economy

Central Texas Region 2024 Regional Report

Region Snapshot

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About the 2024 Regional Reports

The 2024 regional reports utilize sources from JobsEQ, REMI, Texas A&M Real Estate Center, Texas Department of Transportation, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Introduction

Texas’ people, industries and geography are all highly diverse. This report examines the Central Texas region, one of 12 economic regions created by the Texas Comptroller’s office, to analyze economic and demographic data, trends and conditions unique to the region.

Population

Core based statistical areas (CBSAs), classified by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, describe the socioeconomic relationships between communities and across urban and rural territories. CBSAs consist of one or more counties that include a core urban area (UA) with a population of at least 10,000 and adjacent counties with a high degree of economic and social integration, as measured by commuting ties to that core. There are two types of CBSAs:

• Metropolitan Statistical Areas (metro areas): associated with at least one UA with a population of at least 50,000.
• Micropolitan Statistical Areas (micro areas): associated with at least one UA with a population of at least 10,000.

The Central Texas region comprises 20 counties located largely in the heart of Texas, covering about 17,100 square miles stretching from Hillsboro in the north to Interstate 45 in the east to the East Yegua Creek in the south to the confluence of the San Saba and Colorado rivers. The Central Texas region includes three metropolitan areas — College Station-Bryan, Killeen-Temple and Waco — and one micropolitan area — Brenham.

In the 2023 CBSA update (PDF), Bosque County was added to the Waco metro area. Exhibit 1 highlights CBSA designations by county and includes population, population density and median ages for all the region’s counties. The Central Texas region’s population grew by more than 13 percent (about 151,600 people) between 2012 and 2022, compared with more than 15 percent growth statewide. Bell County led total gains, adding 63,248 residents, and Brazos County led regional growth rates at 20.8 percent during this period.

The metropolitan areas bolstered the regional population growth, as College Station-Bryan, Killeen-Temple and Waco saw increases of more than 18 percent, 17 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Population rose by 6.6 percent in micropolitan counties and 3.2 percent in non-CBSA designated counties.

The Central Texas region had a median age of 33.8 years in 2021, younger than the statewide median age of 35 years. Median ages in the region ranged from 27 in Brazos County to nearly 50 in Mills County.

CBSA Classification and Population by County, Central Texas Region, 2012-2022

County	CBSA Title	Metropolitan/ Micropolitan	2022 Population	Total Change, 2012-2022	Percent Change, 2012-2022	Median Age, 2021	Population Density
Bell	Killeen-Temple	Metropolitan	388,386	63,248	19.5%	31.5	351.7
Bosque	Waco	Metropolitan	18,697	570	3.1%	46.3	18.6
Brazos	College Station-Bryan	Metropolitan	242,014	41,710	20.8%	27.1	399.0
Burleson	College Station-Bryan	Metropolitan	18,657	1,220	7.0%	43.7	26.8
Coryell	Killeen-Temple	Metropolitan	85,057	6,542	8.3%	32.4	79.0
Falls	Waco	Metropolitan	17,049	-523	-3.0%	40.1	22.2
Freestone	N/A	N/A	19,950	466	2.4%	41.3	22.1
Grimes	N/A	N/A	30,754	4,068	15.2%	40.4	37.2
Hamilton	N/A	N/A	8,298	47	0.6%	44.1	9.8
Hill	N/A	N/A	37,329	2,164	6.2%	41.4	37.4
Lampasas	Killeen-Temple	Metropolitan	22,785	2,735	13.6%	43.6	30.4
Leon	N/A	N/A	16,209	-531	-3.2%	44.6	14.6
Limestone	N/A	N/A	22,253	-1,426	-6.0%	40.7	24.5
McLennan	Waco	Metropolitan	266,836	27,467	11.5%	33.7	251.4
Madison	N/A	N/A	13,661	-78	-0.6%	35.9	28.9
Milam	N/A	N/A	25,628	1,512	6.3%	42	24.4
Mills	N/A	N/A	4,500	-333	-6.9%	49.8	6.0
Robertson	College Station-Bryan	Metropolitan	17,153	706	4.3%	40.3	19.6
San Saba	N/A	N/A	5,824	-166	-2.8%	40.9	5.0
Washington	Brenham	Micropolitan	36,159	2,243	6.6%	41.7	59.3
Central Texas Region Total*	N/A	N/A	1,297,199	151,641	13.2%	33.8	73.3
College Station-Bryan Metropolitan Area	N/A	N/A	277,824	43,636	18.6%	29.0	127.7
Killeen-Temple Metropolitan Area	N/A	N/A	496,228	72,525	17.1%	32.2	168.7
Waco Metropolitan Area	N/A	N/A	302,582	27,514	10.0%	34.9	106.2
All Micropolitan Counties*	N/A	N/A	36,159	2,243	6.6%	41.7	59.3
All Non-CBSA Counties*	N/A	N/A	184,406	5,723	3.2%	41.4	20.3
Texas Total	N/A	N/A	30,029,572	3,945,452	15.1%	35.0	111.6

