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Dear Texas Economic Development Stakeholders,
Everything is bigger in Texas, and in September, Texas was the largest job creator in the nation! The Lone Star State added a total of 95,800 nonagricultural jobs over the month, marking job growth for 16 of the last 17 months. The leading industry for job growth was Leisure and Hospitality as travel and tourism continues to regain strength. The positive trend means Texas is moving closer to full pandemic job recovery, with a 92.2% job recovery rate as of September!
Once again, Texas takes home another #1 ranking for its best-in-class business climate according to corporate executives, earning the top spot on Site Selection’s 2021 Executive Survey Business Climate Rankings. Thanks to the dedication of economic development professionals across the state, and the many companies that choose to grow and create jobs in Texas, the Lone Star State will continue to lead the nation in economic prosperity.
As always, we welcome you to visit our website, follow us on social media, or reach out to a member of our team if we can be of any assistance.
Thanks for all you do for the great state of Texas!
-Adriana Cruz, Executive Director, Texas Economic Development & Tourism
  Unemployment Rate: 5.6%
Nonagricultural Jobs Added in September: 95,800
Private Jobs Added in September: 85,300
Texas Supply Chains and the Global Economy
 Global trade is immensely important for the Texas economy and Texas supply chains affect global trade. With the most miles of public roadways, state highways, freight railways and airports—and a strategic geographical location in the center of North America—it's no surprise Texas has been the top exporting state for 19 years in a row. In 2020, Texas shipped $276.4 billion worth of goods, accounting for about 19% of the U.S. total. According to data from the Texas Comptroller, more than 1.1 million Texas jobs were supported by exports in 2019, by far the most among states. Small businesses are a big player in trade with almost 93% of the nearly 40,000 Texas exporters being small businesses.
Although Texas supply chains were affected by the impacts of the pandemic, exports have since recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels. Overall, Texas exports declined by about 16% due to the pandemic, according to the Texas Comptroller. However, the first six months of 2021 show a nearly 7% rise compared to the same period in 2019 (source). As of September 2021, Texas continues to lead the nation with $268 billion in export trade, more than the sum of the next three largest states combined, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Power of Texas Ports
Texas ports are vital to global trade networks, helping move product overseas and bringing in raw materials and other consumer goods. Texas has 19 seaports, including 11 deep-water ports and 8 shallow-draft ports. Ports in Texas handle 616.2 million tons of foreign and domestic cargo and generate $449.6 billion in economic value for the state, according to the Texas Ports Association. Port Houston, the largest Gulf Coast container port, is the #1 U.S. port for foreign waterborne tonnage. Other Texas ports ranking among the top in the U.S. for total tonnage include Port of Beaumont and Port of Corpus Christi (source). Texas ports are built for global trade.
Fueling Global Economies
Top consumers of Texas goods include the countries of Mexico, Canada and China. Exports to Mexico totaled $88.6 billion and exports to Canada totaled $23.4 billion in 2020 (source). The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is already opening doors for increased cross-border investment and trade. The Texas Comptroller reports that China’s consumption of Texas products is rapidly rising, increasing by 77% in the first six months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2019.
Investing in Infrastructure
The state continues to invest in new infrastructure projects, such as a 10-year, $77 billion commitment to new roadway projects. In addition, Texas is ranked as the top state for trends in infrastructure projects and corporate investment on Site Selection Magazine's 2021 Global Groundwork Index. With increased supply chain resiliency initiatives, Texas will continue to be a gateway for global trade and remain the future of global business.
For more information on Texas supply chains, please see the Texas Comptroller's full report.
 (Left to Right) Top Row: Annie Calandruccio, Betty Russo, Janie Havel, Kate Stanford, Nancy Namis, Stephanie Mazurkiewicz, Charles Sisemseghan; Bottom Row: Larry McManus, Chandra Eggemeyer, Adriana Cruz, Priscilla Duran
Members of the EDT Business & Community Development Team attended the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) annual conference, which took place in Fort Worth on October 13-15, 2021. The team enjoyed visiting with local and regional economic development partners from across the state, catching up on the latest economic development trends and hearing from a wonderful line-up of speakers and panelists. In addition, members of the team also spoke on a panel discussion on the State of Texas RFI process. Congratulations to TEDC on their 60th anniversary and on another successful annual conference!
