East Texas: The region at a glance

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East Texas: What you need to know

As the official data partner for the The Texas Lyceum , we are helping to set the stage with some key facts for its conference,?“Behind the Pine Curtain: The Opportunities and Future of the Heart of East Texas,”?on Nov. 3–5. Find some of that data below.?

• Eastbound ??:?East #Texas comprises 38 counties, including metropolitan areas Beaumont, Longview, Texarkana and Tyler.?Divided by the Upper East and Southeast regions, its geography consists of the Piney Woods, prairies, lakes, wetlands and the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.
• Population Points ????????:?More than 1.9 million people live in East Texas. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the Upper East region’s estimated population was about 1.15 million (4% of Texas'?total population), while?the Southeast region was about 769,000 (2.6% of Texas'?total population).
• Money Talks ??:?About $86.2 billion in Gross Domestic Product was earned in East Texas in 2020, accounting for roughly 5% of Texas’ GDP of $1.8 Trillion, according to the Texas Comptroller.The area’s largest industries by employment levels are in restaurants, education and health care services.
• Education-to-Workforce Pipeline ?? ?? ????: Upper East region workers with an associate?degree or certificate earned an average of $4,667 more annually than those in jobs requiring less than postsecondary education or training, according to 2021 data. For the Southeast region, the amount is?$2,167.For workers?in the Southeast?region with at least a bachelor’s degree on average earned $34,867 more than those without postsecondary education or training. For the Upper East region, the?amount is $32,467.

Higher Ed Options ??:?There are 10 community college districts servicing East Texas as well as the University?of Texas at Tyler and?Texas A&M University at Texarkana, among other higher ed institutions.?

• The Disconnect ??: In 26 #easttexas counties, less than 80% of households have broadband access at speeds of 100x10 megabits per second—or download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 10 Mbps.The Federal Communications Commission considers internet service?as broadband—or high-speed internet—if it delivers speeds of 25x3 Mbps. But, it is proposing to raise speeds to 100x20 Mbps.
• The Uninsured ??:?In 2019, the rate of uninsured Texans across East Texas ranged from about 16% to 26% across counties.?Roughly five million Texans are uninsured.?We're finding out why.

DID YOU KNOW?

Texas 2036 also visited the region twice in the last year during our?Texas Road Show, where we?visit with local leaders about the most important?issues?in their communities and the state, and have plans to visit East Texas?again next year.?

Learn more about East Texas.

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We want to hear from you!?Is your community one of the best places to live and work in Texas??

Tell us why ?? TEXAS 2036 SURVEY

5th Texas Voter Poll: Results by Region???

Show Support:?Last month, we released our 5th Texas Voter Poll results.

• The?biannual poll?gauges public support for non-partisan?policies and lays?out a roadmap for state leaders to strengthen voter confidence and move Texas forward.

The Results:?Texas voters agree on key issues going into midterms.?

Dive Deeper:?To help showcase the results by different areas across the state, we launched a new dashboard that breaks down poll responses by region.

Explore the dashboard here.

Reminder to Get Out the Vote: Early voting in Texas for the midterm elections ends today, Friday, Nov. 4.?Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.?

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Last week, we shared?Texas' scores?from the Nation's Report Card and offered our take on the results.

Share your thoughts on the state's students' scores!