New interactive dashboard tells the story of the state’s economic health through data
February 2026 | By Monica Murphy, Trinity Elkins, Thanh Le
The TexStats Regional Data Dashboard includes tabs on the Texas population, demographics, education, health care access, trade and infrastructure, economy, and jobs and industry.
The numbers don’t lie.
Across Texas, people and organizations are helping strengthen industries and local economies — from coastal ports to small-town chambers of commerce, and from bustling cities to tech-rich infrastructure.
Now, with the TexStats Regional Data Dashboard, Texans have easier access to reliable data that tracks progress, both in their local regions and statewide.
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock recently unveiled the interactive tool, which provides a clear look at trends in population and demographics, trade and infrastructure, the economy, and jobs and industry.
Data transparency for all Texans
In Tyler, Hancock announced the dashboard’s launch, stressing the importance of data transparency so local government leaders and everyday citizens can plan and make decisions for their communities and businesses.
“In a state as big as Texas, it’s important to understand not only the big picture but also the unique regional economies, people and industries that drive our success,” Hancock said. “This new interactive tool makes that possible by letting Texans filter, download and customize data to meet their specific needs.”
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock unveiled the new interactive data dashboard during an event hosted by the Tyler Chamber of Commerce in October.
When a user visits the dashboard, they first get a broad overview of the state. They can then access different tabs across the top of the dashboard to explore the data further in a variety of topics:
Population
Demographics
Education
Health Care Access
Trade & Infrastructure
Economy
Jobs & Industry
Within each tab, the information can be filtered to view statewide data, regional data or a combination. Users can view data for all 12 of the state’s Comptroller-designated economic regions, which include at least one Census-defined metropolitan statistical area (MSA).
For example, business leaders evaluating new markets could explore the tool’s Demographics tab to learn more about the potential customer base of a region. Or they could study the Economy tab to learn about a region’s economic health.
A TexStats dashboard user would learn that the Tyler MSA has seen a 19 percent increase in real gross domestic product (GDP) since 2017, a higher increase than the nation. And the Upper East region, where Tyler is located, has had an influx of domestic migration, adding roughly 56,000 new residents to the total population increase since 2020.
A hub for global trade
Hancock toured Fort Worth’s AllianceTexas, the primary port of entry for the southwestern United States, in October.
In Fort Worth, Hancock visited AllianceTexas, the primary port of entry for the southwestern United States, where global goods are shipped directly from the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Houston via intermodal rail containers.
AllianceTexas, one of two intermodal ports in the state, facilitated $788.1 million in exports and $46.6 million in imports in 2024. Trade and related economic activity at the port contributes an estimated $16.3 billion in GDP to the Texas economy and more than 136,000 direct and indirect jobs.
In the Metroplex region, where Fort Worth is located, approximately $63.4 billion in goods were imported and exported in 2024 — as found in the Trade & Infrastructure tab of the TexStats dashboard.
It’s not a trade secret: Texas ports are economic drivers
The Port of Corpus Christi saw an increase in trade of 487 percent between 2016 and 2024.
At another port of entry, the Port of Corpus Christi, the numbers tell an impressive story. The port accounts for 21 percent of the state’s seaport trade, or $88.6 billion, and more than 864,000 direct and indirect jobs. And trade through Corpus Christi is trending up: From 2016 to 2024, the port saw a 487 percent increase.
“Port of Corpus Christi is a prime example of how innovation and infrastructure come together to strengthen our economy, support thousands of good jobs and keep Texas competitive on the global stage,” Hancock said during a visit to the port this fall.
The TexStats dashboard’s Trade & Infrastructure tab shows the full trade dollars of Texas’ ports of entry by region. For example, in the South Texas region, where the Port of Corpus Christi is located, $548.8 billion in goods were imported and exported in 2024, the highest value in the state.
The economic boost of technology infrastructure
Hancock visited the flagship location of the Stargate data center project in Abilene in October.
In Texas’ Northwest region, the flagship location of the Stargate data center project — part of a $500 billion initiative by OpenAI and Oracle to build AI infrastructure across the country — is open and under expansion. The Abilene campus is on 1,100 acres, and when complete, it will include eight buildings comprising up to 4 million square feet.
During construction, reports say there are more than 6,000 construction workers on site daily, while the completed data center expansion is anticipated to employ nearly 1,700. According to the Development Corporation of Abilene, the project’s first two buildings are expected to generate approximately $1 billion in direct and indirect economic impact to the city over the next 20 years.
As seen in the TexStats dashboard, Abilene’s real GDP has consistently outpaced that of the U.S.
Population data in the TexStats dashboard show that Abilene over the past decade has seen a 9.4 percent increase in population, which could be affected in the next few years with the Stargate project.
The Economy tab of the dashboard also shows that since 2021, changes in real GDP for Abilene have been consistently outpacing the U.S.
Small businesses, big impact
Small businesses are showing up in big ways when it comes to economic impact, both regionally and statewide: Across Texas, small businesses employ about 44 percent of the workforce, 5.1 million people.
Hancock met with the Lindale Area Chamber of Commerce in September.
“Whether it’s a family-owned shop on Main Street or a fast-growing startup, small businesses power our state’s economic engine, create opportunity and strengthen the character of every Texas community,” Hancock said.
Hancock met with local leaders and business owners at the Lindale Area Chamber of Commerce to emphasize the impact of small towns and small businesses.
In the Upper East region of Texas, where Lindale is located, 97.9 percent of all businesses are small businesses, and the restaurant industry, as shown in the Jobs & Industry tab of the TexStats dashboard, was the largest employer, with 37,998 workers in 2024.
Data access for all
The TexStats dashboard was produced through a coordinated effort by the Comptroller's Data Analysis and Transparency Division and the Information Technology Division, using data sourced from federal and state government agencies. The tool is updated when new information becomes available.
“With the dashboard, we’re raising the level of data transparency,” division director Will Counihan says. “The Comptroller’s office has periodically released different versions of these data in both printed and online reports. But now, the public will be able to access them at any time and be assured they have the latest data available.”
A REVIEW OF THE TEXAS ECONOMY