economy

Texas Statewide Overview2022 Regional Report

Texas Statewide Snapshot

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About the 2022 Regional Reports

The 2022 regional reports use the latest available annual data from a variety of state and federal sources on or about Sept. 1, 2021. The data for the 2020 U.S. Census is as of Oct. 1, 2021. Sources include JobsEQ, REMI, Texas A&M Real Estate Center, Texas Department of Transportation, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

The Texas Comptroller’s office divides the 268,000 square miles of Texas into 12 economic regions, each with at least one census-defined metropolitan statistical area (MSA), areas with relatively high population densities and close economic integration (Exhibit 1).

Source: The U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates Metropolitan Statistical Areas for use in Federal statistical activities.

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This report examines statewide economic information and trends regarding population, personal income, jobs and wages, and education, as well as economic conditions unique to the state and its regions.

Demographics

Population

According to the 2020 Census, the state of Texas had a total population of more than 29 million, or 8.8 percent of the nation’s total population. More than half of Texas’ population is concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA (26 percent) and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA (24 percent).

The state’s population grew more than twice as fast as the nation’s — 15.9 percent versus 7.4 percent — between 2010 and 2020. Despite overall growth in the state, 143 of the 254 counties lost population during the past 10 years.

Texas’ median age was 34.6 years in 2019. College Station-Bryan was the youngest MSA in the state (27.8 years) and the Sherman-Denison MSA was the oldest (39.9 years) (Exhibit 2). A region’s age distribution can reveal specific challenges. A younger area may prioritize education and workforce development, for example, while an older area might face retirement issues and higher health care costs.

Note: Median age data for the MSAs are from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2015-2019.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

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Texas Household Income Distribution, 2019

Texas had a median household income of $61,874 in 2019. The state’s income distribution shows 41 percent of households with median income below $50,000 and 42 percent above $75,000 (Exhibit 3).

Source: Income distribution derived by JobsEQ using data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2015 to 2019.

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Education

Occupational Earnings by Educational Attainment Requirements

A strong educational foundation provides a cornerstone for growth and competitiveness in the global economy. Postsecondary education delivers a good return on investments of time and tuition.

Data for 2021 indicates that occupations in the state of Texas requiring at least an associate degree or certificate paid an average of $2,867 more annually than those requiring less than a postsecondary education. Occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree paid an average of $44,067 more (Exhibit 4).

Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding.
Sources: JobsEQ; Education requirement category assignments are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Regional Institutions of Higher Education

A postsecondary education offers opportunity for greater job prospects, workplace advancement, higher wages and the development of a richer world view. Texas offers a variety of options for higher educational achievement, including 77 universities, 93 junior and community colleges and 15 health science schools (Exhibit 5).

See individual regional reports for more information on higher education institutions within each region.

Source: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

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Health Care

Availability of Hospital Services

Texans have access to a variety of hospital services. General hospitals offer a comprehensive range of services and facilities for medical diagnoses and treatments, including surgical services. Special hospitals provide clinical laboratory facilities, diagnostic X-ray facilities, treatment facilities or other definitive medical treatments.

For a list of facilities offering services other than hospitals — such as rural health clinics, community mental health centers and birthing centers — visit Texas Health and Human Services. Each of the Comptroller’s economic regions offers a variety of hospital options (Exhibit 6).

Note: State psychiatric hospitals data as of February 2019
Source: Texas Department of Health and Human Services

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Health Care Access

Access to health care facilities adds to the viability of a community. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the share of Texans without health insurance — 18.4 percent in 2019 — was twice the national average of 9.2 percent.

In 2019, the rate of uninsured people in Texas ranged from a low of 16.1 percent in the Capital region to a high of 24.9 percent in the South Texas region (Exhibit 7). (For additional information, see Uninsured Texans, Fiscal Notes, October 2020.)

Note: Uninsured population includes under 65 (ages 0-64) only.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAHIE (Small Area Health Insurance Estimates)

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State Economy and Employment

In 2020, Texas had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $1.8 trillion, about 8.5 percent of the U.S. GDP. Between 2010 and 2020, Texas GDP rose by an average annual rate of 3.6 percent, more than the national average annual rate of 3.3 percent. In 2020, Texas GDP fell from the previous year by 4.7 percent, more than the national GDP fall of 2.2 percent. (GDP values not adjusted for inflation.) Preliminary data for the first two quarters of 2021, however, suggest a significant economic rebound in many industries and regions.

