Photo Credit: Rod PradoBusiness
The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership reveals 2026 Major Employers Report
The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership (EDP) released the results of their annual Major Employers Report at the 2026 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 alongside a distinguished panel featuring Brad Bailey, Chairman of The Woodlands Township, and Aaron Cox, CEO of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce.
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. Organizations with a workforce count of over 100 in The Woodlands, Shenandoah, or Oak Ridge North 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.
This year’s Major Employers Report recorded a combined total of 84 companies and 40,358 jobs, representing a 2% decline from 2025’s total of 41,103 jobs. The decrease was driven primarily by a significant restructuring in the chemicals sector, which shed jobs as companies responded to overcapacity and margin pressure. Despite this adjustment, the region has demonstrated resilient long-term growth, with total Major Employer jobs increasing 33% over the past decade.
“It’s been a challenging and uncertain year at the national, state, and local level,” said Jevon Gibb, CEO of The Woodlands Area EDP. “Many employers slowed down or paused as they dealt with economic uncertainty. The good news is that the chemicals sector restructuring appears to be a one-time correction, not a long-term decline. Our chemical companies are already positioning for the next cycle, and we’re working hard to seize opportunities as the larger economic picture improves.”
For the seventh consecutive year, healthcare remains the region’s leading sector, representing 32.5% of the overall workforce with 13,096 major employer jobs. Education follows as the second-largest sector with 7,751 jobs, representing 19.2% of the overall workforce. Together, healthcare and education jobs represent 51.7% of the total workforce in this year’s Major Employers Report.
The report tracks trends across thirteen primary business sectors: healthcare, education, professional & business services, energy, chemicals, financial services, hospitality & entertainment, life science, manufacturing, public agencies, real estate development, social services, and transportation/warehousing/utilities.
Gibb emphasized the distinction between local and traded industries in his presentation: “Healthcare and education serve the people who already live here. The real economic engines are our traded industries—Energy and Chemicals—that bring money into the region from global customers. Each job at a company like CP Chem or Arena Energy creates 2-3 additional jobs at hospitals, schools, and restaurants. The traded sectors are smaller, but they’re the foundation everything else sits on.”
Despite the challenging year, business sentiment surveys revealed optimism about the region’s future. Most businesses indicated that The Woodlands business climate is better today than when they first located here, with respondents expressing strong confidence about long-term prospects even as they remain cautious in the near term.
The EDP also announced one significant business expansion: an international manufacturer in the energy space that will be announced later this month, along with five smaller business wins.
AThe Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership was established in 1997. Its mission is to recruit new businesses that enjoy becoming part of the community, while solving problems and seizing opportunities that catalyze economic development in The Woodlands area. For further information, visit thewoodlandsarea.org or call (281) 363-8130.
Source: The Woodlands EDP
