A TALE OF TWO COUNTIES
DIVERGING REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
Despite an overall slowdown in the Corpus Christi metro area, its various
communities are facing diverging economic patterns. Cities where those large-scale
industrial sites are being constructed, notably Gregory and Ingleside in San Patricio
County, have continued to experience surges in business activity, as evident in the
growth of their sales tax volumes. The uneven impact is very much a result of where
the industrial investment occurs, but is reflective of one time (or limited duration)
collections during the construction period. The wider and more long-term sales tax
collections will be likely seen where the populace lives, shops, and spends money
within the local area.
Corpus Christi Local Sales Tax Trends
160
140
120
100
80
Jun
|2014
Jul
PORT ARANSAS
INGLESIDE
GREGORY
PORTLAND
MATHIS
ODEM
SINTON
TAFT
ARANSAS PASS
ROCKPORT
FULTON
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
CORPUS CHRISTI
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
|2015
Sources: Texas Comptrollers of Public Accounts, and author's calculations.
In contrast to an economic slowdown, the record number of industrial development
projects in those communities mostly within San Patricio County have led only to
growing pains for city officials in an effort to expand their community infrastructure
and housing supply, among other things.
Annual Review of South Texas Economy
13