Skip navigation
Top navigation skipped
Population Growth,
NORTHWEST REGION
The 30-county Northwest region covers about 27,300 square miles, stretching from Oklahoma south to the Colorado River and abutting Big Spring in the west and the Fort Worth metro in the east.
METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS:
Abilene, Wichita Falls
MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS:
Brownwood, Snyder, Sweetwater, Vernon
NORTHWEST REGION
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, 2023
$33.7
BILLION
1.3% OF TEXAS’ GDP
Population Growth,
2014 to 2024
THE NORTHWEST REGION’S POPULATION ROSE 2.3% BETWEEN 2014 AND 2024.
Montague and Taylor counties saw the greatest percentage gains at 13% and 10.2%, respectively.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
IN 2023, 87.7% OF THE REGION HAD AT LEAST A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND 22.9% HAD EARNED AT LEAST A BACHELOR’S DEGREE.
Demographics
Population Change by Age Group,
2014 to 2024
| Age 0 to 4 years: | -7.1% |
|---|---|
| Age 5 to 19 years: | 1.3% |
| Age 20 to 34 years: | -0.2% |
| Age 35 to 49 years: | 11.8% |
| Age 50 to 64 years: | -9.3% |
| Age 65 years or older: | 14.3% |
COMPONENTS OF ANNUAL POPULATION CHANGE, 2014 to 2024
Population Data
| Year | Natural Increase | Net International Migration | Net Domestic Migration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 795 | 1,113 | -1,181 |
| 2015 | 706 | 1,223 | -2,584 |
| 2016 | 809 | 934 | -1,468 |
| 2017 | 192 | 698 | -1,713 |
| 2018 | 155 | 402 | 3 |
| 2019 | 488 | 522 | 4 |
| 2020 | 32 | 431 | 2,251 |
| 2021 | -2,074 | 303 | 4,230 |
| 2022 | -1,689 | 1,506 | 3,143 |
| 2023 | -734 | 1,863 | 3,613 |
| 2024 | -855 | 2,185 | 700 |
Jobs and Wages
ABOUT 210,800 PEOPLE WERE EMPLOYED IN THE REGION IN 2024, UP 1.7% FROM 2014.
AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGES IN THE REGION WERE $54,507 IN 2024.
Industry
Industries often aggregate based on unique regional characteristics, such as natural resources or worker skill sets, which give the region a comparative advantage.
- LIME AND GYPSUM PRODUCT MANUFACTURING,
- FOOTWEAR MANUFACTURING,
- CLAY PRODUCT AND REFRACTORY MANUFACTURING,
- AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES FOR MINING
are 12 to 21 times more concentrated in the Northwest region than anywhere else in the U.S.
FIND MORE DATA ON ALL THE REGIONS OF TEXAS AT:
COMPTROLLER.TEXAS.GOV/ECONOMY/ECONOMIC-DATA/REGIONS/
Data current as of September 2025
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; JobsEQ; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
KELLY HANCOCK
ACTING TEXAS COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS