Texas market news, June 2012
Jun. 29, 2012
Odessa ranks first in Texas job creationA report by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University ranked Odessa first in job creation for Texas metro areas between May 2011 and May 2012, adding 8.5% more jobs during that time. Read more at the Odessa American.
Jun. 29, 2012
Texas adds 78,000 bioscience jobs over 10-year periodTexas’s bioscience industry grew 19%, adding 78,000 jobs between 2001 and 2010, according to the State Bioscience Industry Development 2012 report released by Battle and Biotechnology Industry Organization. Texas was one of 22 states to add bioscience jobs during the recession. Read more at the Houston Business Journal.
Jun. 28, 2012
Texas’s higher education system earns mixed gradesThe Institute for a Competitive Workforce scored Texas’s higher education system high for transparency and accountability as well as efficiency and cost-effectiveness among four-year institutions in a recent report. Texas’s policy environment, innovation, and openness to providers each earned a “C”. Read more at the Houston Business Journal.
Jun. 28, 2012
Three Houston-area schools make list of top degree producersThree Houston-area institutions made Community College Week’s Top 100 Associate Degree Producers list for 2012. Houston Community College, Lone Star College System, and San Jacinto Community College ranked No. 8, No. 10, and No. 31 in the nation, respectively. Read more at the Houston Business Journal.
Jun. 27, 2012
Texas economy rises slightly in AprilThe Texas economy rose half a percentage point in April to 97.5, according to the monthly Comerica Bank Economic Index. April’s level is up 26 points, or 36%, from the index cyclical low. Read more at the Dallas Morning News.
Jun. 27, 2012
Jobless rate holds steady in Texas but rises in Fort Worth-ArlingtonAccording to figures released by the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas added 12,500 jobs in May, while the unemployment rate increased in all four major metro areas. Fort Worth-Arlington’s unemployment rate climbed from 6.4% to 6.7%; the Dallas-Plano area rate rose from 6.5% to 6.9%; San Antonio’s rate increased from 6.2% to 6.6%; and unemployment in Austin went from 5.5% to 5.8%. Read more at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Jun. 26, 2012
Report: More jobs coming to DFW, Austin in Q3Employers in the Austin area expect to hire at a strong pace during the third quarter this year, according to the quarterly Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. From July to September, 24% of local employers interviewed for the survey expect to hire more employees, but 7% expected to reduce staff. Read more at the
Jun. 26, 2012
Natural gas production to generate almost 700,000 jobs by 2035, report saysA recent study shows that Texas leads the nation for job creation in the natural gas sector, with 288,222 jobs created in 2010 as a result of the shale boom. The figure is expected to reach 682,740 jobs by 2035. Read more at the
Jun. 25, 2012
Report: Texas top destination for refugeesA report from the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement finds that Texas has become the favorite destination for refugees seeking haven in the United States. About 10% of the more than 56,000 refugees who relocated to the U.S. last year moved to Texas. The office credits Texas’s strong economy and affordable housing for the preference. Read more at the
Jun. 22, 2012
Houston No. 3 moving destination in U.S.According to a report by the American Moving and Storage Association, Houston was the third-most popular moving destination in the U.S. from January to March of this year. The rankings were calculated by the number of inbound shipments to each city. Read more at the
Jun. 21, 2012
Austin home prices rise 6.5%Home prices in Austin are appreciating at a greater rate than the national average and that includes distressed sales, according to a report released recently by CoreLogic. Between April 2012 and the same month last year, home prices rose 6.5% in Austin compared with 1.1% nationally. If distressed sales are excluded, Austin prices rose 6.3%. Read more at the
Jun. 21, 2012
Fort Worth-Arlington home prices rise in AprilPrices of homes in Fort Worth-Arlington increased in April, according to the latest CoreLogic’s Home Price Index. Including the sale of distressed properties, area prices increased by 1.3% compared to April 2011. Excluding distressed sales, year-over-year prices increased by 4% in April 2012. Read more at the
Jun. 20, 2012
Dallas area home prices rise 3.5% in AprilHome prices in the Dallas-Plano-Irving area increased by 3.5% in April compared to the same month in 2011, according to the CoreLogic April Home Price Index. Excluding distressed sales, prices increased by 5.4% in April 2012 over April 2011. In Texas as a whole, home prices increased 2.4% in April 2012, year over year, including distressed homes, and by 3.7% excluding distressed homes. Read more at the
Jun. 20, 2012
Economic indicators reflect Wood County growthTexas Workforce Commission data from April shows an expanding workforce in Wood County as unemployment drops to 6.7%, down 1.3% from the beginning of the year. State trends continue at the same pace with Texas’s unemployment rate dropping to 6.9% in April. Read more at the
Jun. 19, 2012
Kyle employment growth sets local recordAccording to the Texas Workforce Commission, the number of jobs in Kyle rose to more than 13,000 for the first time ever in April. In addition, unemployment fell to 4.3%, its lowest rate since December 2008. Read more at the Hays Free Press.
