Texas leads in job growth in 2008
The Obama administrations war on energy will probably hurt growth in Texas in the coming years. But, Texas has been attracting other types of business from high tax states like California and New York as well as Michigan. I think this type of growth will continue. It is interesting to contrast growth in Texas compared to a out migration in places like California which has a hostile attitude toward business and a high tax structure.Texas counties and metropolitan areas continued to attract strong population growth last year as the state added jobs while most of the country was shedding them, the Census Bureau reported today.
The Houston metropolitan area added more than 130,000 residents between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, the second-highest number in the country after Dallas-Fort Worth, the bureau said. Among counties, Harris County added more than 72,000 people, trailing only Maricopa County, Ariz., in growth in sheer numbers.
In percentage terms, the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area posted 3.8 percent growth, the nation’s second-highest behind Raleigh-Cary, N.C., with 4.3 percent.
Four Texas counties, all in the Austin or Dallas-Fort Worth areas, were among the top 10 in growth rates. Fort Bend County ranked 14th with 4.8 percent growth.
Jobs were the key to the Texas population gains, said Karl Eschbach, the state demographer.
“The particular edge that metro Texas had is that places like Houston were adding jobs at the beginning of the year when most of the rest of the country had slowed or stopped job creation, so Texas employers had a window where they were hiring while others elsewhere were laying off,” Eschbach said.
In 2008, Eschbach said, Texas was one of only six U.S. states, along with the District of Columbia, that experienced job growth. The other states that added jobs were far less populous.
But Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that jobs in Texas have begun to contract this year, making expected population trends for Texas metropolitan areas less clear, he said. While natural increase — births minus deaths — likely will remain stable, it’s possible that migration into Texas from other countries and states will decline as the state’s attraction as a job center diminishes, Eschbach said.
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An Americans for Prosperity press release notes:
On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Perry announced that Texas ranks number-one in the country for online transparency, according to a study conducted as part of the Sunshine Week campaign.Venable says that some in the legislature are trying to step back from this openness in government. Hopefully, Perry will veto any such attempts.
“Texans have much to be proud of,” said Peggy Venable, state director of Americans for Prosperity. “Texas ranks first in job creation and has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state in the country. This is another important Number One for Texas.”
“This is great news for Texas citizens,” said Venable. “Texas has clearly taken the lead in providing open government and putting state spending online so all Texans can see where their tax dollars go.”
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Where is the statistic showing Texas is #1 in national job growth. I would like to focus on that.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the statistic that Texas is #1 in national job growth. I would like to focus on that.
ReplyDeleteTexas may be number one in job growth and attracting new business, but they are probably near the top also in age discrimination for those both new and existing jobs. Age discrimination is running out of control in the nation and I'm sure that Texas ranks near the top in this category also as they take the word of the employer over the ones being discriminated agsinst.
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