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE | |
| Active-Duty Army | 33,485 |
| Active-Duty Navy | 22 |
| Active-Duty Air Force | 347 |
| Active-Duty Marine Corps | 0 |
| Active-Duty Coast Guard | 0 |
| Active-Duty National Guard/Reserve | 621 |
| Full-Time Employees Not Listed Elsewhere | 2,742 |
| FULL-TIME CIVILIAN PERSONNEL | |
| Appropriated | 4,453 |
| Non-Appropriated | 530 |
| PART-TIME DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE | |
| Army Reserve | 0 |
| Navy Reserve | 0 |
| Air Force Reserve | 0 |
| Marine Corps Reserve | 0 |
| Coast Guard Reserve | 0 |
| PART-TIME CIVILIAN PERSONNEL | |
| Appropriated | 0 |
| Non-Appropriated | 685 |
| OTHER | |
| Contractors, Total (staff) | 11,087 |
| Average Daily Student Load | 1,583 |
| TOTALS | |
| Total Direct FTE Employment | 53,767 |
| Number of Dependents | 44,438 |
| Total Indirect FTE Employment | 159,692 |
Source: Fort Hood
End Notes
- Department of Defense Military Installations; “Fort Hood,” (Last visited April 30, 2026)
- “Fort Hood commissions Army’s first completely electric locomotive,” Fort Hood commissions Army’s first completely electric locomotive (Last Visited May 4, 2026). ↳
- This study represents an analysis of the economic impact of the population and employees directly affiliated with the base. This includes active-duty, visiting and other military personnel, dependents, civilian employees and contractors directly affiliated with the base – as reported in documents emailed from Fort Hood to Keith Graf, Texas Military Preparedness Commission, February 2026. ↳
- Estimate inputs and assumptions include the following: (1) all data submitted are for 2025; (2) input includes full-time, permanent employees and a full-time equivalent (FTE) for any part-time employees; (3) dependents are associated with Fort Hood only; (4) all economic impact is within Texas. ↳
- “Total direct employment” refers to both actual full-time and full-time-equivalent (FTE) employees plus contractors. A part-time employee’s FTE is calculated based on their hours divided by the standard 40-hour work week. ↳
- “Total employment” refers to both direct and indirect employment, meaning “total direct employment” as noted above plus any indirect employees such as temporary contractors. ↳
- “Output” refers to the total value of all goods and services (both final and intermediate) produced in Texas. Intermediate goods are those used to produce final goods. Sugar, for example, would be an intermediate good when used in the production of candy (final good) by candy companies. ↳
- “Gross domestic product” refers to the total value of all final goods and services produced in Texas. ↳
- “Disposable personal income” refers to post-income-tax income. ↳