Jun. 19, 2012
Texas dominates top-communities listThe annual list of the nation’s top master-planned communities ranked three Houston-area communities and one San Antonio community in the top 10. Compiled by Robert Charles Lesser & Co., the ranking is based on home sales in 2011. Read more at the Real Estate Center.
Jun. 18, 2012
Round Rock’s rockin’ economic boomSen. John Cornyn named Round Rock’s economy as one of the best in the nation for its ability to attract large companies. While U.S. unemployment continues to rise, Round Rock continues to experience strong job and economic growth. Read more at KXAN-TV.
Jun. 18, 2012
Texas is the futureTexas stands out as one of the best-performing states, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Growing 3.3% in 2011, the Texas economy now accounts for 8.7% of the nation’s economy, up from 7.4% a decade ago. Read more at The New York Times.
Jun. 15, 2012
Austin No. 6 in financial sector job gainsThe Business Journals' On Numbers reports that Austin ranks sixth nationally in the total number of financial sector jobs added between April 2011 and April 2012. According to the data, Austin gained 2,700 financial sector jobs during that period, an increase of 6.18%. Read more at the Austin Business Journal.
Jun. 15, 2012
Slow economy doesn't deter Austin entrepreneursEntrepreneur levels are holding strong in Austin and across the state despite a sluggish U.S. economy, according to a recent study by the Kauffman Foundation. Nearly 440 of every 100,000 Texas adults are developing new businesses, tying for second with California for having the most entrepreneurial activity in the U.S. Read more at The Daily Texan.
Jun. 14, 2012
Austin named a top foodie cityHotels.com recently named Austin a top foodie city in the U.S., alongside Los Angeles and New York City. According to the report, the city’s thriving food vendor industry and events such as South by Southwest and the Austin Food & Wine Festival make Austin an emerging culinary hotspot. Read more at the Austin Business Journal.
Jun. 14, 2012
Texas builds up construction workforceThe Associated General Contractors of America recently reported that construction employment saw gains across several Texas cities between April 2011 and 2012. Among them, the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area had a 6% increase in workers, Fort Worth-Arlington and the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro areas each had a 5% bump, and the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area increased by 2%. Read more at the San Antonio Business Journal.
Jun. 13, 2012
Bryan-College Station economy growingThe Bryan-College Station economic index rose to 121.5 in April 2012 – its highest level in almost three years – according to a report produced by Commerce National Bank and The Eagle newspaper. Read more at The Eagle.
Jun. 13, 2012
San Antonio jobs, sales tax revenues hit recordTotal employment and sales tax revenues this spring stood at record highs in the San Antonio metropolitan area, according to the latest quarterly economic report by the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Read more at the San Antonio Express News.
Jun. 12, 2012
Houston has largest natural growth rate in TexasHouston ranks No. 3 nationwide for natural population change, a new analysis shows. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area came in just behind Houston, with natural change of 63,504 people over the year, The Business Journals’ On Numbers reports. Read more at the Houston Business Journal.
Jun. 12, 2012
Austin, San Antonio among top 10 strongest economies in nationAccording to a recent study by Policom, Austin has the fifth-strongest economy in the United States. At No. 10, San Antonio rounded out the list. Read more at the Austin Business Journal.
Jun. 11, 2012
Survey says Austin tops for small businessAustin ranks as the nation’s fourth-friendliest city to small business, according to a survey by Thumbtack and the Kauffman Foundation. Dallas and San Antonio ranked second and third, respectively, while Oklahoma City was named the most small-business friendly city in the nation. Read more at KUT.org.
Jun. 11, 2012
Dallas area leads nation in population growth, adding one person every 4 minutesDallas-Fort Worth leads the nation as the fastest-growing metropolitan area in America with an increase rate of 345.3 persons per day, or one person every four minutes and 10 seconds, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data. Read more at the Dallas Business Journal.
