Refugio County
Refugio county’s overall economy
is well-diversified. The government sector
is the largest employer, accounting for
nearly 30 percent of local employment. In
the private sector, oil and gas extraction
and its support services in the mining
sector are the primary industries. Since
2008, the number of individuals working
directly in oil and gas extraction has
reduced over the years from 87 to
61, while the number of jobs in the
supporting role for oil and gas drilling has
more than doubled from 182 to 402. Other
industries supporting the expanding
oil and gas production activity, such as
trade contractors, restaurants and gas
stations, have also undergone significant
expansion.
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
-20%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Except for the development in
oil and gas extraction, employment has
been relatively steady across different
industries. During 2013, the strongest job
growth occurred among machinery rental
businesses, which added a total of 14
jobs. Partly due to its relatively small size,
the rental industry showed a 64 percent
gain. The utilities sector also saw similar
Sales
70
Home Starts
Volume, $mil (left scale)
70%
Y-o-Y % Change (right scale)
60
60%
50%
40%
50
30%
40
20%
30
10%
0%
20
-10%
12
10
8
6
4
2
-30%
0
0
-40%
2009
2010
With a diversified economy,
2011
businesses in Refugio county held up in
2009 better than businesses elsewhere in
the Coastal Bend. The county’s business
receipts rose rapidly in 2010 and 2011,
and then tapered off during the following
30
14
-20%
10
2008
|
expansion of 40 percent as a result of the
addition of four employees in natural gas
distribution.
2012
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
2013
two years. The current volume of annual
business sales at $230 million remains
nearly 50 percent above the 2008 level.
As with other counties in the Coastal
Bend, new home construction in this
county fluctuated over the past five years
Annual Review of the South Texas Economy – 2014 Edition
with slowdowns in 2010 and 2011. The
numbers of new home starts in 2012 and
2013 were near the peaks reached in 2004
and 2005.