*Median ages are estimated by JobsEQ using the weighted average of the median values from the composing counties.
Note: Population density defined as number of people per square mile of land area.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population and Housing Unit Estimates Program; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts analysis; JobsEQ

The region has experienced annual fluctuations in net domestic migration gains between 2012 and 2022, including declines in 2013 and 2014, followed by strong gains from 2017 through 2022. Notably, the post-COVID years of 2021 and 2022 saw the region’s strongest gains in domestic migration. Population gains by natural increase (births minus deaths) fell throughout this period, particularly in 2021 and 2022, with higher deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting trends in the state. The region saw net gains in international migration every year during this period (Exhibit 2).

Exhibit 2 data

Components of Annual Population Change from Previous Year, Central Texas Region, 2012-2022

Year	Natural Increase	Net Domestic Migration	Net International Migration
2013	8,232	-6,478	3,690
2014	8,241	-2,910	4,363
2015	8,075	5,087	4,682
2016	7,893	-257	3,611
2017	7,191	7,359	2,751
2018	6,555	6,814	1,798
2019	6,592	9,204	1,529
2020	5,882	6,853	1,487
2021	2,914	15,154	641
2022	3,979	14,450	2,289

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population and Housing Unit Estimates Program; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts analysis

Population by Race and Ethnicity

Hispanics led population gains in the Central Texas Region between 2012 and 2022, growing by nearly 79,100, an increase of more than 31 percent. The region’s white population grew by more than 26,700, a 4 percent increase. Those comprising two or more races and other races saw gains of 38.3 percent during this period, though their total gains were much more modest when compared with Hispanics. The Asian and Black populations rose by 28 percent and 16 percent, respectively (Exhibit 3).

Population Change by Race/Ethnicity, Central Texas Region, 2012-2022

Year	White	Black	Asian	Two or More Races and Other Races	Hispanic or Latino	Total Population
2012	667,724	170,844	26,818	29,753	250,419	1,145,558
2022	694,455	197,668	34,419	41,150	329,507	1,297,199
Total Change	26,731	26,824	7,601	11,397	79,088	151,641
Percent Change	4.0%	15.7%	28.3%	38.3%	31.6%	13.2%

Note: “Other races” include American Indian and Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population and Housing Unit Estimates Program; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts analysis.

The region’s white population fell from 58.3 percent in 2012 to 53.5 percent in 2022, and the Hispanic population grew from 21.9 percent to 25.4 percent during this period. All other racial groups comprised nearly 21 percent of the regional population in 2022 (Exhibit 4).