Jun. 8, 2012
Austin foreclosure rate continues to slipThe foreclosure rate in Austin continued its slight drop in March, decreasing 0.04% from March 2011. The Austin percentages are considerably lower than the 3.41% of outstanding loans in foreclosure nationally. Texas also fared better than the national numbers with the state’s percentage of outstanding loans in foreclosure at 1.43%. Read more at the Austin Business Journal.
Jun. 8, 2012
Abilene economy completes full year of growthThe Abilene Economic Index continued its growth in March rising to 114.4, up from 113.8 in February. The index has been growing strongly for a full year now, increasing for 11 of the last 12 months and for four straight months through March 2012. Read more at the Abilene Reporter-News.
Jun. 7, 2012
Dallas and Houston rank among top 10 best cities for college graduatesAccording to CareerBuilder and Apartments.com, Dallas and Houston are among the top 10 best cities for new college graduates, ranking fifth and eighth, respectively. The list ranked the ten cities based on employment opportunities, salary, and rent for a one-bedroom apartment. Read more at Apartments.com.
Jun. 7, 2012
Dallas home prices turn corner after long declineDallas-area home prices were up for the first time in more than 18 months in a closely-watched housing survey. Prices in Dallas rose 1.5% in March from a year ago in the recent Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Dallas was one of seven U.S. markets in the monthly survey that saw year-over-year home price gains. Read more at the Dallas Morning News.
Jun. 6, 2012
San Antonio home sales, median price up in AprilAccording to the San Antonio Board of REALTORS®, the median price of a San Antonio-area home in April rose 6.9% to $157,400. At the same time, the number of home sales in April increased 14.3% when compared with the same month last year. Read more at the San Antonio Express-News.
Jun. 6, 2012
San Antonio foreclosures up for June, down for yearLenders are moving to foreclose on nearly 20% more Bexar County properties in June than they were during the same month last year. So far this year, foreclosure postings have dipped 7.8% when compared with the first six months of 2011, according to San Antonio-based foreclosure listing service RexReport.com. Read more at the San Antonio Express-News.
Jun. 5, 2012
Oil Boom 2.0 pumps up West Texas economyThe technological revolution that created the shale gas boom in North Texas has migrated to the Permian Basin oil fields, and the Midland-Odessa economy may never be the same. Following a boost in every job category, Midland’s unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in April, which is less than half the national rate at 7.7%. Odessa’s year-over-year job growth was 9.8% in April, the 13th consecutive month of lofty increases. Read more at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Jun. 5, 2012
Texas economy grows in MarchComerica Bank's Texas Economic Activity Index increased one point in March, rising to a level of 97.0. According to Comerica Bank’s chief economist, the Texas economy is showing strong growth through early 2012, and at 7.0%, the state unemployment rate is well below average for March. Read more at MarketWatch.
Jun. 4, 2012
Wichita Falls home sales better in AprilExisting home sales in Wichita Falls improved in April over the previous month, and sales and sales volume for the year are outpacing 2011, according to the Wichita Falls Association of REALTORS®. The Multiple Listing Service reported that 125 homes were sold in April, up from 116 in March and 111 in April 2011. The total for the year stands at 436, an increase of 47 from 389 during the same period last year. Read more at the Wichita Falls Times Record News.
Jun. 4, 2012
State government job cuts continueAll Texas industries had more jobs in April 2012 than in April 2011, according to the Real Estate Center, but the state’s government sector continues to lose jobs. While the government sector decreased 2.9% over the past 12 months, the state’s nongovernment sector added 267,000 jobs – an annual growth rate of 3.1%. Read the full report at the Real Estate Center.
Jun. 1, 2012
Longview metro area jobless rate best since December ‘08The Longview metro area of Gregg, Rusk, and Upshur counties posted an April unemployment rate of 5.5% – the lowest it has been since the pre-recession figure of 4.5% in December 2008, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Read on at the Longview News-Journal.
Jun. 1, 2012
Texas unemployment rate down for 8th consecutive monthAccording to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas economy continues to add jobs, with 10 of 11 major industries growing over the past year. In addition, Texas’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased in April to 6.9%, down from 7.0% in March and from 8.0% one year ago, continuing to trend below the national unemployment rate of 8.1%. Read more at Texas Insider.
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