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Business Environment
Dallas’ diverse business environment offers almost any career the opportunity to grow. Over 65,000 businesses call the City of Dallas home, including global leaders such as Texas Instruments, AT&T, Comerica and Southwest Airlines. Dallas’ 59,000 small businesses offer numerous employment opportunities.
Major Employers
Our employers help to define our community. The City of Dallas is home to a variety of firms that an integral part of diversified industry mix. Dallas boasts employment opportunities in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and more.
Our leading employers include:
Firm | Industry | Number of Employees |
---|---|---|
Texas Instruments | Semiconductors | 11,527 |
Baylor University Medical Center | Healhcare | 9,671 |
AT&T | Information | 8,100 |
Southwest Airlines | Airline | 7,859 |
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas | Healthcare | 6,501 |
TXU | Utilities | 5,500 |
Match Group | Services | 4,800 |
ClubCorp USA Inc. | Services | 4,634 |
Children's Medical Center of Dallas | Healthcare | 4,487 |
Wal-Mart Stores | Retail Trade | 4,204 |
Corporate Headquarters
Dallas is one of the world’s leading corporate headquarters centers. It boasts:
- 21 Fortune 500 companies and 41 Fortune 1000 companies in DFW
- 7 companies on the 2015 Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies (DFW)
- 656 total headquarters operations that employ at least 1,000 globally (DFW)
Dallas’ efficiency as a headquarters city is based on its:
- Quality transportation system with air operations to 148 U.S. and 55 international cities
- Large metro professional services workforce - 561,000 jobs (DFW MSA 2015 average)
- Affordable cost of business with a cost of living 96.1% of the national average (2015)
- Central location and great business culture
Source: Fortune, Forbes, Hoovers, City of Dallas Office of Economic Development, C2ER, and Texas Workforce Commission
Fortune 500
There are 21 Fortune 500 companies are based in the Dallas area. DFW Fortune 500 companies include:
- Exxon Mobil
- American Airlines Group
- Fluor Corp.
- Kimberly-Clark
- J.C. Penney
- GameStop
- D.R. Horton, Inc.
- Commercial Metals
- Celanese
- Dr. Pepper Snapple Group
- Alliance Data Systems
- Pioneer Natural Resources
Expansions & Retentions
Any holistic economic development strategy should include activities that reduce loss of private sector businesses and that attracts and retains new businesses through entrepreneurial development and recruitment. Existing businesses typically account for 80% of job creation and new investment in a local economy. While business retention and expansion efforts have gone by many names (BEAR, BR&E, BRE, R&E, etc.), Dallas is committed to business success through advocacy, information and public-private partnerships.
Taxes & Regulations
The tax structures of both Texas and Dallas do not focus on taxing work or income. There is no local or state income tax for Dallas residents and there is no corporate or personal income tax in Texas. The average per capita state and local tax burden in Texas is fifth lowest among states in total state tax burden according to analysis by the Tax Foundation (2017). Overall total state and local tax burden per capita in Texas was 76% of the national average. Dallas businesses also have ample opportunities to take advantage of foreign trade zones to reduce their business tax burden.