Data reference - updated September 2026
East Texas business statistics.
Last updated 14 September 2026 - Next scheduled update March 2027 - Compiled by Patrick Ray, CPA, Tyler, Texas.
Every figure below comes from a primary source - the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Dallas Fed, or the SBA Office of Advocacy - with the publisher and reference period named beside it. The region covered is the nine Texas counties within roughly fifty miles of Tyler: Smith, Gregg, Henderson, Van Zandt, Anderson, Rusk, Cherokee, Wood and Upshur. Where a figure covers a different geography, such as a metropolitan area, that is stated. Free to cite with attribution.
Key takeaways
- 0186,080 businesses operate in the nine East Texas counties within 50 miles of Tyler.Census, 2023
- 0280.3 percent of East Texas businesses have no employees at all.Census, 2023
- 03Only about 2,514 East Texas businesses — 14.8 percent of employers — have between 10 and 99 employees.Census 2023; BLS size distribution, March 2026
- 04The Tyler and Longview metros together produced $35.71 billion of GDP in 2023.BEA, 2023
- 05Tyler metro GDP grew 6.4 percent in 2023 while Longview metro GDP fell 0.6 percent.BEA, 2023
- 06The average weekly wage in Smith County is $1,182, which is 28.5 percent below the US average of $1,654.BLS QCEW, Q1 2026
- 07Henderson County averages $1,025 a week, 38.0 percent below the national average.BLS QCEW, Q1 2026
- 08Tyler metro unemployment was 4.4 percent in July 2026; Longview metro was 5.3 percent in June 2026.BLS, 2026
- 09Education and health services is Tyler's largest sector at 28,000 jobs, 22.8 percent of nonfarm employment.BLS, July 2026
- 10Manufacturing is nearly twice as concentrated in Longview at 11.9 percent of nonfarm jobs as in Tyler at 6.3 percent.BLS, 2026
- 11Median household income across the nine counties ranges from $60,300 in Wood County to $74,192 in Smith County.Census, 2020–2024
- 12The nine-county region had 795,463 residents as of 1 July 2025.Census
- 13East Texas has 108 businesses per 1,000 residents.Census, 2023 and 2025
- 14Texas has 3.5 million small businesses, 99.8 percent of all Texas businesses, employing 44.4 percent of the state workforce.SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 profile using 2022 data
How many businesses are there in East Texas?
There are 86,080 businesses in the nine counties within fifty miles of Tyler, of which 16,969 have employees and 69,111 do not.
| County | Population (2025) | Employer establishments (2023) | Nonemployer establishments (2023) | Median household income (2020-2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith | 252,549 | 6,356 | 23,800 | $74,192 |
| Gregg | 126,095 | 4,040 | 12,132 | $66,550 |
| Henderson | 88,595 | 1,521 | 7,825 | $65,179 |
| Van Zandt | 66,130 | 1,007 | 5,736 | $69,475 |
| Anderson | 59,805 | 891 | 3,588 | $62,068 |
| Rusk | 54,854 | 833 | 3,918 | $68,658 |
| Cherokee | 53,337 | 840 | 4,165 | $61,261 |
| Wood | 49,688 | 904 | 4,268 | $60,300 |
| Upshur | 44,410 | 577 | 3,679 | $66,208 |
| TOTAL | 795,463 | 16,969 | 69,111 | — |
How big is a typical East Texas business?
About 71.5 percent of East Texas employers have fewer than five employees, and only 14.8 percent have between 10 and 99.
This applies the national BLS size distribution for March 2026 to the local employer base, so it is an estimate rather than a local count. Rounded size shares and estimated counts do not sum exactly.
| Employees | Share of establishments | Estimated East Texas establishments |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 | 71.5% | ~12,132 |
| 5 to 9 | 12.0% | ~2,035 |
| 10 to 19 | 8.0% | ~1,362 |
| 20 to 49 | 5.0% | ~848 |
| 50 to 99 | 1.8% | ~304 |
| 100 to 249 | 1.2% | ~210 |
| 250 or more | 0.5% | ~78 |
What is the East Texas economy worth?
The Tyler and Longview metropolitan areas together produced $35.71 billion in nominal GDP in 2023, or roughly $66,285 per resident of those two metropolitan areas.
| Metro area | Counties covered | 2023 GDP | 2022 GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler MSA | Smith | $15.68B | $14.74B | +6.4% |
| Longview MSA | Gregg, Harrison, Rusk, Upshur | $20.02B | $20.15B | -0.6% |
| Combined | — | $35.71B | $34.90B | +2.3% |
The Longview metro includes Harrison County, which is outside the fifty-mile radius. Combined totals use unrounded BEA values and can differ slightly from the sum of the rounded metro figures shown.
