Texas has been honored with its 12th Gold Shovel Award by Area Development magazine, recognizing the state’s achievements in job creation and capital investment for the year 2024. This marks two decades of consistent recognition for Texas, having received either a Gold or Silver Shovel every year since the award’s inception.
Governor Greg Abbott expressed his satisfaction with this achievement, stating, “Texas again wins gold for attracting job-creating business investments thanks to having the best business climate and fastest-growing skilled workforce in America.” He emphasized that Texas continues to be a prime destination for innovative industry leaders due to its favorable business environment. Governor Abbott also extended his gratitude to Area Development magazine and congratulated local, regional, and statewide economic development partners on their efforts.
The Gold Shovel Award was given to Texas in acknowledgment of over $10.6 billion in high-value expansion and location projects throughout 2024. Notably, 12 significant projects contributed to creating more than 11,000 jobs across the state.
Among the Manufacturing Projects of the Year were Delta Electronics, Inc., which invested $452 million to create 1,500 jobs in Plano, and QYK Brands with a $400 million investment resulting in 1,000 new jobs in The Woodlands. In non-manufacturing sectors, Amazon made a notable impact with a $200 million investment creating 1,000 jobs in Cleburne.
Other significant investments included ECL’s $8 billion project generating 250 jobs in Houston and FREYR Battery (now T1 Energy) with a $340 million investment leading to 1,300 jobs in Wilmer. Additional contributions came from companies like Crystal Window & Door Systems and Raising Cane’s among others.
Area Development’s annual Shovel Awards assess states based on various criteria such as job creation relative to population size, total company investments’ dollar amount, new facilities count, and industry diversity.
For more details on these rankings and further insights into Texas’s economic development achievements, readers are encouraged to explore Area Development’s full report.