Staff Spotlight
Cyndy Hurtado is now serving as the Executive Assistant to EDT's Executive Director, Adriana Cruz. Cyndy has 20 years of service with the State of Texas and previously served in various roles within the Office of the Governor and the Office of the Attorney General. In her free time, Cyndy enjoys outdoor activities with her husband and son. She is active in her parish at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Kyle, Texas.
If you are a business or community looking to inquire about Adriana's upcoming availability, we invite you to contact Cyndy for more information through our online staff directory.
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  Recent announcements, such as Tesla's headquarters relocation from California to Texas, are proof that the state is prime for new and expanded corporate facilities. In a recent article, Governor Greg Abbott shared his thoughts on Texas' superior competitive business advantages:
“When attracting businesses and jobs from across the country and around the globe, one Texas advantage tops them all: We want businesses to succeed in Texas, because when businesses succeed, all Texans succeed.”
- Governor Abbott
We invite you to read the full article online and check out the listing of some of Texas' recently announced projects across the state:
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Tesla in Austin: Fortune 500 firm, Tesla announced the relocation of its headquarters from California to Austin, making way for expanded operations and bolstering the Central Texas economy.
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PTG in Fort Worth: Packaging Technology Group (PTG), a provider of thermal packaging solutions and services for the bio and life sciences sector, announced a new location in Fort Worth. The project is expected to create new jobs and triple the company's production capabilities.
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Plastikon in Kyle: Plastikon Industries, an international automotive manufacturer and supplier to companies like Tesla and Toyota, will open a new facility in Kyle. The project is expected to create $13.6 million in capital investment and 200 new jobs.
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SAF in Temple: SAF, a global metals distributor, fabricator and finisher, announced it will expand capacity and capabilities with a new manufacturing location in Temple. The project is expected to create 10 new jobs with the potential to reach 50 jobs in coming years.
 “It ain’t bragging if it's true!” Here are some of the recent accolades Texas has received:
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Texas was named the least expensive state to run a business in the 2021 Business Cost Index report.
- Two Texas cities ranked among the top 10 commercial office markets in 2021 by National Association of Realtors: Austin (#1) and San Antonio (#10).
- Austin was named the #2 Best Place to Start a Small Business by LendingTree.
- Three Texas cities were included in the 2021 STEM Job Growth Index, which highlights areas with strong STEM job momentum: Austin (#3), Dallas (#11) and Houston (#20).
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Texas ranked #1 on Site Selection’s 2021 Executive Survey Business Climate Rankings.
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Texas was #1 on Site Selection’s list of Top States for Total Foreign-Trade Zone Economic Impact, and four of the state’s FTZs made the list of top 20 in the nation: Harris County (#4), Texas City (#11), Port Arthur (#15) and Corpus Christi (#17).
 Interested in working with the best state economic development team in the country? The Governor's Office is hiring! There are multiple positions for experienced professionals in Business & Community Development, Economic Development Finance, the Texas Film Commission and the Texas Workforce Investment Council. Here's a select sampling of open positions:
For more information on available positions, visit gov.texas.gov/employment.
Borderplex Alliance Wins Economic Development Award
The International Economic Development Council awarded the 2021 Economic Development Organization of the Year Award to the Borderplex Alliance. The award recognizes the world’s best economic development organizations every year.
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Ford Invests in Texas Electric Vehicle Industry
Ford announced it will invest $90 million in Texas and $525 million nationally over the next five years to train skilled auto technicians to service connected, electric zero-emission vehicles as electric vehicle technology continues to improve.
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TEDC Recognizes Greater San Marcos Partnership
The Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP) was awarded the inaugural Community Economic Development Award from the Texas Economic Development Council. GSMP said the award honors “exemplary achievement in resilience and recovery for economic development in the state of Texas.”
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UTEP Fuels Business Growth Through EDA Grant
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is poised to strengthen the region’s manufacturing sector to benefit the U.S. aerospace and defense enterprise through a $1.5 million grant awarded to UTEP’s Aerospace Center and W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build to Scale program.
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