This multi-year project examines how data-driven economic development strategies and policies can offer a blueprint to support innovative and creative ecosystems in rural Texas communities. Three Texas regions – Permian Basin, Boerne, and Deep East Texas – are investigated. The research offers an approach for how these strategies can be implemented. Finally, a catalog of lessons learned is provided for application to other rural Texas areas.

For both the Permian Basin and for Deep East Texas, the project team recommended that local universities become community hubs and opportunity gateways – catalyzing development in those regions. Deep East Texas is experiencing the same challenges that many rural regions face today: high poverty rate, low labor participation rates, lackluster job creation, insufficient industry diversification, and brain drain. Through interviews with local stakeholders, the research team discovered that residents already look to Stephen F. Austin University (SFA) as a key actor in guiding the region towards economic growth. The report outlines ways that SFA can be leveraged in more impactful ways to drive economic growth in Deep East Texas.

Similarly, The University of Texas Permian Basin can become more of a guiding force in the Midland/Odessa region. Unlike Deep East Texas, Midland/Odessa has grown rapidly, and population and employment growth are projected to continue at an increasing rate. However, UTTB has difficulty attracting students and attributes part of that difficulty to the lack of economic opportunity that students perceive in the region. The overwhelming majority of jobs center around oil and gas. The research team’s final report outlines ways that UTTB can strengthen the Permian Basin community and expand the student body and offerings, by investing in community infrastructure and entrepreneurism.