Exhibit 4 data

Share of Population by Race/Ethnicity, Central Texas Region, 2012 and 2022

Race/Ethnicity	2012	2022
White	58.3%	53.5%
Black or African American	14.9%	15.2%
Asian	2.3%	2.7%
Two or More Races and Other Races	2.6%	3.2%
Hispanic or Latino	21.9%	25.4%

Note: “Other races” include American Indian and Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population and Housing Unit Estimates Program; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts analysis

Population by Age Group

Like the state, the region saw its largest population gains among people ages 65 or older, reflecting the large Baby Boomer cohort (those born between 1946 and 1964). The population aged 4 and under fell by nearly 2 percent statewide and by one percent regionally (Exhibit 5).

With its 65-and-older population leading regional population gains, the share of this group grew from 12 percent in 2012 to almost 15 in 2022.

Exhibit 5 data

Population Changes by Age Group, Central Texas Region and Texas, 2012-2022

Age Group	Central Texas Region	Texas
65 or older	36.6%	41.9%
50 to 64	8.9%	13.0%
35 to 49	15.9%	15.2%
20 to 34	7.0%	14.4%
5 to 19	13.6%	10.0%
0 to 4	-1.0%	-1.8%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population and Housing Unit Estimates Program; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts analysis

Education

Educational Attainment Levels

The share of the Central Texas region population with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 26.8 percent in 2022. In 2022, a higher share of women than men in the region had at least a bachelor’s degree — 27.7 percent versus 25.8 percent (Exhibit 6). Women have overtaken men in postsecondary educational attainment levels since 2012, when 21.2 percent of women had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 21.9 percent of men.

The share of the region that has earned at least a high school diploma rose from 84 percent in 2012 to 88.2 percent in 2022.

Exhibit 6 data

Educational Attainment by Gender, Central Texas Region, 2022

Educational Attainment	Male	Female	Total
Less than high school graduate	12.5%	11.0%	11.8%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	28.9%	26.8%	27.8%
Some college, no degree	24.4%	24.5%	24.5%
Associate degree	8.3%	10.0%	9.2%
Bachelor's degree	15.8%	17.7%	16.8%
Graduate or professional degree	10.0%	10.0%	10.0%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates, 2018-2022; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Occupational Earnings by Educational Attainment Requirements

A strong educational foundation provides the basis for growth and competitiveness in the global economy. Postsecondary education delivers returns on investments of time and tuition.

Data for 2023 indicate that occupations in the Central Texas region requiring at least an associate degree or certificate paid an average of $8,567 more annually than jobs requiring no postsecondary education. Occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree paid an average of $33,507 more annually than those requiring an associate degree or certificate, and occupations requiring a post-graduate degree paid an average of $35,424 more annually than those requiring a bachelor’s degree (Exhibit 7).

Employment Levels and Average Wages of Occupations by Typical Entry-Level Education Requirements, Central Texas Region, 2023

Typical Entry-Level Educational Requirement	Total Employment	Share of Total Regional Employment	Average Annual Wages
No postsecondary award	333,416	63.5%	$39,505
Associate degree or certificate	42,210	8.0%	$48,072
Bachelor's degree	118,102	22.5%	$81,579
Post-graduate degree	31,292	6.0%	$117,003
Total	525,019	N/A	$54,300

Note: Data as of 2023 Q2
Sources: JobsEQ; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Regional Institutions of Higher Education

The Central Texas region offers a variety of options for higher educational achievement, including four universities, six community colleges and one health science school. There are two public and two private institutions of higher education in the Central Texas region. Temple College saw the largest decrease in enrollment in the region over the last four years, while Texas A&M Health Science Center and Baylor University saw a 20 percent and 15.5 percent increase, respectively. Total enrollment in all higher education institutions in the region rose by 0.6 percent (Exhibit 8).

