Jobs in Texas
This section provides information about jobs in Texas including employment potential, population trends, where most jobs are located and which areas show growth prospects.
What jobs or careers are in Texas?
The good news about jobs and careers in Texas is derived from the fact that economic growth in the state
is greater than the US average. Texas is home for seventy Forbes 500 companies and 46 headquarters for
Fortune 500 companies. Texas has strong business ties world-wide with diverse products. The population in
Texas is older and has more ethnic diversity than most states.
Employment opportunities in real estate related areas are strong, both residential and commercial. Nearly
30% of the workforce is in the area of Services. About 24% of the workforce is employed in the Trade sector.
The Government employs about 17% of the workers and about 11% are found in the Manufacturing sector.
Where are the jobs?
Primary metropolitan areas are: Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio and Fort Worth.
A significant number of jobs are found with small businesses which have less than 20 employees.
Non-farm employment growth in Texas continues to lead the nation. The highest Texas job growth has been in
Education & Health Services, followed by Financial Activities, Trade, Transportation & Utilities, Leisure &
Hospitality, Government, Manufacturing and Information Services sectors for a total 2 percent job growth in 2005.
What careers offer stable employment?
Many universities and research institutions in Texas are leaders in their areas of expertise: biotechnology,
aerospace, medical, electronics, advanced materials, and energy-related research.
Education and Health Services showed the greatest increase with an annual growth rate of 2.9 % for 2005.
Texas employment had an increase of 153,500 non-agricultural jobs in 2005. This 1.6% annual growth rate was
greater than the national average. Texas has had significant growth in every industry sector, and has shown
excellent job growth since 2000.
What is the employment growth potential in this state?
From another perspective, the following industries show solid positive gains and have been supported by investors:
telecommunications, industrial/energy, software, business products & services, biotech industries, semiconductors,
and financial services
Significant exports from Texas in 2005 were: Computer & Electronic Products, Chemicals, Machinery (not electrical),
Transportation Equipment, and Petroleum & Coal Products. The country receiving most of this trade is Mexico, a NAFTA trading partner.
How many people live in Texas?
In 2005, Texas became the fourth state in the US with minority populations comprising more than 50% of the total population.
The workforce is about 75% white. The unemployment rate was about 5% in December 2005. The 2000 Census showed that 82% the
population resides in metropolitan areas and 18 % live in rural regions and less than 1% live on farms.
The population of Texas is about 22,859,968 in 2005 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This population is projected to
reach 35 million by 2040. That would mean about a 68% increase since the year 2000. Hispanic populations account for most
of this growth. There will be more Hispanic people than non-Hispanic in Texas by 2020.
Texas does not have state personal income tax. There is a state sales tax of 6.9%. The largest single source of tax revenue
is property taxes. Consequently the housing market is an especially important index of the economy.
Texas ranks fourteenth in the US for personal income. The housing market offers affordable homes without undue inflation.
Many cities show interest in developments that apply a variety of combinations of office, residential, retail and hotel
space and demonstrate a concern for saving transportation costs and reducing commuter time. The average commute is about 25 minutes.
Online Resources
http://www.texasindustryprofiles.com/
http://bidc.state.tx.us/50state/