Statewide Employment Levels

There were 13.2 million people employed in Texas in 2020, a 17.1 percent rise from 2010. U.S. employment, by comparison, rose by 7.8 percent during this period (Exhibit 8).

Source: JobsEQ using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

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Statewide Industries

In the five-year period between 2015 and 2020, industry employment in Texas rose by 3.3 percent, or about 420,000 jobs. During this period, by comparison, U.S. industry employment fell by 0.5 percent.

The state’s largest industries by employment levels are in restaurants, education and health care services. Among these industries, grocery stores, physicians’ offices and postsecondary schools have seen considerable job growth in the past five years (Exhibit 9).

Source: JobsEQ using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

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Texas industries that experienced the largest total job gains between 2015 and 2020 included the warehousing and storage industry, in which employment has more than doubled during the past five years. Courier services and technology jobs have also seen high growth rates (Exhibit 10).

Source: JobsEQ using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

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Using the location quotient (LQ) — a measure of an industry’s relative size in a state or region compared to its average size in the nation — industries supporting oil and gas extraction and petrochemical production are highly concentrated and unique to the state economy. An LQ of 1.25 or higher indicates that the state has a comparative advantage in the industry (Exhibit 11).

Source: JobsEQ using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

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Statewide Occupations

Occupations with high levels of employment in Texas include laborers and material movers, restaurant workers and retail salespersons. Employment in home health care, customer service and material moving occupations saw large gains between 2015 and 2020 (Exhibit 12).

Source: JobsEQ using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

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State Infrastructure

Housing Affordability

The Texas Housing Affordability Index (THAI) from the Texas A&M Real Estate Center measures the ability of a household earning the median family income to purchase a median-priced home. An index ratio greater than 1 means that the median family income is more than the income required to purchase the median home in a specific area. The calculations for the index assume that consumers are making a down payment of 20 percent and have a family income that is 25 percent of the price of the median home.^[1]

According to the THAI, a median-income family in Texas in 2020 would have had about 1.78 times the income needed to afford the median home compared to the national average (Exhibit 13). Home prices in the state are more affordable than in the nation.

Source: Texas A&M Real Estate Center

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U.S. Military Installation Impact

A unique aspect of the Texas economy is the contribution of the 14 U.S. military installations located within the state. In 2019, they directly employed more than 226,000 and supported nearly 634,000 jobs in all. Based upon data provided through the Texas Military Preparedness Commission, the Comptroller’s office estimates that military installations contributed about $75.3 billion to the Texas GDP in 2019. Learn more about the impact of U.S. military installations on the state’s economy.

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Transportation

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are federally mandated policymaking organizations created to coordinate transportation planning in urbanized areas. Transportation planning in Texas is coordinated by 25 MPOs. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) also divides the state into 25 transportation districts. Road miles and vehicle miles traveled for the state’s roadway network, as of 2019, are listed by road type (Exhibit 14).

Source: Texas Department of Transportation

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Transit authorities and transit districts are governmental entities or companies that coordinate public transit in an area. The state’s public transit services are provided by eight metropolitan transit authorities, 31 urban transit districts and 36 rural transit districts (Exhibit 15). Another 58 public entities offer limited service specifically for seniors and those with disabilities.

Source: Texas Department of Transportation

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Amtrak interstate passenger rail service runs three routes through Texas (Texas Eagle, Heartland Flyer and Sunset Limited). Texans can get direct service to Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Oklahoma City, plus numerous stops along the way, as well as connections to the rest of the country. Amtrak’s Texas station stops include the state’s biggest cities as well as many smaller ones (Exhibit 16).

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Texas has 27 commercial service airports offering passenger service. Exhibit 17 lists the 10 largest airports in the state with a comparison between 2019 and 2020 enplanements.

Source: Federal Aviation Administration

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Ports of entry within Texas account for 17 percent of all U.S. trade. In 2020, more than $311 billion was exported and more than $326 billion was imported through ports of entry located in Texas.

Texas vs. U.S.

