Texas Border Businesses
AUSTIN – Upstream oil and natural gas employment increased by 1,000 in August compared to July, according to new data from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Today’s data records job gains in four of the seven months so far this year, marking the third consecutive month of gains.
“With each passing month, Texas continues to demonstrate its strength as a producing powerhouse and continues to grow to meet the growing energy needs of our state, nation and allies around the world,” said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association. “Upstream job growth reflects the sustained demand for these essential resources and underscores the industry’s unwavering commitment to energy leadership, keeping Texas at the forefront of the global energy industry.”
Since the COVID-19 nadir in September 2020, the industry has added 37,400 upstream jobs in Texas, averaging an increase of 791 jobs per month. Months of upstream oil and gas job gains have outnumbered months of losses 36 to 11 since the COVID-19 nadir. These occupations have the highest wages in Texas, with oil and gas industry employers paying an average salary of approximately $124,000 in 2023.
The upstream sector includes oil and natural gas extraction and excludes other industry sectors such as refining, petrochemicals, fuel wholesale, oilfield equipment manufacturing, pipelines, and gas utilities. These sectors support hundreds of thousands of additional jobs throughout Texas. The jobs shown also include “mining support activities,” which are primarily oil and gas related but also include small amounts of other types of mining.
