Skip navigation
Top navigation skipped
Exhibit 1: Estimated Total Contribution of
Goodfellow Air Force Base to the Texas Economy, 2025
Employment and Other Populations
Texas Military Installations, 2025 Goodfellow Air Force Base
Background
Goodfellow Air Force Base was established in 1940 in San Angelo.1 The base specializes in military education and support, training members from all branches of the U.S. military, including the Space Force and Coast Guard. The 17th Training Wing comprises four groups, with three located at the base.
- The 17th Training Group, with five squadrons, specializes in fire protection and advanced Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) education, graduating nearly 14,000 students annually.
- The 17th Mission Support Group, the base’s most diverse group, includes six squadrons handling logistics and personnel support. It manages the largest fire truck fleet in the Air Force and oversees substantial government contracts and operational budgets to support the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier training facilities.
- The 17th Medical Group provides comprehensive outpatient services to the base community through its two squadrons.
- Tenant units include the Army’s 344th Military Intelligence Battalion, which trains more than 1,500 soldiers each year, and other detachments that support training for Marines, Navy personnel and Coast Guardsmen.2
Goodfellow also is enhancing its collaboration with the U.S. Space Force to establish a more permanent presence, reflecting its critical role in multibranch military training and operations.
Additionally, Goodfellow, through its Active Air Force Community Partnership Agreements, collaborates extensively with local entities. These partnerships enhance community integration and readiness by facilitating resource sharing, training opportunities and mutual aid across diverse areas such as emergency response, public safety, education, and health services, ensuring both military and community needs are met efficiently.3
Economic Impact
As of 2025, Goodfellow is home to 6,567 direct employees, including 5,516 active-duty military personnel. This base also has 4,000 military retirees accessing the installation, camp facilities and resources. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts estimates the population directly affiliated with the base and its resident Army Airforce Exchange contributed at least $3.8 billion to the Texas economy in 2025.4
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).5
| Contribution | Value |
|---|---|
| Total direct employment6 | 6,567 |
| Total employment (direct & indirect)7 | 13,726 |
| Output8 | $3,805,144,000 |
| Gross domestic product9 | $2,366,157,000 |
| Disposable personal income10 | $1,010,391,000 |
Source: Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) – model for Texas
The Comptroller’s economic impact analysis represents a conservative estimate of the importance of the base to Texas. Each installation’s distinctive characteristics contribute to the Texas economy in different ways. This analysis uses a consistent model to determine the economic impact of each of the state’s military installations to Texas’ economic growth.
| Contribution | Value |
|---|---|
| FULL-TIME DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE | |
| Active-Duty Army | 959 |
| Active-Duty Navy | 240 |
| Active-Duty Air Force | 3,463 |
| Active-Duty Marine Corps | 744 |
| Active-Duty Space Force | 106 |
| Active-Duty National Guard/Reserve | 4 |
| Full-Time Employees Not Listed Elsewhere | 0 |
| FULL-TIME CIVILIAN PERSONNEL | |
| Appropriated | 517 |
| Non-Appropriated | 193 |
| PART-TIME DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE | |
| Army Reserve | 0 |
| Navy Reserve | 0 |
| Air Force Reserve | 16 |
| Marine Corps Reserve | 0 |
| Coast Guard Reserve | 0 |
| PART-TIME CIVILIAN PERSONNEL | |
| Appropriated | 0 |
| Non-Appropriated | 182 |
| OTHER | |
| Contractors, Total (staff) | 300 |
| Average Daily Student Load | 3,200 |
| TOTALS | |
| Total Direct FTE Employment | 6,567 |
| Number of Dependents | 1,749 |
| Total Indirect FTE Employment | 13,726 |
Source: Goodfellow Air Force Base and Army Airforce Exchange
End Notes
- Department of Defense Military Installations; “Goodfellow AFB,” (Last visited April 30, 2026)
- Goodfellow Air Force Base, “Units,” (Last visited May 4, 2026). ↳
- Goodfellow Air Force Base, “Raider Partnerships Demonstrate Community Commitment,” (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 Goodfellow AFB to B. Keith Graf, Texas Military Preparedness Commission, March 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 Goodfellow Air Force Base 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. For part-time employees, FTE is calculated based on 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 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. ↳