Recruiting to DFW? Study after Study Finds Business Booming

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If you are recruiting employees to move to Dallas/Fort Worth, this article on corporate relocations will be music to your ears…

Texas is the place I’d dearly love to be.

– George Strait in All My Exes Live in Texas

These days, you don’t have to be a country crooner to seriously consider moving to Texas. The state and the DFW Metroplex keep getting bigger, better, and more attractive to businesses and skilled workers. In government and media studies, DFW and its suburbs consistently rank among the nation’s best for corporations and small businesses.

If you’re trying to convince a company or recruit to follow the herd to DFW, you’ll find all the evidence you need in this summary (and you can seal the deal by sending this CD):

U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. Census Bureau has tracked the state’s explosive population growth. Four Texas metro areas added more people in the one year period from July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2015 than any whole state in the nation. The state gained approximately 490,000 new residents as a whole. The DFW Metroplex is now the 4th largest metro area in the U.S., with Houston right behind it.

Contributing to Texas’ explosive growth in corporate relocations is our business-friendly climate. Between 2008 and 2014, California corporations accounted for 15% of the 219 of companies that moved their headquarters or expanded their operations.

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

While the country’s GDP only grew by 2.3% in 2014, Dallas’ rose by 8.5% according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Dallas is among the 10 densest US cities, and is ranked #1 in GDP growth. Since 1990, Texas energy jobs have grown by 85%, while Texas’ healthcare and education fields have grown by 140%. In the past year, Texas added 32,000 jobs for teachers, nurses, and doctors, showing the power of a Texas-strong economy.

Fortune 500 List

In 2015, Texas placed #2 on the Fortune 500 list, with 54 companies, edging out California, which had 53. New York came in first with 55. Texas has 6 of the top 50 companies on the list. According to SMU, Dallas ranks #3 among American cities in the number of Fortune 500 corporate headquarters.

corporate relocation

Forbes

Dallas-Fort Worth ranked # 11 of the top U.S.cities where residents can get the most out of their paychecks in Forbes’ 25 Cities Where Your Paycheck Will Go the Furthest. DFW had a median home value of $157,900 and a median salary of $50,000. In this
survey, Houston came in at #8 and San Antonio at #18.

Forbes also ranked Dallas #15 in its Best and Worst Places for Business and Careers 2015. This study reported that Dallas has developed a strong industrial and financial sector, as well as becoming a major inland port, due largely to DFW International Airport, one of the largest and busiest airports in the world.

Glassdoor

Dallas ranked #14 in Glassdoor’s 25 Best Cities for Jobs. According to this study, “These 25 metros stand out for having the highest Glassdoor Job Score, determined by weighting three factors equally: how easy it is to get a job (hiring opportunity), how affordable it is to live there (cost of living), and how satisfied employees are working there (job satisfaction).” This report also factors in each metro’s median pay for employees, median home value, job satisfaction rating, number of current job openings and population.

MarketWatch

Dallas ranked #1 in the MarketWatch 10 Most Pro-Business Cities in America list. The study reported strength in the local GDP, personal income, and the quality of our labor force. Dallas continues to import jobs from other states, and it appears that engine will keep chugging for a while. According to the report, “Signs of this can be seen 1,500 miles west in California. Flashy ads envelope bus-bench shelters encouraging commuters to visit Dallas, replete with videos pointing out the ‘Big D’s’ virtues.”

Dallas-Ft. Worth also ranked #9 in the MarketWatch Best Cities for Business survey.

Business Insider

In Business Insider’s America’s 12 Best Big Cities to Live in Right Now, Dallas-Fort Worth ranked #8 for corporate relocations. According to a local expert, “A healthy balance of urban and rural, Dallas offers residents ‘big-city excitement and quiet, suburban living.” The study found an impressive supply of local bars, retail shops, and plenty of sports spirit to satisfy the huge population. It also showed that young professionals primarily inhabit Dallas-Fort Worth, where the largest employers are in business, finance, and education.

Plano ranked #1 and Irving ranked #4 in Business Insider’s Top Cities for Finding a Job in 2016.  “Boasting the most affordable housing and the highest number of full-time employees, Plano comes in at No. 1” Plano’s high median-annual income and great family atmosphere also helped this suburb land the top spot. Irving ranked No. 4 for employment growth and full-time employment.

Money Magazine

Money Magazine publishes an annual Best Places to Live survey. McKinney and Frisco have topped previous years’ lists. While those suburbs are curiously absent from the latest 2015 list (even though both continue to attract corporations). Coppell and Wylie made the list, ranked #8 and #25 respectively.

With all of this evidence pointing to what George Strait always knew, maybe it’s time to add a line to this song, simply titled Texas.

There wouldn’t be no Alamo
No cowboys in the Superbowl
No lonesome dove
No yellow rose
No corporate exodus from every other state
If it wasn’t for Texas.