Trends across Counties
Relative to the overall labor force, the number of self-employed in the Coastal Bend has grown at a slower pace. Between 2001
and 2014, the self-employment population in the region grew 6 percent, a slower pace than the 9 percent nationally. During that
15-year period, total regional employment grew nearly 20 percent. As a result of the discrepancy between the growth rates of the
number of self-employed and the number of wage workers, the share of self-employment in the regional workforce declined by
nearly one percent from 8.3 percent to 7.4 percent.
Despite the overall steady trend of self-employment in the Coastal Bend region as a whole, the relative role of selfemployment varies drastically across its counties. Self-employment is a mainstay for some small counties. In particular, more
than one in 10 workers in Aransas (14%) and McMullen (16%) counties are self-employed.
ENTREPR
Since 2001, the number of self-employed in McMullen County more than doubled (122%). Kleberg County’s self-employment
level also grew nearly 50 percent. By contrast, self-employment in Kenedy County with fewer than 600 workers declined 65
percent. Nueces County, where most self-employed in the region are found, gained 5 percent. This county’s self-employment
level also exhibited a cyclical pattern in association with the rise and fall of the local construction industry. The accompanying line
chart also indicates an overall downward trend in the self-employment share of the local workforce for most counties.
County Self-Employment Share in Labor Force
ENEURSHIP IN THE
Source: EMSI Analyst Online
Significance to Community
COASTAL
A recent study by Rupasingha and Goetz (2011) found that
increased levels of self-employment were associated
with corresponding increases in local household
income and job growth. However, the study also found
that self-employed people earned less on average in
comparison with salaried employees. The gap is perhaps
due to underreporting of income by the self-employed,
or perhaps those workers are less productive than
their peers and thus are forced to be self-employed.
Nevertheless, that study notes that self-employment
helps reduce local poverty rates, especially among
rural counties. Further, self-employment provides an
alternative source of income for unemployed workers,
implying that the promotion of self-employment is
beneficial to local economic development.
BEND
Review of South Texas Business Conditions
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