Institutions of Higher Education and Enrollments, Central Texas Region, Fall 2019 and Fall 2023

Institution	Institution Type	Fall 2019 Enrollment	Fall 2023 Enrollment*	Percent Change in Enrollment
Texas A&M University	University	63,859	69,598	9.0%
Baylor University	Private University	18,033	20,824	15.5%
Blinn College District	Junior or Community College	19,183	18,086	-5.7%
McLennan Community College	Junior or Community College	8,705	7,158	-17.8%
Central Texas College	Junior or Community College	9,492	6,616	-30.3%
Texas State Technical College – Waco	Technical College	4,537	4,998	10.2%
Hill College	Junior or Community College	4,537	4,012	-11.6%
University of Mary Hardin – Baylor	Private University	3,846	3,574	-7.1%
Texas A&M Health Science Center	Health Science School	2,887	3,454	19.6%
Temple College	Junior or Community College	4,887	2,713	-44.5%
Texas A&M University – Central Texas	University	2,440	2,253	-7.7%
Total - Central Texas Region	N/A	142,406	143,286	0.6%

*Fall 2023 enrollment numbers are preliminary and not certified.
Source: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Health Care

Availability of Hospital Services

Residents of the Central Texas region have access to a variety of hospital facilities from which to receive services. General hospitals offer a comprehensive range of services and facilities for medical diagnoses and treatments, including surgical services. Special hospitals provide clinical laboratory facilities, diagnostic X-ray facilities, treatment facilities or other definitive medical treatments (Exhibit 9).

Major Health Care Facilities, Central Texas Region, 2023

Facility Type	Number of Facilities	Total Number of Beds	Average Number of Beds Per Facility
General and Special Hospital	30	2,624	87.5
Private Psychiatric Hospital	2	170	85.0
State Psychiatric Hospital	1	74	74.0

Source: Texas Health and Human Services Commission

Health Care Access

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one of five Texans under age 65 did not have health insurance in 2021. The rate of uninsured in Texas — 20.3 percent — was the highest among U.S. states and about twice the national average of 10.2 percent.

At 18.1 percent in 2021, the Central Texas region’s uninsured rate was below the state average, although rates in 11 of its 20 counties were higher than the state average. The rates of individual counties ranged from a low of 15.2 percent in Coryell County to a high of 27.6 percent in San Saba County (Exhibit 10).

Estimated Uninsured by County, Central Texas Region, 2021

County	Uninsured Population	Percent Uninsured
Bell	50,322	15.4%
Bosque	2,989	21.6%
Brazos	36,268	18.2%
Burleson	3,092	21.9%
Coryell	9,394	15.2%
Falls	2,466	20.3%
Freestone	2,993	20.9%
Grimes	4,902	22.2%
Hamilton	1,411	22.8%
Hill	6,186	21.6%
Lampasas	3,426	19.4%
Leon	2,749	22.9%
Limestone	3,663	22.3%
McLennan	42,221	19.5%
Madison	2,256	24.1%
Milam	4,057	20.8%
Mills	885	27.5%
Robertson	2,567	19.3%
San Saba	1,085	27.6%
Washington	5,134	20.0%
Central Texas Region	188,066	18.1%

Note: Uninsured population includes ages 0-64 only.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates

Regional Economy and Employment

Gross Domestic Product

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the Central Texas region totaled $71.5 billion in 2022, accounting for 3 percent of Texas’ GDP. Some of the region’s industries, however, contribute a higher share to the state economy, indicating regional industry specialization. By this measure, the utilities industry was the most unique and specialized industry, accounting for 8.1 percent of the utilities industry GDP statewide. Government and government enterprises also plays an outsize role in the region, accounting for about 6.8 percent of industry GDP in Texas (Exhibit 11).

