Corpus Christi and Coastal Bend Economic Pulse 2014

CORPUS CHRISTI - The Coastal Bend is undergoing an industrial renaissance. A construction boom led by a record number of industrial capital projects is generating a surge in demand for construction labor and craft skills.

Most popular studies about the economic impacts of the Eagle Ford to date have largely underestimated one major development in Corpus Christi, namely the rise of the manufacturing sector.

Access to Eagle Ford shale oil and gas through trucks and pipelines, and the logistical advantage of a deep-water port have made Corpus Christi an attractive location for developing heavy manufacturing plants and petrochemical facilities.

The large number of capital projects within the Corpus Christi Port District will require a total of about 1,300 construction and craft workers per year on average through the end of 2017.

By 2018, when most of those facilities will have become operational, there will be an estimated increase of 1,480 full-time-equivalent permanent job positions.

Between 2013 and 2018, the manufacturing sector is expected to add nearly 2,700 jobs. Employment growth of 32 percent in this sector will be more than twice the projected average of 13 percent growth across all industries during that period.

Source: South Texas Economic Development Center | Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi