Austin, Texas is one of the U.S. cities growing the fastest in 2022, according to an October report from a nonpartisan think tank.
Peter Tsai Photography | Flickr | Getty Images
Category Score 2013 Rank 2012 Rank
Cost of Doing Business1853528
Workforce195117
Quality of Life1064135
Infrastructure & Transportation25011
Economy31915
Education951026
Technology & Innovation25622
Business Friendliness1212012
Cost of Living4293
Access to Capital2438
Overall159321

ECONOMIC PROFILE

Governor: Rick Perry (R) 

Population: 26,059,203

GDP growth: 4.8 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2013): 6.5 percent

Top corporate rate: None, but has gross receipts tax

Top individual tax rate: None        

Gasoline tax: 20 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aaa/Stable

Major private employers: Dell Inc., University of Texas-Austin, MD Anderson Cancer Center, ISS Facility Services, Bearing Point Inc., University of Texas Health Sciences-Houston, Lockheed Martin Corp., Hewlett-Packard, HEB Grocery Company, Texas Instruments

Economic profile sources: American Petroleum Institute (April 2013), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2012), Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2013 release), CareerOneStop, Moody's Investors Service (senior-most tax-backed ratings), National Governors Association, Tax Foundation (2013), U.S. Census Bureau (2012 estimate)