T.L.L. TEMPLE FOUNDATION
INTRODUCTION The T.L.L Temple Foundation (the Foundation) has developed a targeted strategy aimed at strengthening the alignment of and linkages between the talent pipeline and key industry clusters in rural East Texas. The goal of this strategy is to advance local economic development and create more and better economic opportunities for residents in the region. A key component of the strategy is increasing the number of students in the region that attain a high-skill, highdemand credential. To this end, the Foundation wishes to better understand the region and its distinct sub-regions, their economies, their labor markets, and their educational infrastructure.
To support this work, the Foundation hired Alexander Research and Consulting to provide economic and labor market research. The economic and labor market profiles provide an in-depth, data-driven view of each of the aforementioned topic areas. This body of work can help inform the work of public officials, economic and workforce development organizations, workforce development entities, community-based organizations, and educational institutions in the region to ultimately create a workforce system that is more dynamic and responsive to the needs of regional employers and an economy that offers more pathways to economic self-sufficiency and familysustaining careers for workers in rural East Texas.
Figure 1. COUNTIES OF EAST TEXAS COUNTY NAME
OTHER
TEXARKANA
LUFKINNACOGDOCHES
BEAUMONTPORT ARTHUR
Hardin, TX Jasper, TX
POPULATION POPULATION POP. CHANGE METROPOLITAN/ (2014) (2019) (2014-2019) MICROPOLITAN AREA 55,510
57,602
WORKFORCE BOARD
4%
Beaumont-Port Arthur
Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas
35,424
35,529
0%
n/a
Deep East Texas
Jefferson, TX
252,897
251,565
-1%
Beaumont-Port Arthur
Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas
Newton, TX
14,292
13,595
-5%
n/a
Deep East Texas
Orange, TX
83,244
83,396
0%
Beaumont-Port Arthur
Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas
Tyler, TX
21,468
21,672
1%
n/a
Deep East Texas
Angelina, TX
87,567
86,715
-1%
Lufkin
Deep East Texas
Nacogdoches, TX
65,240
65,204
0%
Nacogdoches
Deep East Texas
Sabine, TX
10,428
10,542
1%
n/a
Deep East Texas
San Augustine, TX
8,481
8,237
-3%
n/a
Deep East Texas
Shelby, TX
25,607
25,274
-1%
n/a
Deep East Texas
Bowie, TX
93,268
93,245
0%
Texarkana
Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas
Cass, TX Miller, AR Anderson, TX
30,123 43,458 57,829
30,026 43,257 57,735
0% 0% 0%
n/a Texarkana Palestine
Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas Southwest Arkansas East Texas
Cherokee, TX
51,189
52,646
3%
Jacksonville
East Texas
Houston, TX
22,809
22,968
1%
n/a
Deep East Texas
Liberty, TX
78,045
88,219
13%
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land
Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast
Panola, TX
23,750
23,194
-2%
n/a
East Texas
Polk, TX
45,813
51,353
12%
n/a
Deep East Texas
Rusk, TX
53,212
54,406
2%
Longview
East Texas
San Jacinto, TX
27,049
28,859
7%
n/a
Deep East Texas
Trinity, TX
14,298
14,651
2%
n/a
Deep East Texas
Source: US Census Bureau, ARC Research.
1
RURAL EAST TEXAS ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS SUMMARY PROFILE
