Workforce

Workforce

Overview

The location of Galveston County enables access to over 3,000,000 quality and talented employees in the Houston MSA in the targeted industry clusters of manufacturing, aerospace, energy, life sciences and healthcare. Employers seeking a location in Galveston County may expect to draw most of the talented candidates from all of Galveston County and from a 30-minute drive time. Additional technical and supervisory employees may be attracted from a 45-minute radius as well. In terms of industry employment, the largest sectors are in the County are Health Care (27,828), Manufacturing (18,888) and Educational Services (18,152). Over the past five years, the Civilian Labor Force has grown by 16,000 and with a growing population, total employed in Galveston County is 170,739 with a Civilian Labor Force of 179,216 and 4.7% unemployment rate. Population is expected to grow from 369,581 to 385,391, adding 15,810 people over the next five years. Median age for the County is 39.5 with a median household income of $81,158. Mean commute time is 27.4 minutes. The prime age labor force participation rate is 82.8 % (ages 25-54) with the a veterans labor force participation rate at 80.8% which is above state and national levels.

Educational Attainment

Wages, Industry & Occupational Employment

Wage Trends

The average worker in Galveston County, Texas earned annual wages of $59,567 as of 2024Q1. Average annual wages per worker increased 4.5% in the region over the preceding four quarters. For comparison purposes, annual average wages were $70,857 in the nation as of 2024Q1.

Annual average wages per worker data are derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and imputed where necessary. Data are updated through 2023Q4 with preliminary estimates updated to 2024Q1. Source: Jobs EQ 2024

The largest sector in Galveston County, Texas is Educational Services, employing 26,558 workers. The next-largest sectors in the region are Accommodation and Food Services (19,194 workers) and Retail Trade (14,905). High location quotients (LQs) indicate sectors in which a region has high concentrations of employment compared to the national average. The sectors with the largest LQs in the region are Educational Services (LQ = 2.45), Accommodation and Food Services (1.64), and Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (1.32).

Employment data are derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and imputed where necessary. Data are updated through 2023Q4 with preliminary estimates updated to 2024Q1.

Sectors in Galveston County, Texas with the highest average wages per worker are Manufacturing ($127,588), Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction ($119,447), and Wholesale Trade ($92,410). Regional sectors with the best job growth (or most moderate job losses) over the last 5 years are Educational Services (+4,655 jobs), Accommodation and Food Services (+2,572), and Construction (+1,739).

Over the next 1 year, employment in Galveston County, Texas is projected to expand by 1,473 jobs. The fastest growing sector in the region is expected to be Health Care and Social Assistance with a +1.8% year-over-year rate of growth. The strongest forecast by number of jobs over this period is expected for Educational Services (+231 jobs), Health Care and Social Assistance (+205), and Accommodation and Food Services (+204). Galveston County, Texas, 2024Q1.

Industry Employment and Wages

NAICS	Industry	Empl	Avg Ann Wages	LQ
61	Educational Services	26,558	$69,982	2.45
72	Accommodation and Food Services	19,194	$25,218	1.64
44	Retail Trade	14,905	$37,601	1.12
62	Health Care and Social Assistance	11,670	$52,118	0.58
23	Construction	10,087	$73,608	1.24
81	Other Services (except Public Administration)	7,245	$46,451	1.27
56	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	6,393	$52,338	0.76
54	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	6,387	$78,781	0.65
31	Manufacturing	6,146	$127,588	0.57
48	Transportation and Warehousing	5,992	$55,844	0.89
52	Finance and Insurance	4,835	$83,905	0.90
92	Public Administration	4,329	$73,403	0.69
71	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	3,363	$29,601	1.24
53	Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	2,434	$61,445	1.01
42	Wholesale Trade	2,422	$92,410	0.48
51	Information	868	$73,844	0.33
22	Utilities	760	$81,244	1.09
21	Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	649	$119,447	1.32
11	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	503	$26,380	0.30
99	Unclassified	180	$43,110	0.71
55	Management of Companies and Enterprises	140	$90,576	0.07
	Total - All Industries	135,062	$59,567	1.00

Source: Jobs EQ, 2024 , Galveston County, Texas, 2024Q1, Occupational Employment and Wages

Occupational Employment

SOC	Occupation	Empl	Mean Annual Wages	LQ
35‑0000	Food Preparation and Serving Related	16,960	$28,800	1.55
43‑0000	Office and Administrative Support	14,997	$44,200	0.92
25‑0000	Educational Instruction and Library	14,905	$66,400	2.06
41‑0000	Sales and Related	11,554	$44,600	0.97
53‑0000	Transportation and Material Moving	10,398	$46,600	0.88
11‑0000	Management	10,355	$122,800	1.02
47‑0000	Construction and Extraction	7,202	$50,500	1.17
13‑0000	Business and Financial Operations	6,191	$82,700	0.72
49‑0000	Installation, Maintenance, and Repair	5,652	$54,900	1.07
29‑0000	Healthcare Practitioners and Technical	5,039	$91,100	0.63
37‑0000	Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance	5,010	$32,500	1.13
51‑0000	Production	4,861	$52,700	0.65
39‑0000	Personal Care and Service	4,092	$33,200	1.22
31‑0000	Healthcare Support	3,779	$32,000	0.62
33‑0000	Protective Service	3,454	$53,300	1.18
15‑0000	Computer and Mathematical	2,529	$98,800	0.59
21‑0000	Community and Social Service	2,207	$57,200	0.90
27‑0000	Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media	1,977	$60,400	0.80
17‑0000	Architecture and Engineering	1,833	$99,600	0.84
19‑0000	Life, Physical, and Social Science	1,346	$78,200	1.13
23‑0000	Legal	546	$144,300	0.49
45‑0000	Farming, Fishing, and Forestry	175	$41,700	0.22
	Total - All Occupations	135,062	$57,700	1.00

Source Jobs EQ, 2024, LQ: What is a location quotient? A location quotient (LQ) is a measurement of concentration in comparison to the nation. An LQ of 1.00 indicates a region has the same concentration of an industry (or occupation) as the nation. An LQ of 2.00 would mean the region has twice the expected employment compared to the nation and an LQ of 0.50 would mean the region has half the expected employment in comparison to the nation.