Gross Domestic Product by Industry, Central Texas Region, 2022 (Ranked by Central Texas Industries with Greatest Share of Texas Industry GDP)

Industry	Central Texas Region (billions)	Central Texas Region Industry GDP as Share of Total Regional GDP	Texas (billions)	Central Texas Region Industry GDP as Share of Texas Industry GDP
Utilities	$3.4	4.7%	$41.4	8.1%
Government and government enterprises	$15.0	21.0%	$222.4	6.8%
Educational services	$0.9	1.3%	$16.7	5.5%
Health care and social assistance	$4.8	6.8%	$132.6	3.6%
Retail trade	$5.2	7.3%	$148.0	3.5%
All industry total	$71.5	N/A	$2,402.1	3.0%

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Median Household Income

The Central Texas region had a median household income of $55,747 in 2021, up from $43,363 in 2011, a 28.6 percent increase. Median household income in Texas, by comparison, was $67,321 in 2021, up from $50,920 in 2011, a 32.2 percent increase (Exhibit 12).

Exhibit 12 data

Median Household Income, Central Texas Region and Texas, 2011-2021

Year	Central Texas Region	Texas
2011	$43,363	$50,920
2012	$43,706	$51,563
2013	$43,962	$51,900
2014	$44,885	$52,576
2015	$45,144	$53,207
2016	$46,423	$54,727
2017	$48,187	$57,051
2018	$50,242	$59,570
2019	$51,684	$61,874
2020	$52,694	$63,826
2021	$55,747	$67,321

Sources: JobsEQ; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-year estimates

Jobs and Industry

Between 2012 and 2022, regional employment rose by nearly 18 percent, lower than growth in Texas (23.5 percent) but higher than the U.S. (13.9 percent). The College Station-Bryan metro area saw particularly strong employment gains during this period, increasing by 33.2 percent (Exhibit 13).

Total Employment (2022) and Changes in Employment Levels (2012-2022), Central Texas Region Region

Region	Total Employed, 2022	Total Change, 2012-2022	Percent Change, 2012-2022	Average Annual Wages, 2022
United States	150,025,578	18,329,359	13.9%	$69,986
Texas	13,249,180	2,521,454	23.5%	$69,614
Central Texas Region	468,398	70,108	17.6%	$53,113
College Station-Bryan Metro Area	126,896	31,639	33.2%	$51,354
Killeen-Temple Metro Area	146,358	18,876	14.8%	$54,926
Waco Metro Area	127,393	19,140	17.7%	$52,429

Source: JobsEQ using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

The Central Texas region’s largest industries by employment are in restaurants, public and private education, major retailers, and hospitals and other health care services. These large regional industry sectors mostly experienced strong employment growth in the 10-year period ending in 2022, including a 31 percent gain in restaurant jobs.

These industries also have large location quotient (LQ) levels — a measure of an industry’s relative size in a region compared with its average size in the nation. An LQ of 1.25 or higher indicates that the region has a comparative advantage in the industry and that the industry is highly concentrated and unique to the regional economy (Exhibit 14).

Largest Industries by Employment, Central Texas Region, 2022

Industry	Employment	Employment Change, 2012-2022	Percent Change, 2012-2022	Average Annual Wages	Location Quotient	Establishments
Restaurants and Other Eating Places	39,760	9,454	31.2%	$19,624	1.17	1,865
Elementary and Secondary Schools	39,416	4,887	14.2%	$44,628	1.52	151
Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools	33,235	7,171	27.5%	$59,418	3.48	53
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	25,886	2,769	12.0%	$74,815	1.34	45
Grocery and Convenience Retailers	11,321	3,292	41.0%	$31,680	1.27	292
Justice, Public Order and Safety Activities	10,269	-637	-5.8%	$64,963	1.72	191
Offices of Physicians	9,692	2,867	42.0%	$142,372	1.05	464
Building Equipment Contractors	7,722	2,481	47.3%	$55,518	1.01	698
Warehouse Clubs, Supercenters and Other General Merchandise Retailers	7,520	487	6.9%	$29,788	1.05	291
Services to Buildings and Dwellings	6,887	2,450	55.2%	$33,659	0.96	740
Total - All Industries	468,398	70,108	17.6%	$53,113	1.00	25,781

Source: JobsEQ using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

Restaurants and other eating places led total employment growth among industries in the region between 2012 and 2022, adding nearly 40,000 jobs, a 31.2 percent gain. The special food services industry experienced some of the fastest growth, increasing by 258.3 percent during the period (Exhibit 15).

