Austin’s culture of innovation and creativity is on display every day in “the Live Music Capital of the World.” Our dynamic ecosystem of 42,000 small businesses is supported by numerous incubators, accelerators, and a municipally-funded Small Business Development Program. Austin hosts a major technology cluster, with industry giants like Dell, Advanced Micro Devices, Intel, 3M, IBM, Samsung, NXP Semiconductors, and National Instruments.

Austin’s growth is fueled by strong competitive advantages: a highly skilled workforce, modern infrastructure, and international connectivity. The University of Texas at Austin, a world-class research institution and one of the largest universities in the nation, is a major contributor to Austin’s highly educated workforce and creative sector, graduating 12,000 students annually. The city known for “weird” is wired as well, as Google Fiber and AT&T deploy Gigabit-speed internet in Austin. Additionally, our international presence continues to grow, as visitors from all over the world convene in Austin to participate in events such as SXSW, Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, and Austin City Limits.

Sources: Texas Comptroller for retail sales; Texas Workforce Commission for labor force, unemployment, businesses, employees, and salaries; Texas Education Agency for public school enrollment and graduates; ESRI for 2019 demographic estimates; and U.S. Census Bureau for all other data.