DIVERGING REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
DIVERGING SOUTH TEXAS ECONOMIES
12
In South Texas, the responses to falling oil prices since mid-2014 have varied widely
across the region’s local communities. An exhibit below shows the patterns of business
sales activity drawing on sales tax collections of the 41 counties and metro areas in the
region beginning in June 2014. All data are scaled in relation to the first month’s data as
the benchmarks. The dotted area delineates the spread of the data for the 41 counties
over time.
South Texas City Sales Trends
Their trends
beyond year
2015 will
depend on
how their
individual
economies
will evolve.
(3-month moving average)
Corpus Christi
Brownsville
Laredo
McAllen
San Antonio
150
100
50
Jun
Jul
| 2014
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
| 2015
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
The top of the range represents the sales activity for Goliad County, part of the
Victoria metro area. Goliad’s sales volume by the end of 2015 was more than 50 percent
larger than that in June 2014.
At the bottom of the range is Jim Wells County, whose sal