Industries with Largest Total Employment Growth, Central Texas Region, 2012-2022

Industry	Employment	Employment Change, 2012-2022	Percent Change, 2012-2022	Average Annual Wages	Location Quotient	Establishments
Restaurants and Other Eating Places	39,760	9,454	31.2%	$19,624	1.17	1,865
Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools	33,235	7,171	27.5%	$59,418	3.48	53
Elementary and Secondary Schools	39,416	4,887	14.2%	$44,628	1.52	151
Special Food Services	4,864	3,506	258.3%	$27,749	2.28	132
Grocery and Convenience Retailers	11,321	3,292	41.0%	$31,680	1.27	292
Offices of Physicians	9,692	2,867	42.0%	$142,372	1.05	464
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	25,886	2,769	12.0%	$74,815	1.34	45
Building Equipment Contractors	7,722	2,481	47.3%	$55,518	1.01	698
Services to Buildings and Dwellings	6,887	2,450	55.2%	$33,659	0.96	740
Individual and Family Services	4,771	1,633	52.0%	$33,581	0.50	596
Total - All Industries	468,398	70,108	17.6%	$53,113	1.00	25,781

Source: JobsEQ using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

Ranking regional industries by LQ shows that food production, coal mining, higher education services, and lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets are high in the region. The support activities for rail transportation industry had an LQ nearing 4, meaning the industry is four times as large in the Central Texas region compared with the national average. This industry also saw substantial job growth and high average wages from 2012 through 2022 (Exhibit 16).

Industries with Greatest Location Quotient, Central Texas Region, 2022

Industry	Employment	Employment Change, 2012-2022	Percent Change, 2012-2022	Average Annual Wages	Location Quotient	Establishments
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works)	471	114	31.8%	$170,399	6.59	12
Poultry and Egg Production	830	299	56.3%	$70,239	5.93	37
Coal Mining	504	-441	-46.7%	$99,668	3.86	8
Lime and Gypsum Product Manufacturing	189	32	20.4%	$52,529	3.80	2
Support Activities for Rail Transportation	423	321	317.5%	$75,522	3.78	8
Support Activities for Animal Production	372	174	87.7%	$58,489	3.75	37
Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools	33,235	7,171	27.5%	$59,418	3.48	53
Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing	388	128	49.1%	$38,667	3.45	5
Hunting and Trapping	23	13	131.1%	$40,182	3.42	7
Highway, Street and Bridge Construction	4,630	1,032	28.7%	$54,189	2.80	96

Source: JobsEQ using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

Regional Occupations

Among occupations, general and operations managers and logisticians and project management specialists had average wages far above regional averages and saw some of the strongest job gains from 2012 through 2022. Supervisors of food preparation and other food service workers, as well as laborers and material movers also saw strong growth during the period (Exhibit 17).

Occupations with Largest Total Employment Growth, Central Texas Region, 2012-2022

Occupation	Employment	Employment Change, 2012-2022	Percent Change, 2012-2022	Average Annual Wages	Location Quotient
General and Operations Managers	10,271	3,620	54.4%	$96,500	1.16
Laborers and Material Movers	17,690	3,122	21.4%	$32,800	1.00
Fast Food and Counter Workers	11,447	1,896	19.8%	$24,000	1.31
Cooks	6,696	1,338	25.0%	$28,600	0.95
Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	4,174	1,315	46.0%	$37,800	1.18
Customer Service Representatives	7,080	1,116	18.7%	$36,100	0.95
Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers	11,187	1,022	10.1%	$46,500	1.22
Miscellaneous Agricultural Workers	8,323	862	11.5%	$31,700	4.27
Logisticians and Project Management Specialists	2,162	843	63.9%	$81,300	0.78
Miscellaneous Health Care Support Occupations	4,218	775	22.5%	$35,300	0.99

Source: JobsEQ using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programs.