The state of Texas is the second largest in terms of area and population (Exhibit 18). For more information on how Texas and its distinct, diverse regions compare to the U.S. and other states visit TexIndex.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

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State of Texas Economic Development Highlights

• Samsung chose the state of Texas as the home for its next generation chipmaking plant. This new facility is planned for the city of Taylor, northeast of Austin. Total investment for this project could reach $17 billion and create at least 2,000 direct jobs and at least 6,500 construction jobs. The 6-million-square-foot factory is planned on roughly 1,200 acres in Taylor near Hutto. Incentives included a Texas Enterprise Fund grant of $27 million. The factory will produce the South Korea-based company’s most advanced computer chips and has been described as “the largest foreign, direct investment in the state of Texas, ever.”^[2]
• Texas Instruments is investing in Texas as part of its long-term capacity planning. The company is looking to invest $3.2 billion into the creation of a semiconductor wafer fabrication facility in Collin County. The new building includes the tools, machinery and equipment to develop 300-millimeter semiconductors to be shipped to other sites for finishing and assembly.^[3] Additionally, Texas Instruments announced up to four new semiconductor fabrication facilities in Sherman. The company could employ up to 3,000 people and invest nearly $30 billion in the project over the coming decades.^[4]
• Sister renewable energy projects from IP Aragorn LLC and SB Energy in Culberson County include utility-scale, grid-connected solar energy plants. The projects will be constructed on approximately 1,765 acres and represent an investment of more than $470 million.^[5]
• The 2021 federal infrastructure bill included congressional designation of the I-14 corridor. While the first 25-mile section of I-14 from Fort Hood to I-35 became operational in 2017, the new designation ensures that when complete, I-14 will connect Odessa, San Angelo, Killeen and Bryan to Mississippi and on to Georgia.^[6]
• Cheese manufacturer Great Lakes Cheese is establishing a new distribution and packaging center in Abilene. A $3 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant was extended to the company for the project, which will create more than 500 jobs and close to $185 million in capital investment.^[7]
• Las Lomas Wind Energy LLC proposed a wind farm on 32,000 acres in Zapata County with a generating capacity of 200 Megawatts made up of 44 to 80 wind turbines with an estimated $182 million proposed total investment.^[8]

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Endnotes

Links are correct at the time of publication. The Comptroller's office is not responsible for external websites.

1. Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center, , “Texas Housing Affordability Index: Data Series Description,” (Last visited March 22, 2022).↳
2. Office of the Texas Governor, “Governor Abbott Announces New $17 Billion Samsung Manufacturing Facility in Taylor,” (Last visited March 22, 2022); and Kathryn Hardison, “‘Bringing a global society’ to Taylor: Reaction pours in to Samsung’s $17B decision,” Austin Business Journal (November 24, 2021), (Last visited May 2, 2022).↳
3. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Chapter 313 School Value Limitation, “Plano ISD No. 1286, Texas Instruments Incorporated,” (Last visited May 2, 2022).↳
4. Email from Lauren Vay, Marketing & Communications Specialist, Economic Development & Tourism, Office of Governor Greg Abbott, December 3, 2021; and Office of the Texas Governor, Governor Abbott Announces Texas Instruments' Potential $30 Billion Investment in Sherman,” (Last visited May 2, 2022).↳
5. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Chapter 313 School Value Limitation, “Culberson County-Allamore ISD No. 1266, SE Aragorn, LLC f/k/a IP Aragorn, LLC,” and “Culberson County-Allamore ISD No. 1267, SE Titan, LLC f/k/a IP Titan, LLC,” (Last visited May 2, 2022).↳
6. Yahoo News, Congress designates Interstate 14 across five states with I-14 corridor through San Angelo,” (November 15, 2021), (Last visited May 2, 2022). (Last visited May 2, 2022).↳
7. Email from Lauren Vay, Marketing & Communications Specialist, Economic Development & Tourism, Office of Governor Greg Abbott, December 3, 2021; and Office of the Texas Governor,  “Governor Abbott Announces Great Lakes Cheese Expansion Into Abilene,” (Last visited May 2, 2022). (Last visited May 2, 2022).↳
8. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Chapter 313 School Value Limitation, “Zapata County ISD No. 1358, Las Lomas Wind Energy, LLC,” (Last visited May 2, 2022).↳

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Questions?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the material on this page, please contact the Comptroller’s Data Analysis and Transparency Division.