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

BEAUMONT- PORT ARTHUR

LUFKIN- NACOGDOCHES

TEX- ARKANA

OTHER COUNTY NAME POPULATION (2014) POPULATION (2019) POP. CHANGE (2014-2019) METROPOLITAN/ MICROPOLITAN AREA WORKFORCE BOARD

Hardin, TX Jasper, TX Jefferson, TX Newton, TX 55,510 57,602

35,424

35,529 252,897 251,565 14,292 13,595

Orange, TX Tyler, TX Angelina, TX

83,244 21,468 87,567 Nacogdoches, TX 65,240 Sabine, TX 10,428

San Augustine, TX Shelby, TX Bowie, TX Cass, TX Miller, AR Anderson, TX Cherokee, TX

8,481 25,607 93,268 30,123 43,458 57,829 51,189

Houston, TX Liberty, TX Panola, TX Polk, TX Rusk, TX 22,809 78,045 23,750 45,813 53,212

San Jacinto, TX Trinity, TX 27,049 14,298 83,396 21,672 86,715 65,204 10,542 8,237 25,274 93,245 30,026 43,257 57,735 52,646 22,968 88,219 23,194 51,353 54,406 28,859 14,651

Source: US Census Bureau, ARC Research. 4% Beaumont-Port Arthur Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas

0% n/a -1% Beaumont-Port Arthur Deep East Texas Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas

-5% n/a 0% Beaumont-Port Arthur Deep East Texas Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas

1% n/a -1% Lufkin 0% Nacogdoches 1% n/a -3% n/a -1% n/a 0% Texarkana 0% n/a 0% Texarkana 0% Palestine Deep East Texas Deep East Texas Deep East Texas Deep East Texas Deep East Texas Deep East Texas Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas Southwest Arkansas East Texas

3% Jacksonville East Texas

1% n/a

Deep East Texas 13% Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast -2% n/a East Texas

12% n/a 2% Longview 7% n/a 2% n/a Deep East Texas East Texas Deep East Texas Deep East Texas