Central Texas Regional Infrastructure

Housing Affordability

The Texas A&M Real Estate Center’s Texas Housing Affordability Index (THAI) measures the ability of a household earning the median family income to purchase a median-priced home. An index ratio greater than 1 means that the median family income is more than the income required to purchase the median home in a specific area. The calculations for the index assume that consumers are making a down payment of 20 percent and have a family income that is 25 percent of the price of the median home.

According to the THAI, a median-income family in the College Station-Bryan, Killeen-Temple and Waco metro areas would have more income than needed to afford the median home in the area. Affordability levels in each area, however, are lower in 2022 compared with 2017 (Exhibit 18).

Exhibit 18 data

Year	College Station-Bryan MSA	Waco MSA	Killeen-Temple MSA	Texas
2017	1.48	1.83	2.05	1.54
2018	1.35	1.62	1.84	1.39
2019	1.44	1.61	1.87	1.43
2020	1.72	1.83	2.00	1.78
2021	1.85	1.53	1.77	1.53
2022	1.28	1.27	1.35	1.19

Source: Texas A&M Real Estate Center

Regional Transportation

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are federally mandated policymaking organizations created to coordinate transportation planning in urbanized areas. Three MPOs located in College Station-Bryan, Killeen-Temple and Waco coordinate transportation planning in the Central Texas region.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) oversees the construction and maintenance of state highways through its 25 districts across the state. The Central Texas region includes two of these county-based districts, with offices in Waco and Bryan.

Exhibit 19 lists road miles and vehicle miles traveled for the region’s roadway network by road type, as of 2022. On-system roads are those under the jurisdiction of TxDOT, whereas off-system roads are under jurisdiction of cities, counties, the federal government or private entities (e.g., private toll roads). Centerline refers to mileage of a roadway regardless of lanes; it is taken from the center of the roadway. Lane mileage refers to the mileage for all lanes combined. Daily vehicle miles traveled refers to the estimated daily mileage of all vehicles using that roadway, whereas daily truck miles traveled refers to the estimated daily mileage of trucks using that roadway.

Road Miles and Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled, Central Texas Region, 2022

Road Type	Centerline Miles	Lane Miles	Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled	Daily Truck Miles Traveled
Interstate Highways	219.5	1,093.6	13,446,072.0	3,850,049.4
U.S. Highways	701.1	1,879.1	5,834,036.8	870,612.6
State Highways, Spurs, Loops, Business Routes	1,425.1	3,654.6	9,923,784.0	1,353,308.8
Farm or Ranch to Market Roads and Spurs	4,059.4	8,388.3	6,138,190.9	508,151.9
Pass, Parks and Recreation Roads	21.8	43.6	8,499.7	441.1
Frontage Roads	486.7	975.9	1,601,535.6	99,518.8
On-System Subtotal	6,913.6	16,035.1	36,952,119.0	6,682,082.6
City Streets	4,793.8	9,876.9	4,308,421.9	170,396.1
Certified County Roads	13,091.1	26,181.2	1,420,892.8	49,472.4
Toll Road Authority Roads	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Federal Roads	561.9	1,123.8	140,028.5	4,647.0
Off-System Subtotal	18,446.8	37,181.9	5,869,343.2	224,515.5
Grand Total	25,360.4	53,217.0	42,821,462.2	6,906,598.1

Source: Texas Department of Transportation

Transit Districts

Several transit districts help provide safe, reliable and accessible transportation services to citizens of the Central Texas region. The region includes three Urban Transit Systems (serving areas with populations between 50,000 and 200,000) in Killeen, Waco and Temple and four Rural Transit Systems (serving areas outside the urbanized area) (Exhibit 20).

