Labor Advantages

Rusk has over 300,000 workers in a 45 Minute Drive time supporting a regional population of 714,000! Our community can support your labor needs with a central location inside of east Texas.

Rusk Labor Shed: Occupations with Higher Concentration than National Average

In the Rusk labor shed, certain occupations have a higher concentration compared to the national average, as indicated by their location quotient (LQ):

Wellhead Pumpers: 8.8 times the US average
Slaughterers and Meat Packers: 6.8 times the US average
Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers: 5 times the US average
Chemical Plant and System Operators: 4.1 times the US average
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers: 4 times the US average
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders: 3.4 times the US average
Patternmakers, Wood: 3.3 times the US average
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood: 3.2 times the US average

Rusk Labor Shed: Fastest Growing Occupations in the Past 5 Years

The Rusk labor shed has also experienced significant growth in various occupations over the past 5 years:

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: 39% growth
Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: 36% growth
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors: 36% growth
Transportation Workers, All Other: 35% growth
Bridge and Lock Tenders: 33% growth
Food Processing Workers: 30% growth
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders: 26% growth
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: 18% growth

Industry Snapshot:

Within the 45 minute Rusk, TX labor shed, the Health Care and Social Assistance sector is the largest employer, providing jobs to 48,413 individuals. Following closely are the Retail Trade sector, which employs 33,528 workers, and the Educational Services sector, with 27,347 employees.

Location quotients (LQs) help identify regional employment concentrations compared to national averages. In the Rusk labor shed, sectors with the highest LQs include Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (LQ = 4.63), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting (LQ = 2.51), and Utilities (LQ = 1.35).

Total Workers for 45 Min Rusk, TX by Industry

Industry Clusters

A cluster represents a geographically focused grouping of interconnected industries or occupations. In the 45 minute Rusk, TX labor shed, the industry cluster with the greatest concentration is the Coal/Oil/Power sector, exhibiting a location quotient of 2.79.

This cluster supports 6,302 jobs in the region, offering an average wage of $98,818. Over the next decade, employment within the Coal/Oil/Power cluster is expected to grow at an annual rate of approximately 1.3%.

Industry Clusters for 45 Min Rusk, TX as of 2022Q2

Cost of Living Index

The Cost of Living Index evaluates the comparative price levels for consumer goods and services within a specific
region. By considering wages and salaries, this index provides insight into the relative purchasing power of residents.
In the 45 minute Rusk, TX labor shed, the cost of living is 9.8% lower than the national U.S. average, indicating greater affordability for residents in the area.