Economic Productivity

Texas has a strong and diverse economy that depends on a reliable water supply. Therefore, an important aspect of water sustainability is economically efficient use of water. The Texas Water Explorer examines economic productivity related to water use in Texas.

What does the Texas Water Explorer tell us about Economic Productivity?

Value of Water in the Economy

This is an indicator of how much water contributes to local county economies. Two sub-indicators summarize this information: gross sales per acre-foot of water use and total number of employees per acre-foot of water use.

Total Sales Per Acre-foot - Statewide, the average in total sales per acre-foot of water use at the county level is $75,651.

The highest proportion of counties over the statewide average total sales per acre-foot of water use are in the Trinity, Cypress, Sabine, and San Jacinto basins and the Trinity, Edwards, and Carrizo-Wilcox aquifers.

Employees Per Acre-foot - Statewide, the average number of employees per acre-feet of water used at the county level is 0.68.

The highest proportion of counties above the statewide average for employees per acre-feet of water use are in the Trinity, Sabine and Neches basins, and the Trinity, Edwards, and Carrizo-Wilcox aquifers.

More Reading

Read Texas Water Explorer analysis methods
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages