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Gulf coast region
gross domestic product,
2020
About 28 percent of Texas’ GDP of $1.8 trillion.
Gulf Coast Region Counties:
- Austin
- Brazoria
- Chambers
- Colorado
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Harris
- Liberty
- Matagorda
- Montgomery
- Walker
- Waller
- Wharton
The 13-county Gulf Coast region covers about 13,900 square miles in eastern coastal Texas, stretching from Huntsville in the north to Matagorda Bay and Galveston.
Nearly a quarter of the state’s population lives in the Gulf Coast region. If the region was a state, it would be the 14th most populous. The region contains one metropolitan statistical area (MSA), the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA.
Population Change
The region’s overall growth was led by Fort Bend County, increasing nearly 41 percent from 2010 to 2020.
REGION
19.9%
TEXAS
15.9%
U.S.
7.4%
Jobs & Wages
The 3.2 million people employed in the region in 2020 held about a quarter of Texas jobs. The most concentrated industries include those supporting oil and gas and petrochemical production. These industries have a high location quotient (LQ), indicating they’re unique to the regional economy. The warehousing and storage industry led regional job gains between 2015 and 2020.
Percent change in total jobs, 2010 to 2020
Employment growth in the Gulf Coast region grew by 15.2%, compared to Texas at 17.1% and the U.S. at 7.8%.
Top Industries by Location Quotient, 2020
| Industry | Employment | Average Annual Wages | Location Quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil | 3,790 | $131,363 | 14.35 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction | 34,861 | $252,527 | 12.01 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas | 7,520 | $203,965 | 11.24 |
| Space Research and Technology | 2,936 | $138,381 | 7.83 |
| Basic Chemical Manufacturing | 22,704 | $144,660 | 7.13 |
Industries with Largest Total Jobs Growth, 2015 to 2020
| Industry | Employment | Average Annual Wages | Location Quotient | Employment Change, 2015 to 2020 | Percent Employment Change, 2015 to 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warehousing and Storage | 25,901 | $45,370 | 0.82 | 13,525 | 109.3% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 209,514 | $49,024 | 1.26 | 10,941 | 5.5% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 44,086 | $176,286 | 0.89 | 7,921 | 21.9% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 99,568 | $75,055 | 0.78 | 7,279 | 7.9% |
| Home Health Care Services | 59,355 | $21,859 | 1.71 | 6,267 | 11.8% |
THE Gulf Coast REGION IS ONE OF THE COMPTROLLER’S 12 ECONOMIC REGIONS.
Sources: JobsEQ; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts