The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership Publishes 2025 Major Employers Report

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership (EDP) has released the results of their annual report of major employers in The Woodlands Area at the 2025 Economic Outlook Conference hosted by The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce. EDP was a sponsor for this year’s conference and EDP’s Chief Executive Officer, Jevon Gibb, presented a local economic update.

Since 2001, the EDP has tracked local major and mid-size (non-retail) employers to determine job growth trends in the area. Major employers are surveyed annually starting in January and asked to provide a current count that includes full-time, part-time, and dedicated contract workers. The organizations with a total workforce count of over 100 are listed on the EDP’s major employers report, while those with a workforce totaling less than 100 are included in an abbreviated mid-size employers report.

In addition to providing information on company workforce rankings, the EDP also looks at trends in the primary business sectors which have grown to include healthcare, education, business and professional services, energy, chemical, financial services, hospitality/entertainment, life science, manufacturing, public agencies, real estate development, social services, and transportation/warehousing/utilities (combined).

This year’s major employer report recorded a combined total of 84 companies and 41,103 jobs. For the sixth year in a row, healthcare is our local leading sector representing 32.6% of the overall workforce with 13,420 major employer jobs. Additionally, four of the area’s top ten employers on the list are in healthcare: Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, St. Luke’s Health, and Texas Children’s. Education represents the second largest sector with 7,791 jobs representing 19% of the overall workforce. Together the healthcare and education jobs represent 51.6% of the total workforce represented in this year’s major employers report.

Jevon Gibb, CEO of The Woodlands Area EDP, stated “The area added over 1,000 jobs at major employers over the last year. As part of this 2024 number, we had some big gains at our hospitals, and higher ed, as well as a great win with the return of CB&I to The Woodlands. We had some losses in our Business Services sector, which happens. When it all adds up, though, we had our best year since 2018, and we should celebrate that.”

“It’s important to separately track sectors such as Energy, Chemicals, Manufacturing, and Life Science for two reasons. First, they generate tax revenue, which pays for the amazing amenities and quality of life that make The Woodlands an awesome place to live, work, pray, learn and play. Second, these other sectors are the primary drivers for population growth. Our hospitals and schools are fueled by those sectors. Economic development does not recruit healthcare and education. We recruit other sectors and industries. And when we win, those other sectors naturally follow. For continued growth, we need to continue attracting and growing companies in sectors like Energy, Chemicals, Manufacturing, and Life Sciences.”

“I’m excited that the EDP is leaning in to doing more. So what does that look like for the local economy? It means that were committing to proactive business outreach and attraction. For those energy companies fleeing California, life science companies seeking lower costs and less regulation than Boston, and all the companies in between, we are all in. We are going to recruit them, bring them here, and make that decision the best and easiest they ever made.”

“As part of that, I have an exciting announcement today. We’re announcing a project today with Newmark Global, one of the leading site selectors in the world. We’re going to partner with them to refine how we target companies, who we target, and to align our team and resources to maximize success.”

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