Williamson County economic development officials report jobs and foreign investment gains, stress spaceport and Korea ties

Dave Porter, executive director of the Williamson County Economic Development Partnership, gave the commissioners an annual update on the Partnership’s activities and results Tuesday, saying Williamson County continues to outperform state and national averages in employment and wage growth.

Porter told the court Williamson County’s unemployment rate stands at about 3.4%, versus 4.1% nationally and 4.0% for Texas. He said the county ranked in the top 10 of U.S. counties for job growth (2.5%) and first for wage growth (7.2%) in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data presented to commissioners. “Williamson County is a big county. It's, 1,134 square miles,” Porter said, adding that economic activity is spreading across the county.

Porter told commissioners the Partnership has worked international recruitment channels and cited state efforts to open trade and recruiting offices overseas. He described results from SelectUSA programming and a spin-off event that brought manufacturing executives to the county, and said the Partnership landed projects tied to Korea, Taiwan and other foreign markets. He highlighted a new relationship with Youngin City and a Korean bank locating in the county, and said the county’s sister-city and trade work has generated follow-up leads.

Why it matters: Porter framed these developments as long-term economic drivers that can raise tax values, expand school-district revenue and deliver local jobs. He presented projected build-out impacts on the U.S. 79 corridor—centered on Hutto and Taylor—where data-center projects, a Samsung-related semiconductor project and other investments could create tens of thousands of jobs and billions in assessed value over decades.

Key details presented to the court included: the Partnership’s direct involvement in 12 projects since 2023 representing roughly $920 million in capital investment and an estimated $24.2 million in new county tax revenue over 10 years; an estimated 34,700 jobs at full regional build-out tied to a set of major projects along U.S. 79 (a multi-decade projection); and a county return-on-investment calculation suggesting each $1.5 million the county invested in the Partnership generated a projected ROI of about 161.5% on the subset of projects the Partnership directly influenced.

Porter emphasized opportunities linked to the county’s recent spaceport designation, saying the state has established a $300 million incentive fund for space companies and that Williamson County is the only Central Texas site currently designated. He also reported on the Partnership’s planned staffing and strategy changes: adding a business development hire in the next fiscal year, developing a five-year strategic plan, and shifting some outreach as large tenants like Samsung come online.

Commissioner comments and county context: Commissioners praised the Partnership’s work and said transparency on strategic priorities and fiscal impacts will be important as the Partnership prepares a five-year plan. Porter said the Partnership will coordinate closely with local school districts and community partners on workforce development and pipeline programs.

Porter also described ongoing work with the University of Texas research campus planned for Taylor, noting the campus team was considering advanced manufacturing research and potential synergies with the spaceport. He said the Partnership would continue to balance international recruitment (notably Korea) with domestic targets and other markets identified in the forthcoming strategic plan.

Ending: Porter asked for questions and thanked the court for the county’s multi-year investment in the Partnership. Commissioners indicated continued support and interest in regular updates and the Partnership’s strategic plan.