What do East Texas jobs pay?
Average weekly wages across East Texas counties run 12 to 38 percent below the national average of $1,654.
| County | Average weekly wage | Versus US average | Annualized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison | $1,446 | -12.6% | $75,192 |
| Anderson | $1,217 | -26.4% | $63,284 |
| Gregg | $1,200 | -27.4% | $62,400 |
| Smith | $1,182 | -28.5% | $61,464 |
| Cherokee | $1,057 | -36.1% | $54,964 |
| Henderson | $1,025 | -38.0% | $53,300 |
| Texas average | $1,646 | -0.5% | $85,592 |
| US average | $1,654 | — | $86,008 |
BLS does not publish separate wage figures for Rusk, Upshur, Wood or Van Zandt counties in this release.
Who employs East Texans?
Education and health services is the largest employer in the Tyler metro at 28,000 jobs, while trade, transportation and utilities leads in Longview at 25,300.
| Sector | Tyler MSA jobs | Tyler share | Longview MSA jobs | Longview share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education and health services | 28,000 | 22.8% | 18,500 | 15.0% |
| Trade, transportation and utilities | 25,800 | 21.0% | 25,300 | 20.5% |
| Government | 15,300 | 12.5% | 16,500 | 13.4% |
| Leisure and hospitality | 13,500 | 11.0% | 11,900 | 9.7% |
| Professional and business services | 13,100 | 10.7% | 10,400 | 8.4% |
| Manufacturing | 7,700 | 6.3% | 14,600 | 11.9% |
| Mining, logging and construction | 7,400 | 6.0% | 14,300 | 11.6% |
| Other services | 5,500 | 4.5% | 4,100 | 3.3% |
| Financial activities | 5,000 | 4.1% | 6,600 | 5.4% |
| Information | 1,500 | 1.2% | 1,000 | 0.8% |
BLS reports total nonfarm employment of 123,000 for Tyler and 123,200 for Longview. The sector detail sums to 122,800 for Tyler because BLS publishes each sector rounded to the nearest hundred.
How is Tyler's economy different from Longview's?
Tyler runs on healthcare and Longview runs on industry, and the two metros are close enough in size to make the contrast clean.
- Unemployment
- Tyler 4.4 percent in July 2026 against Longview 5.3 percent in June 2026.
- Manufacturing
- 11.9 percent of Longview nonfarm jobs against 6.3 percent in Tyler.
- Mining, logging and construction
- 11.6 percent in Longview against 6.0 percent in Tyler.
- Education and health
- 22.8 percent in Tyler against 15.0 percent in Longview.
Tyler metro nonfarm employment grew 2.1 percent over the year to July 2026, while Longview grew 0.4 percent over the year to June 2026.
How does East Texas compare with Texas as a whole?
The region is older, less formally educated and lower paid than the state average, and it is growing more slowly.
- Population growth
- Combined Tyler and Longview metro population was 538,707 in 2023, up 6.5 percent since 2016 against 9.5 percent statewide.
- Dallas Fed
- Health services
- Health services employs more than 38,000 people across the region, with UT Health East Texas and CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances together employing more than 9,500.
- Dallas Fed
- Small businesses
- Texas has 3.5 million small businesses, 99.8 percent of all businesses in the state, employing 5.1 million people or 44.4 percent of the workforce.
- SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 profile using 2022 data
- Business applications
- Texas recorded 43,527 new business applications in August 2026.
- Census Business Formation Statistics
Methodology and sources.
The nine-county definition is a practical service-area definition, not an official statistical geography.
Metropolitan areas cover different counties: Tyler MSA is Smith County alone, while Longview MSA is Gregg, Harrison, Rusk and Upshur. Longview therefore includes Harrison County, which sits outside the fifty-mile radius, and overlaps the nine-county region rather than nesting inside it.
The size-class table applies a national distribution to a local base and is therefore an estimate, not a local count. GDP figures are nominal and not adjusted for inflation. Reference periods differ by series because federal agencies publish on different schedules, so each figure carries its own date.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
- U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns
- U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Economy at a Glance — Tyler
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Economy at a Glance — Longview
- Bureau of Labor Statistics County Employment and Wages — Texas
- Bureau of Labor Statistics establishments by size
- Bureau of Economic Analysis GDP by county and metropolitan area
- Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Tyler–Longview profile
- SBA Office of Advocacy Texas Small Business Profile
Businesses in these counties can talk to a local CPA.