Texas Governor Greg Abbott highlighted Dallas as a key economic player during a Wednesday address to local business leaders.
At a State of the State luncheon hosted by the Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC), Abbott outlined a number of the region’s economic successes, including its competitive business environment, its robust job creation and corporate expansions, and its regulatory climate.
“Success doesn’t just happen. It’s the culmination of years of tireless effort and commitment,” Abbott told business leaders and audience members during Wednesday’s luncheon, attended by The Dallas Express.
“Regulatory complexities in states like California have made it costly to do business there,” Abbott said. Texas wants to avoid these kinds of “heavy-handed regulations and instead rein in regulation, making it easier to do business in The Lone Star State,” according to the governor.
Abbott also laid out a number of his top priorities for the 88th Texas Legislature.
Some of these priorities were also laid out by the DRC in its 2023 annual report, including “preserving Texans’ economic success,” “investing in Texas’ workforce,” “supporting a healthy talent pool,” and “promoting a high quality of life for all.”
The greater Dallas area was ranked No.1 in job growth among all other major metros, with more than 67 corporate relocations across 25 regional communities, the DRC’s report said.
While the DRC’s 2023 report noted that the Dallas region was ranked No.2 as the fastest-growing tech hub in the nation, Abbott told audience members that the greater Dallas area had recently jumped to the No.1 spot.
“The Dallas Metroplex is ranked number one in the nation for high-tech job growth because of its well-trained workforce, a world-class airport, leading research universities, and affordable real estate,” Abbott said in a press release following the event.
“Last year was a banner year for Dallas, with a record for total jobs, a record for Texans employed in the Dallas metro, and an unemployment rate below the state average,” Abbott said in the press release.
“That’s a testament to the ingenuity and determination of the local business leaders here today. This session, we will work to keep Texas the land of economic opportunity and prosperity,” he said.
Amid the boom across North Texas that Abbott discussed Wednesday, however, the city of Dallas is struggling to stay on pace with its neighbors. Faced with high rates of crime, homelessness, and vagrancy, as well as a sclerotic permitting process that makes building in the city difficult, Dallas lost about 16,000 residents from 2020 to 2021, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.