Examining the Employment Landscape in Corpus Christi

The data and insights featured in this article are from a report by Dr. Jim Lee, professor of economics at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The study was commissioned by the Texas Real Estate Research Center. 

The hallmark of a robust economy and strong housing market is employment. The more people who are gainfully employed, the more likely they are to spend money on goods and services and put down roots by purchasing a home. 

The story of Corpus Christi’s employment landscape is one of slow growth. From 2012 to 2023, the labor force of the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which includes employed and unemployed residents age 16 and older, grew less than 1 percent compared to the statewide average of 19.2 percent. Furthermore, the city had a slightly higher average annual unemployment compared to the rest of the state (5.9 percent to 5 percent) and slower employment growth as well (0.3 percent to 1.9 percent). 

Of the three counties that comprise the Corpus Christi MSA (Aransas, Nueces, and San Patricio), only Nueces County expanded its labor force from 2012 to 2023. The varying growth rates of the labor force and employment among the three counties suggest that more residents are employed outside the county in which they live. For example, in 2023, only 24 percent of Aransas County’s workers also lived in that county, and in San Patricio County, only about one in five workers lived within the same county. In total, 89.1 percent of workers in Corpus Christi metro area were employed outside the ZIP code in which they lived. 

Major Industries in Corpus Christi 

The period from 2012 to 2023 could best be described as an era of industrial renaissance in Corpus Christi. Nearly $60 billion in private capital investments was spent on established petrochemical facilities and industrial manufacturing sites near the Port of Corpus Christi. 

Since 2010, several major new industrial facilities have been built in the Corpus Christi MSA, including TPCO, OxyChem, Steel Dynamics, and Tesla. These businesses, many of which rely on fossil fuels, provide a boost in construction employment during development. Once completed, the facilities employ hundreds of workers onsite in the Gregory-Portland community, Ingleside, and more recently in Sinton and Robstown. 

Locations of Industrial Sites Built Since 2012

Aside from the industrial buildout, Corpus Christi has a diverse economy. Del Mar College and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi are two major employers, as well as health care providers, such as CHRISTUS Spohn’s hospitals. The metro area’s largest employers are the Army and Navy military installations located in Flour Bluff. 

Where the Jobs Are 

There are 37 ZIP codes in Corpus Christi, and the one that provides the overwhelming majority of jobs (more than 23,000) is 78411 (Corpus Christi Bay Area). The downtown area (78401) is second with more than 18,000 jobs. 

There are many different types of jobs in the region, and they vary in wages and location. This impacts the types of housing needed for employees and their commuting patterns. For example, due to the development of industrial facilities near the Port of Corpus Christi, manufacturing jobs are concentrated in ZIP codes within San Patricio County and the Corpus Christi ship channel.

Other service-based industries, like retail and wholesale trade, real estate, finance and insurance, and administrative services, are primarily found in the city of Corpus Christi. Hospitality and food services businesses and jobs are typically found closer to the coast in Port Aransas (Nueces County) and Rockport and Fulton (Aransas County).

Despite the numerous employment clusters in Corpus Christi, many workers do not live near where they work. Rockport is one of the most glaring examples of this trend, where despite a 5 percent increase in jobs, ZIP code 78382 lost 46 percent of its resident workers. This area was also hit by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and that could explain the continued displacement of many local workers. 

Another ZIP code experiencing more employment than resident workers is 78387. The town of Sinton saw a 40 percent increase in employment after Steel Dynamics opened, but many of the 600 steel workers commute from other ZIP codes, such as 78414 (South Side), 78418 (Flour Bluff and Padre Island communities), and 78339 (Robstown). 

With the industrial buildout, Corpus Christi has seen an increase in the number of commuters and a longer average commuting distance. Most of the new homes in Corpus Christi have been built in the Bay Area and South Side. Port Aransas, Rockport-Fulton, and North Padre Island have the region’s most expensive homes. This helps explain why high-wage earners tend to commute longer distances than low-wage earners. Ultimately, many residents in Corpus Christi have to balance where they can afford to live with where they work, and decide whether their commuting costs make sense.