Texas Border Businesses


AUSTIN – Citing the latest Employment Statistics (CES) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) today released new jobs figures showing Texas upstream employment increased for the third consecutive month in August 2024. According to TIPRO analysis, direct upstream employment in Texas totaled 194,400 in August, up 1,000 from the revised July employment count. Texas upstream employment data shows a decrease of 1,700 jobs in oil and gas extraction and an increase of 2,700 jobs in the services sector last month.
New workforce data from TIPRO shows job advertising in the oil and natural gas industry in Texas is strong again. The association said there were 11,823 active job ads in the oil and natural gas industry in Texas last month, an increase of 299 job ads compared to July, with companies adding 4,602 new job ads during the month. By comparison, California had 4,416 job ads in August, followed by Florida (2,147), New York (1,684), Pennsylvania (1,662) and Louisiana (1,564). TIPRO reports that nationwide there were a total of 60,396 job ads in the oil and natural gas sector last month, an increase of 630 compared to July.
Of the 19 specific industry sectors TIPRO uses to define the oil and gas industry in Texas, gas stations with convenience stores led the rankings in unique job openings in August with 3,208, followed by oil and gas business support activities (2,495) and crude oil extraction (1,021). The top three cities for unique oil and gas job openings, according to TIPRO, were Houston (2,960), Midland (859) and Odessa (441).


According to the association, the top three companies with job postings in August were Love’s (1,032), Sefco (994) and Energy Transfer (417). Of the top 10 companies with job postings last month, five were in the service industry, three were in gas stations with convenience stores, one was in a midstream company and one was in an upstream company. The industry positions with the most job postings in August were first-line supervisor of retail sales associate (632), large truck and trailer driver (402) and general maintenance and repair worker (371). The occupations with the most job postings in August were assistant store manager (236), sales associate (221) and maintenance technician (130).
Top qualifications listed in unique job ads included a valid driver’s license (1,934), a commercial driver’s license (CDL) (284), and a Master’s in Business Administration (159). TIPRO reported that 41 percent of unique job ads did not specify an education requirement, 33 percent required a bachelor’s degree, and 28 percent required a high school diploma or GED. There were 1,973 advertised salary observations (17 percent of the 11,823 matching ads) with an average salary of $64,900. The highest percentage of advertised salaries (25 percent) were in the $100,000 to $500,000 range.
Additional data on labor trends from TIPRO:
TIPRO also highlights recent data released by the Texas Comptroller’s Office, showing the significant tax contributions provided by the Texas oil and natural gas industry during August and the state’s previous fiscal year. Texas energy producers paid $543 million in oil production taxes last month, an 8% increase from August 2023. Producers in August paid an additional $80 million in natural gas production taxes. Revenues collected from the oil and natural gas severance tax help support and pay for vital public services throughout the Lone Star State, including investments in roads and infrastructure, water conservation projects, schools and education, and emergency responders. According to the State Comptroller, oil and natural gas production taxes totaled $8.4 billion during fiscal year 2024.


Additionally, TIPRO highlights new federal data showing increased productivity and new and expanded infrastructure in the Permian Basin. Spanning parts of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico, the Permian is the most prolific oil field in the United States. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Permian crude oil production is expected to increase by 430,000 barrels per day (b/d) from 2023 to 6.3 million b/d in 2024 and reach 6.6 million b/d in 2025, driven by increased drilling productivity by Permian oil and gas companies, improved efficiency, and other technological advances in the drilling and completion process. Meanwhile, EIA projects Permian marketed natural gas production to increase by 1.9 billion cubic feet/day in 2024 and 1 billion cubic feet/day in 2025, averaging 25.8 billion cubic feet/day in 2025.
The EIA recently stated that new pipelines scheduled to come online in the Permian will help move crude oil and natural gas from the region to demand areas and alleviate transportation constraints. The 580-mile Matterhorn Express Pipeline, scheduled to come online in the third quarter of 2024, will be able to transport up to 25 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from the Waha Hub in West Texas to Katy, Texas. Three new Permian Basin pipeline projects with a combined capacity of 73 billion cubic feet per day have also been approved and are in various stages of development.
The 2.0 Bcf/d Apex Pipeline is designed to transport natural gas from the Permian Basin to Port Arthur, Texas. Operator Targa Resources expects the pipeline to be operational in 2026.
The 2.5 billion cubic feet per day Blackcomb Pipeline is designed to transport natural gas from the Permian Basin to Agua Dulce in South Texas. Operator Whitewater Midstream expects the pipeline to enter service in 2026.
The Saguaro Connector Pipeline has a capacity of 28 billion cubic feet per day and is designed to transport natural gas from the Permian Basin to the U.S.-Mexico border. The pipeline, which will connect to the Sierra Madre Pipeline on the Mexican side, is expected to be operational by 2027-28.
Pipeline operators have also announced other projects totaling 7 billion cubic feet per day (TBF/d) aimed at transporting natural gas from the Permian Basin to demand in Mexico and the Texas Gulf Coast. If these projects come to fruition, they could come online between 2025 and 2028, EIA noted.
“Despite many challenges, including a highly politicized and uncertain federal regulatory environment, Texas’ oil and natural gas industry continues to once again provide access to quality job opportunities, reliable and affordable energy, and advance critical infrastructure projects,” said TIPRO President Ed Longanecker. “Imagine what could be accomplished if federal policymakers could establish a coherent and realistic energy policy platform in a non-partisan manner for the benefit of our country, our consumers, and our allies abroad. We applaud the industry’s important work and unwavering commitment, and will continue to advocate for sound energy policy at all levels of government to support exponential growth in energy demand in the coming years,” Longanecker concluded.
About TIPRO
The Texas Association of Independent Producers and Royalty Owners (TIPRO) is a trade association representing the interests of approximately 3,000 independent oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners throughout the state of Texas. As one of the largest statewide associations in the nation representing both independent producers and royalty owners, our membership includes small businesses, the largest publicly traded independent producers, mineral owners, estates and trusts.

