Coastal Bend
The Coastal Bend region as a
whole has a well-diversified economic
landscape, although certain industries are
more concentrated in different counties.
The government and heath care sectors
are the leading employers, followed by
retail trade and hospitality. Although the
mining sector accounts for no more than
7 percent of overall regional employment,
the number of employees working in that
sector regionally is more than 10 times
that of a typical U.S. community. Likewise,
construction accounts for only 8.3 percent
of all jobs in the Coastal Bend, but the
share of those jobs is twice as much as that
in other U.S. regions.
Employment Growth 2012-13 by Industry
Government
Other Services (except Public Admin)
Accommodation & Food Services
Arts & Recreation
Health Care & Social Assistance
Educational Services (Private)
Administrative & Support
Management of Businesses
Professional & Scientific Services
Real Estate & Rental
Finance & Insurance
Information
Transportation & Warehousing
Retail Trade
Wholesale Trade
Manufacturing
Construction
Utilities
Mining
Agriculture
Rapid growth in the mining and
construction industries during recent
years has contributed to the increasing
shares of those jobs in the regional labor
market. Beyond those two industries,
soaring Eagle Ford oil and gas production
has significantly boosted local businesses
-25%
-20%
-10%
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
and thus employment in lodging and food
services.
Home Starts
Sales
Volume, $mil (left scale)
Y-o-Y % Change (right scale)
25,000
-15%
100%
80%
20,000
2,500
2,000
60%
40%
15,000
1,500
20%
10,000
0%
-20%
5,000
-40%
0
-60%
2008
2009
2010
Most communities in the
2011
Coastal Bend are experiencing either
direct or ripple effects of the Eagle Ford
oil boom. The total volume of business
sales in the region reached a four-year
peak in early 2012, and then began to
|
2012
2013
1,000
5