Transit Districts, Revenue and Ridership Statistics, Central Texas Region, 2022

Transit District	Type	Total Operating Expense	Total Revenue	Unlinked Passenger Trips	Passenger Trips Per Capita	Operating Expense Per Trip
Killeen	Large Urban	$4,516,487	$261,540	166,149	0.76	$27.18
Temple	Small Urban	$2,634,710	$56,092	88,976	0.98	$29.61
Waco	Small Urban	$7,161,668	$2,890,174	863,624	5.01	$8.29
Brazos Transit District	Rural	$5,394,562	$146,203	137,031	0.18	$39.37
Heart of Texas Council of Governments	Rural	$1,411,272	-	22,737	0.20	$62.07
Hill Country Transit District	Rural	$2,668,959	$228,128	56,792	0.34	$47.00
McLennan County Transit District	Rural	$1,305,552	$191,205	30,689	0.49	$42.54

Source: Texas Department of Transportation

Airports

Texas has 27 airports offering passenger or commercial service, including three in the Central Texas region — Robert Gray in Killeen, Easterwood Field in College Station and Waco Regional. Waco was the only one of the three to see an increase in enplanements (the number of passenger boardings) in 2022 compared with the previous year (Exhibit 21).

Commercial Airports and Enplanements, Central Texas Region, 2021 and 2022

U.S. Rank	Airport ID	City	Airport Name	2021 Enplanements	2022 Enplanements	Percent Change
185	GRK	Killeen	Robert Gray AAF	142,253	126,160	-11.3%
244	CLL	College Station	Easterwood Field	67,033	54,542	-18.6%
270	ACT	Waco	Waco Regional	47,541	54,899	15.5%

Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Region vs. Texas

If the Central Texas region were a state, it would have 42nd largest area and 43rd largest population. The region experienced strong population growth at 15.1 percent between 2012 and 2022, which would have been the sixth highest if the region were a state (Exhibit 22).

Central Texas Region Compared to Texas and the U.S.

Indicator	Central Texas Region Value	Rank if Region were a State	Texas Value	U.S. Value
Square Miles (land)	17,113	42	261,267	3,533,038
Population, 2022	1,297,199	43	30,029,572	333,287,557
Population Percent Change, 2012-2022	13.2%	6	15.1%	6.2%
Population with High School Diploma or Higher, 2022	88.2%	40	85.2%	89.1%
Population with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher, 2022	30.3%	30	32.3%	34.3%
Per Capita Personal Income, 2022	$49,103	50	$62,586	$65,470
Median Household Income, 2021	$55,747	44	$67,321	$69,021
Population Age 65 or Over, 2022	14.5%	48	13.4%	17.3%
Population Under Age 18, 2022	23.6%	8	24.8%	21.7%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts analysis

Central Texas Region Economic Development Highlights

• Dongjin Semichem Texas Inc., a global manufacturer of electronic materials and foaming agents, plans to build a $70 million facility in Killeen in 2024.
• Farmer Veteran Coalition, a nonprofit that provides agricultural business grants to veterans, moved its headquarters to Waco.
• Hoover Treated Wood Products started construction of a $9 million state-of-the-art wood treating facility in Fairfield.
• Polyglass U.S.A. Inc., a leading manufacturer of roofing and waterproofing solutions, is expanding its Waco facility by 100,000 square feet.
• Strategic Armory Corps, a producer of tactical equipment for military, law enforcement and commercial groups, plans to build their world headquarters, manufacturing, warehouse and distribution facility in Bryan. After five years of operations, the company will maintain 70 full-time jobs with an average salary of at least $55,000.
• Niagara Bottling, a leading beverage manufacturer, will invest $48 million to expand its Temple facility, creating at least 14 new jobs.
• BrightFarms began construction on a $120 million hydroponic leafy green farm in Lorena, creating 240 jobs.
• BioVeritas, a bio-based ingredients company focused on upcycling, announced construction of its first commercial production facility in Bryan.